The NBA title is won by the superstar players, but in every title run, there’s always one or two role players who impact a game here and there or even an entire series. Let’s take a look at some of the guys who can surprisingly change the landscape of the NBA this postseason.
Grant Williams / F / Boston Celtics
The Celtics started off the season poorly, but then took off, thanks to a ton of improvement defensively by their young starting big man, Robert Williams III. Williams III has been a difference maker for them defensively this year, likely to be named to an All-Defensive Team at the end of the year. With the unfortunate and untimely injury to Williams III, the Celtics are going to have to rely heavily on their other big man named Williams. Grant Williams was one of the eight guys in the rotation for this team during the second half of the season and he has been extremely productive. He’s known as a sturdy defensive presence, but he’s taken a step offensively as well this year. He’s only averaging 7.9 points per game, but he has taken a big step in terms of his efficiency on that end. He is shooting 41.8% from three, good enough for 9th in the league. He came into the league as a non-shooter and has improved year after year, which has been the key to getting him on the court in meaningful minutes. He’s grown a ton in his short career so far, and playing a big role in the playoffs should help further his progress. Boston is going to need him to step up on defense and guard all star caliber players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and Pascal Siakam. He’s also going to have to produce on offense and knock down his open threes in order to create space for Tatum and Brown to operate.
Jalen Brunson / G / Dallas Mavericks
By trading away Kristaps Porzingis at the deadline, the Mavericks showed they have all the faith in the world in Luka Doncic. With that being said, he can’t win alone. If Dallas wants to make a run this year, they are going to need Jalen Brunson to step up even more than he has in the regular season. The former college player of the year has had a tremendous season. He does everything you could want from a point guard. He can shoot the three, can get into the lane with his craftiness and can create for others around him, which is especially useful while Luka is off the court. Inserting him into the starting lineup this season was a great decision by new head coach, Jason Kidd. While Brunson has been good, he’s going to have to be even better in the playoffs and step up as a legitimate second scoring option for the Mavericks. He’s often a little passive, but Luka is going to need a number two guy who is looking to be aggressive so he doesn’t have to create the offense on every single possession of a long seven game series. If he can raise his level of play, the Mavericks will make some noise in the West.
Victor Oladipo / G / Miami Heat
Oladipo is not the usual role player. He is an all star caliber player who hasn’t been healthy since he started playing at that level. It’s been a while since we have seen him play since he sat out all season until just a few weeks ago, but he seems to be healthy and in solid shape heading into the playoffs. Oladipo is a wild card for this Heat squad. If he can somehow get back to peak form by playoff time, they have another elite two-way player on the roster who can play big minutes in big games. If not, he can at least provide some scoring and defense off the bench for them if needed. His defense will be extremely valuable in certain matchups against teams that have multiple score-first guards like the 76ers and Celtics. Miami was arguably the deepest team in the league even without Oladipo, but now that he’s back he could make a huge impact this postseason for them in their fight to get back to the Finals.
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