NBA playoff make-or-break players: 13 who could swing the first round

NBA superstars win championships. The past nine Finals MVPs, and 22 of 25 Finals MVPs this century, were All-Stars that same season. The three Finals MVPs who weren’t? Andre Iguodala in 2015, Kawhi Leonard in 2014 and Chauncey Billups in 2004, who were each All-Stars at other points in their careers.

But the league’s best players need plenty to win a title. To help preview the next couple of months of playoff basketball, let’s examine who might swing the fortunes of every team with at least a 25% chance of winning a series, according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.

Ranging from backup guards to 3-and-D wings to imposing 7-footers, these players aren’t the No. 1 option of their respective teams — but a make-or-break performance under the playoff spotlight could swing their teams’ fortunes.

Out of 333 players who attempted at least 200 shots this season, no player outperformed their expected effective field goal percentage (eFG%) better than Jerome, per GeniusIQ tracking.

For context, the metric, which is based on factors such as shot location and defender distance, features two future first-ballot Hall of Famers in second and third: Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic.

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