After the flurry of deadline moves and a hotly-contested standing in both conferences, teams across the NBA entered an arms race, acquiring players from all corners of the league in preparation for the playoffs. By doing so, many guys previously mired in desolation now find themselves in the playoffs for the first time. Just as some perennially injured stars are finally healthy enough, or whose team is finally good enough, to give them the stage their talents deserve.
We’ve pinpointed five guys we can’t wait to debut in the postseason, which begins April 15. The five guys we are highlighting have never played in a playoff series before and are currently seeded above the play-in contest, between first place through sixth.
Josh Hart, New York Knicks
The Josh Hart acquisition at this season’s deadline was the second-best move of the period. It’s surprising since being drafted 30th in 2017, Hart has never played a postseason game with the three teams he’s been on. He’s been just a few seasons too late on all three. With the Lakers, he arrived during Kobe Bryant’s twilight. With the Pelicans, he arrived as Anthony Davis left, and then he arrived in Portland last season as they broke their eight-year playoff streak.
Since arriving in New York, he has fortified the Knicks’ bench, adding a clutch element to “Mobb Deep,” as they are known, with his tremendous intangibles and hustle plays to help close out games. They have gone 17-6 since acquiring Hart, and his career-high offensive rebounding rate (6.6%) and dawg mentality should aid the Knicks tremendously in their first-round showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Hart will be tasked with helping to cover Donovan Mitchell, who at 6-foot-5, should make a solid effort towards. But most importantly, they will need his vocal leadership, especially with the bench unit, as their two best players, Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, are more lead-by-example archetypes.
De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
After six losing seasons with the Sacramento Kings, De’Aaron Fox is being rewarded for his loyalty to the franchise, as he signed a five-year $163 million extension in 2020. Fox is the first star Kings player to re-sign with the franchise since DeMarcus Cousins in 2013, and his loyalty proved correct once they traded for Domantas Sabonis. The move was initially controversial, as the Kings shipped out emerging star guard Tyrese Haliburton in the trade. But Sabonis has become the perfect pick-and-roll partner for Fox, alleviating the facilitation duties and allowing Fox to cook on offense with his elite speed and first step.
Fox is leading all players in clutch scoring, with 180 total points, for a 21-13 clutch record. Fox is one of the best guards in the NBA and earned his first All-Star spot this season. Even better is the first playoff berth the Kings have clinched, sitting in the third seed and guaranteeing home-court advantage in the first round.
The Kings are returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2006, with Fox as the longest tenured player. In the NBA, loyalty rarely rewards players who embrace it. Fox’s ascension into stardom helped put that fate in his own hands.
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers were so close to making the playoffs last year, losing to the Atlanta Hawks by six points in the play-in tournament. The Cavs received solid production from then-rookie Evan Mobley, as he stuffed the box sheet with 18 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
This season, Mobley seems ready for prime time, polishing his offensive game with averages of 16.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 56.7 EFG%, and an 18 PER rating. The Cavaliers’ ceiling in this postseason and the future depends on the continued growth of Mobley, who is already one of the best defensive players in the league but still has upside offensively.
The main two places that can start are on the free throw line (only 3.9 attempts per game on 67.4 percent) and 3-point shooting (1.3 attempts per game on 21.6 percent). His defensive win share rate is outstanding at 4.7 for a sophomore player. This will certainly translate when he’s tasked with guarding one of the best isolation players in the league and two-time All-Star, Julius Randle, on the Knicks.
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
We’ve been waiting four years for this. From the moment he came into the league, everybody has wanted to watch Zion Williamson in the playoffs. After sitting out all last season, Williamson has been “kind of” healthy this year. He’s played 29 more games this season than last. All the time he’s missed has diminished his mystique. Just look at his numbers this season and shock yourself back to reality: 26 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game, 4.6 assists per game, on .62 eFG%, and 37.5 percent from three. Those are unstoppable numbers, packaged inside a 6-6, 284-pound freight train.
If Williamson is healthy for the playoffs, he will give an already feisty Pelicans team the best X-Factor in NBA history. They already showed their depth and talent in last year’s first-round matchup with the Phoenix Suns. By adding Williamson in the mix, you give the Pelicans an All-Star beast who sucks the defensive orbit to him, leaving his teammates wide-open.
Again, it’s all about health. If he can become available to his team for every game, the Pelicans could go from the current eighth seed to a limitless ceiling.
Cam Thomas, Brooklyn Nets
Cam Thomas has been an absolute bucket this season. This season, his offensive output was immortalized in a meme capturing his “ain’t shit funny,” an answer he gave reporters about why he never smiles.
Amid the chaos of the Kevin Durant/Kyrie Irving led-Nets this season, Thomas was a consistent scoring threat, pouring in the points when Irving was unavailable, Durant was pouting, and former coach Steve Nash was scratching his head in confusion. But his uptick in scoring hasn’t impacted winning. He has a minus-1 offensive box plus-minus this season, as well as an 0.2 win share and 14.3 PER, below the league average.
There is no better place to solidify his reputation than under the bright lights of the playoffs. The retooled Nets have maintained their playoff seeding after trading away both Durant and Irving at the deadline. They currently sit sixth in the Eastern Conference standings at 43-35. Thomas’ 10 ppg off the bench will be essential to them giving their playoff opponent hell in the first round. If he does, the reputation around his empty stats could change. If that happens, no matter what Thomas says, he will have plenty to smile about.
Lee Escobedo covers the NBA for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @_leeescobedo