5 X-factor players for the NBA-play-offs

Written by on August 11, 2020

An x-factor player is someone who can be essential for the championship chances of his team. He is someone who can step up and propel his team to the next level. Here are five guys that we think can take their team to the next level.

blank5 Danuel House Jr.

This is a guy that has stepped up tremendously this season, he averaged 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1 assist and a steal a game. But his worth can’t only be described in numbers because he is also a great defender. As Eric Gordon had a down year House stepped up. Right now he is one of the bigger defenders in the micro-ball experiment from the Houston Rockets so he will be essential to stop the great centers and power forwards in the western conference.

 

blank4 Donte DiVicenzo

After a rookie season with a lot of injury trouble, DiVicenzo started progressing in his sophomore year. He is averaging 9.4 points and 4.9 rebounds this year and is an important part of the Bucks bench unit.
The Antetokounmpo led Bucks are trying to bring a championship back home to Milwaukee from Orlando but their supporting cast is essential to compete. We think DiVicenzo is the player who can step up the most in the play-offs. Every team needs an efficient 6th-man and he could be exactly that for the Milwaukee Bucks

 

blank3 Montrezl Harrell

Harrell comes from the bench behind Ivica Zubac but he gets starter minutes and closes the game. He proved his offensive worth last season and this season before it was suspended. But in the play-offs he will have to face the best centers in the league.
This season their defensive rating was the same for their starting unit and their bench unit and the best was with Harrell and Kawhi both on the floor but the competition will be a lot tougher in the play-offs.
The NBA-championship run of the Clippers partly depends on if Harrel can be trusted on defense because if he is a defensive liability they will face a lot of problems with centers like Anthony Davis or Nikola Jokic.

blank2 Jerami Grant

Grant joined the Nuggets in the 2019 offseason after a breakout season with the Thunder. He has been coming off the bench when Paul Millsap is healthy but his value on the defensive end cannot be underestimated. Grant is someone who can guard all 5 positions so his value should only go up when they need a good defender for guys like Lebron, Kawhi or other superstars in the stacked Western Conference.
If he is able to lockdown or slow down these superstars his value is amazing and he could be an Iguadola type of player when he won a Finals MVP with the Warriors in 2015.

blank1 OG Anunoby

He showed some of his potential on the 2018-2019 season when he was playing behind Kawhi Leonard but after Kawhi left in the offseason Anunoby stepped up in the 2019-2020 season. He became the top wing- player on the team and was very consistent on an injury-plagued Toronto squad.
His defensive capabilities can be the difference between Toronto going to the finals or losing  early in the play-offs as he will probably be tasked with guarding players like Antetokounmpo and Tatum.

 


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