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Kevin C. Cox / Associated Press
The 2020 NBA playoffs have yet to disappoint, with a mix of familiar faces and up-and-coming superstars taking over the games.
Veterans like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Jimmy Butler have either taken their teams to early lead or have already taken them to the second round, while Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray are establishing themselves as post-season stars.
While players like Damian Lillard and Nikola Vucevic have put up big numbers for their respective teams, facing a 3-1 deficit and +25,000 league odds likely means their playoff experiences are about to end.
Taking into account individual and team play, opponent quality, and 2020 championship odds via FanDuel, these were the most valuable players in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex bubble near Orlando, Florida.
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Kim Klement / Associated Press
Statistics per match: 27.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.5 steals, 2.3 blocks, .487 / .452 / .720 shots, plus -14.5
Advanced: Using 27.5%, real shot rate 60.7, net score 19.0
FanDuel stock odds: +1000
The Boston Celtics are one of three teams to have gotten a sweep in the first round. The Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors received fair scores from their rosters when they defeated their opponents, but no individual player did more than C’s forward Jayson Tatum.
The 22-year-old leads the Celtics in points, rebounds and saves as he takes on additional ball management responsibilities with Gordon Hayward out with an ankle injury.
Although Tatum’s usage isn’t as high as the other stars (equaling 18th place overall with Caris LeVert, minimum 30 minutes per game played), her net score of plus-19.0 is in fifth place overall.
Playing with a Philadelphia 76ers team without Ben Simmons helped the Celtics get a full round, and Tatum did most of the heavy lifting.
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Mike Erhmann / Associated Press
Statistics per match: 30.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.4 blocks, .557 / .524 / 1,000 shots, plus -1.8
Advanced: Usage of 28.9%, real shot rate of 68.7, net score of 2.9
FanDuel stock odds: +6500
While Nikola Jokic has been Denver’s best player for years, Jamal Murray has proven to be more valuable during the 2020 postseason.
Under 3-2 at the Utah Jazz, the Nuggets would have been knocked out had it not been for Murray 5’s brilliant game. The 23-year-old guard scored 42 points, took eight rebounds and delivered eight assists in a 10-point win, finishing 17 on 26 from the field (65.4 percent) with zero turnovers.
While it would be difficult to give an MVP award to a player whose team is losing to a lower seed, Murray is making franchise history. His 50-point Game 4 performance was the highest for a player in the Nuggets’ post-season history, and he has the fifth highest scoring average among players this postseason.
With Gary Harris and Will Barton both missing the series against sixth-seeded Jazz, Murray has proven that Denver can count on him when it counts.
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Kim Klement / Associated Press
Statistics per match: 32.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.3 blocks, .444 / .327 / .838 shots, plus -4.3
Advanced: 33.1% of use, 60.2% of real shot, 6.4 of net rating
FanDuel stock odds: +1500
While James Harden led the NBA in scoring during the regular season, he dropped to third in the playoff bubble.
The Rockets are on par with the Oklahoma City Thunder at two games each, which is an achievement considering how badly the roster around Harden has performed.
Give credit to the 31-year-old, as he was asked to do a lot more with Russell Westbrook who has so far lost the entire series to a quad injury. With no Westbrook and Robert Covington struggling, the Rockets’ second best player was Jeff Green. No other player has taken his team to a series advantage or a draw with that type of supporting cast.
With Westbrook expected to play Game 5 on Saturday, Harden should still be able to put up monstrous numbers, even as his usage begins to decline.
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Kevin C. Cox / Associated Press
Statistics per match: 25.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, .557 / .429 / .706 shots, plus-9.8
Advanced: Use of 30.3%, percentage of real shot 66.5, net valuation 16.0
FanDuel stock odds: +320
While Anthony Davis leads the Lakers in scoring (26.5 points per game), there is a clear favorite when deciding who is most valuable for the LA title quest.
LeBron James is the most used Laker and is assisting in half of his team’s baskets this postseason, the highest score of any NBA player. He is also the only player to score a triple double on the bubble.
His MVP case brings some wrinkles, of course. His average of 25.3 points per game is the third lowest of his 14 career playoff games, and he only ranks 12th in the NBA. The Lakers dropped out of their series opener against the Portland Trail Blazers, and James only scored 10 out of 4 of 11 points in a Game 2 win.
