16 players to watch during the NBA playoffs

The Milwaukee Bucks begin and end with the Greek Freak. Antetokounmpo has carried the team on his broad shoulders, continuing to improve on an already unique skill set. He has MVP-caliber numbers, averaging 26.9 points, 10 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. There is nothing he can’t do on the court, and it’ll be fun to watch him flying around with reckless abandon.

Playoff success has rarely been synonymous with Carmelo Anthony’s career, but it’s not every year that he has the help he does now. Forced to be the scorer for most of his time in the NBA, Anthony has taken a backseat to Russell Westbrook and Paul George this year with mixed results. Will he demand the ball more? Will he completely disappear? Will he step up and be the star of stars? Anthony has always been a bit of an enigma, but never more so than this year when so much is at stake for his career and legacy.

After DeMarcus Cousins went down late in January, the entire league knew it was back to being all Anthony Davis all the time. Turns out, yet again, the NBA still can’t stop him. For the second straight year, Davis played in 75 games and showed off the skills that made him the No. 1 pick in 2012. He averaged 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and led the league with 2.6 blocks. He does everything for the Pelicans. If you want to see someone flying around on both ends of the court, look no further than the Brow himself.

In a league where the three-ball is king, DeMar DeRozan is a throwback two-guard whose dominance is something to be admired. The former USC great has come into his own in recent years, developing a devastating midrange game to complement his athletic drives to the basket. He may not have embraced the three-pointer like his colleagues, but he became a better playmaker, averaging a career-high 5.2 assists, and did increase his three-point attempts and percentage. 2017-2018 was DeRozan’s coming-out party. Expect him to make more of a name for himself in the playoffs.

Dwyane Wade might be back on the Miami Heat, but he’s no longer the star attraction. Goran Dragic represented the Heat at the All-Star Game this year and finished the season leading the team in scoring and assists. While Wade might step in for leadership and fourth-quarter scoring, Dragic leads the way for Miami.

Never underestimate the old gunslinger. Ginobili may not be the reckless Argentinian baller he once was, but he'll still go through you to win a basketball game. With the Spurs in desperate need of any hope heading into the playoffs, Ginobili stepped up while Kawhi Leonard’s status with the team has been uncertain. With the Spurs needing some guidance after looking uncharacteristically vulnerable for the first time in years, expect Ginobili to take a dip in the fountain of youth.

Everyone knows what Cleveland is going to get from LeBron James and Kevin Love in the playoffs. What the Cavs don’t know is who is going to step up when those two get double-teamed. Look no further than Uncle Jeff. The veteran is a steady third option who will have plenty of chances to score with the Cavs' two stars occupying so much attention. In his last four starts, Green averaged 16.5 points on 71 percent shooting. He’s hot at the right time, and Cleveland needs him to stay hot.

Everyone’s always talking about how the Portland Trail Blazers are a good, young team in the NBA. In order to take the next step to be an elite team, they need Lillard to play at a whole other level. Playoff success has been hard to come by for the Blazers with Lillard leading the way. With that lack of his success weighing on his mind, expect him to take the team to new heights.

The Utah Jazz weren’t supposed to be this good after losing Gordon Hayward to the Boston Celtics. Then again, Donovan Mitchell wasn’t supposed to be this good this quickly either. In his rookie year, Mitchell has already achieved stardom in Utah, averaging 20.5 points with 1.5 steals a game. He’s already shown that the moment is never too big for him, and with a stage as large as the NBA playoffs, this may be his superstar coronation.

Before this year, all people knew about Oladipo was his ill-fated pairing with the ball-dominant Russell Westbrook. Now with the Indiana Pacers, people now know him as an All-Star and the best player on the team. Oladipo showed out all season, breaking out to score 23.1 points per game while averaging a career-high 4.3 assists. His 2.4 steals a contest led the league as well. His two-way style is exhausting to watch, but his effort and heart can’t be ignored.

Yes, James Harden is having an amazing season, and he will likely be the MVP. But even he wasn’t enough to get the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals alone. Chris Paul is supposed to be the man to get him to the promised land and vice versa. Paul has struggled to shed the "choker" label since he’s failed to lead teams past the conference semifinals. With another ball-carrier to help share the burden, he had a productive season averaging 18.6 points and 7.9 assists a game. Can he finally make it to the conference finals — and beyond?

Talk about Joel Embiid all you want — it’s Ben Simmons who runs this team. No one thought anyone can be as dominant without a jump shot as Jason Kidd, but then the former LSU player came along six inches taller and 25 pounds heavier with a similar game. Simmons has the athleticism to get to the cup whenever he pleases and the vision to find the open man just as easily. His 15.8-point, 8.1-rebound and 8.2-assist averages make him one of the favorites to win Rookie of the Year. Don’t miss out on watching this kid work and grow up in the playoffs.

Many Celtics fans buried their heads in their hands when word came down that Kyrie Irving was out for the rest of the season in early March. Fair enough. Irving is a great player, but that only gives Tatum more room to shine. He stepped in to pick up the slack after Irving went down, averaging 17.5 points per game, good for second on the team in that stretch. His shooting percentages were very unrookie-like since Irving's surgery, sporting a .484/.444/.804 slash line. It’ll be interesting to see if he can keep up that pace in the playoffs. If he does, don’t be surprised if he becomes a bona fide star.

Stephen Curry isn’t expected to be available to the Golden State Warriors until after the first round. While everyone knows Kevin Durant is going to get his numbers and Draymond Green is going to be Draymond Green, it’s going to be up to Klay Thompson to step up and give Durant a rest when he needs it most. In his last six games since returning from injury, Thompson has given the Warriors a boost, scoring 22.7 points per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from three-point range. Everyone assumes Golden State is going to be okay without Curry, but the team will need Thompson to step up to assure that.

Before "The Process" took the NBA by storm, the Minnesota Timberwolves were the young team to watch. With Karl-Anthony Towns developing into a full-blown star, the T-Wolves are a team to fear. Jimmy Butler may have taken this team to a new level, but Towns leads the way for Minnesota with his overall skill set. He averaged 21.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while carrying a slash line of .545/.421/.858 as a center. With this being his first taste of the playoffs, it will be interesting to see his reaction to higher level basketball.

While the Wizards did their best without him, they are nothing without their star point guard. Wall got hurt early in March and sat out 27 games. He’s played only four games leading up to the postseason, but he averaged 20.3 points and 12.5 assists in those contests. It’s a mystery what he will be able to do when the playoffs start, but make no mistake, all eyes will be on him to see how far he can carry Washington.