Ranking the 5 Best Eastern Conference Players in the postseason so far | 2022 NBA Playoffs
The NBA Playoffs are well underway, and we are just a few weeks away from the NBA Finals. The Eastern Conference has been very competitive, thus far, in the playoffs as there are two series that have been pretty intense. The games wouldn't be as competitive without certain players stepping up and carrying their teams through each game. In this article, we will be presenting the five best players in the Eastern Conference playoffs so far.
#1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Coming in at number one on our list, we have the Greek Freak himself, Giannis Antetokounmpo. After being one of the two MVP finalists from the Eastern Conference, Giannis has continued his dominance in the NBA Playoffs. He even earned a nod from plenty of people on Twitter as "The Best Basketball Player in the World."
"This dude is the best basketball player in the world, and I'm willing to say by far."
Chuck has high praise for @Giannis_An34 🗣 https://t.co/gkmjpfmG42
Nobody is suprised by this success after the Bucks' amazing finals run, coming back after being down 2-0 to the Suns. So far, in the playoffs, Giannis has averaged 30.1 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 7 APG, and 1.3 BLK on 45% FG.
#2. Jimmy Butler
Just behind the Greek Freak, we have the Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler. After a somewhat lackluster performance in the regular season, the six-time All-Star has found his rhythm in the playoffs. Butler's performances in both the series with the Atlanta Hawks and the series with the 76ers have been superb. Particularly, in games 3 and 4 with the Sixers, Butler has done everything he can to carry the Heat. There is still plenty of time left in the playoffs to make his mark and try to jump to the number one spot.
In eight games so far in this postseason, Butler has averaged 29 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 5.5 APG, and 1.3 BLKs on 53/35/82 shooting splits.
#3. Joel Embiid
At the number three spot, we have another MVP finalist from the Eastern Conference in Joel Embiid. He hasn't been statistically amazing thus far; however, his presence has been extremely important to the Sixers. In his eight games in the postseason, Embiid has a 6-3 overall record. In two games without him, the Sixers went 0-2. This shows his value to the team on multiple levels. Embiid has played nearly half of his playoff games injured, whether it was his orbital fracture, torn ligament in his thumb, or both. Even if he isn't averaging 30 PPG like he did in the regular season, he has been the deciding factor for the Sixers.
His stats, so far, consist of 24.9 PPG, 11.6 RPG, and 2.1 APG on 51/20/80 shooting.
#4. Jayson Tatum
The Boston Celtics have put up a good fight against the Bucks so far, and they couldn't have done it without Jayson Tatum. Granted, he did disappear in the Celtics' game 3 loss, but other than that, he's been great.
Jayson Tatum in Game 3:
10 PTS
4-19 FG
0-6 3P
3 AST
3 TOV https://t.co/b84kZcb7Oa
He's undeniably been the most impactful player for the Celtics so far. He even led them to a very impressive series sweep against the Nets in round one. Tatum has given his team a shot at making the Eastern Conference Finals, if they can close out two more wins against the Bucks.
So far, Tatum has averaged 26 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 6.4 APG on 41/37/81 shooting splits.
#5. Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Maxey has been one of the most surprising players in the postseason, so far, as a whole, let alone the Eastern Conference. The 21-year-old has continued his huge jump from his rookie season in the playoffs as he's helped the Sixers tremendously. Maxey may be an unexpected pick for the top five, but he's been outstanding, to say the least. In his first playoff start, Maxey scored 38 points in a win against the Raptors. This is more than Ben Simmons has ever scored in the playoffs. He's handled the pressure well, and that hasn't changed, thus far, in the playoffs.
His stats, as of now, are 22 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 4.2 APG on 51/41/93 shooting splits.