Although he was the most valuable player on his team, James has not yet been forced to play at the superstar level we have seen from him in previous NBA Finals games.
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Kim Klement / Associated Press
Statistics per match: 32.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, .523 / .300 / .843 shots, plus -4.6
Advanced: Usage of 30.2%, real shot rate 63.3, net score of 5.8
FanDuel stock odds: +270
The Los Angeles Clippers are tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the best odds for the title despite only being 3-2 in their streak against the Dallas Mavericks.
With Paul George looking lost for much of the series and Patrick Beverley losing all but one of the games, the fact that the Clips have the edge is a testament to Leonard’s game.
Last year’s Finals MVP is second among Donovan Mitchell’s playoff scorers, and can still be an absolute threat on the defensive side. He had to handle the ball more with Beverley out, and Leonard is tied with Lou Williams for team leadership with an average of 4.8 assists per game.
Given his incredibly strong play during PG-13 fights in 2-4 games (11.3 points per game with 21.3% shots), Leonard is once again one of the most valuable players of the post-season.
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Ashley Landis / Associated Press
Statistics per match: 31.3 points, 15.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.5 blocks, .578 / .350 / .629 shots, plus -9.5
Advanced: Utilization of 34.8%, percentage of real shot 63.5, net valuation 10.5
FanDuel stock odds: +270
Regular season MVP favorite and 2019-20 Defender of the Year, Giannis Antetokounmpo is enjoying a fantastic start to the postseason.
After a hiccup loss to the Magic in Game 1, the Bucks are back to winning three in a row and are on par with the Clippers for the best odds for the title.
Antetokounmpo was asked to do even more with All-Star forward Khris Middleton in difficulty (13.5 points per game with 33.9% shooting). While LeBron didn’t even have to lead his team in scoring, Antetokounmpo and Middleton have a file 17.8 points per game as the top two scorers for the Bucks.
With a tough Eastern Conference second round bout with the Miami Heat looming, Antetokounmpo may have to continue playing at MVP level to get Milwaukee into the conference finals.
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Ashley Landis / Associated Press
Statistics per match: 29.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks, .490 / .343 / .679 shots, minus -5.8
Advanced: Usage of 36.9%, real shot rate of 59.4, minus 7.5 of the net score
FanDuel stock odds: +8500
Luka Doncic is the only player to figure on this list despite posting negative plus / minus signs and net valuation, but there’s no way the Mavericks would even have smelled a win against the Clippers without him.
Leading seventh-seeded Mavericks against second-seeded Clippers (tied for best league odds) is a tough task for a 21-year-old making his playoff debut, but Doncic’s skill and demeanor rivaled that. the most successful stars in the league.
Doncic went out for 43 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists in a now legendary Game 4 in which he hit the winning shot during overtime, making him the youngest player in NBA playoff history to record a 40-point triple-double.
Doncic also played for an ankle injury while producing at a high level against defenders like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. While the Mavericks are one game away from elimination and have just lost Kristaps Porzingis to a side meniscus injury, meaning Doncic’s first playoff series could soon end, the Slovenian guard was arguably the most valuable player in the game. bubble in the first round.
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Ashley Landis / Associated Press
Statistics per match: 37.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks, .545 / .512 / .939 shots, plus -6.6
Advanced: Use of 37.1%, percentage of real shot 71.5, net valuation 8.9
FanDuel stock odds: +4200
While Utah does not have the greatest odds of winning the title, there has been no more valuable player in the bubble than Donovan Mitchell.
The 23-year-old shooting guard leads all players with 37.6 points per game. He’s also scoring at a remarkably efficient pace and is tied with Toronto’s Fred VanVleet for second of all players in the percentage of real shots (among those who play 30 or more minutes per game).
Mitchell had to take a bigger role with Bojan Bogdanovic out after wrist surgery and Mike Conley missing his first two games over the birth of his son.
While the absence of two key players made the Nuggets look like no. 3 seeded even more favorites than the Jazz No. 6, Mitchell led Utah to the 3-2 series lead.
Mitchell also leads all players in the usage-rate bubble, and the Jazz recorded a historically good offensive score of 130.3 with him on the floor.
As good as LeBron, Giannis and Kawhi have been, no player has been as valuable to his team as Mitchell so far.
Advanced stats courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
