The NBA is typically thought of as a star-driven league, but to some degree the opposite has proved true so far in this year’s playoffs. This year’s first round has been dominated by names that, for some reason or another, have not been in the public eye as much. Below are some of those players from each first round series.

Western Conference:

#1 Denver Nuggets vs. #8 Minnesota Timberwolves: Michael Porter Jr.

Porter Jr. has been a rising young talent in basketball circles from a very young age, but has not yet attained stardom yet due to a combination of injuries and other stars such as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray being on the team. Against the Timberwolves, though, Porter Jr. is finally  consistently showing what made him such an exciting prospect in the first place, utilizing his 6’10” frame on defense against the supersized Minnesota frontcourt and his shooting ability to put Denver up on the other end. The Nuggets should be excited if the young forward keeps up this level of production in future rounds to come.

#2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. #7 Los Angeles Lakers: Rui Hachimura

It is a bit surprising that, with Lebron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers’ roster, Hachimura has been one of their most impactful players. The midseason import has scored 49 points on 18-26 shooting in the first two games against Memphis while also playing solid defense. If Hachimura keeps up this level of play, the 7-seed Lakers are very capable of surprising many in a relatively open Western Conference 

#3 Sacramento Kings vs. #6 Golden State Warriors: Malik Monk

Monk may be just a bench player, but the Warriors defense will certainly be keying in on him these next few games after his performances. He’s scored more than 15 points in every game that the Kings have won this series, played good defense against the famed Golden State attack, and, most importantly, taken a lot of pressure off of the duo of Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox.

#4 Phoenix Suns vs. #5 Los Angeles Clippers: Russell Westbrook

“Westbrick” has shaken off that nickname, his disastrous Lakers tenure, and subpar Game 1 in his last two games against Phoenix. Although his Clippers are down 2-1 in the series, Westbrook’s electrifying play, newfound shooting stroke (50% from three in his last two games), and the return of a healthy Kawhi Leonard should give the Clippers the edge.

Eastern Conference:

#1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. #8 Miami Heat: Caleb Martin

The Heat were big underdogs prior to the start of the series, and a big reason for that was due to the play of wing Caleb Martin. Martin scored 15 points in both of the games so far, and played great defense on whoever he has been asked to cover. The Heat will need all they can get from Martin to stay alive against the Bucks, especially as star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo nears his return from injury.

#2 Boston Celtics vs. #7 Atlanta Hawks: Derrick White

White has been sensational in this year’s playoffs, and a key reason why the C’s hold a commanding lead over the imploding Hawks. His defense has been extremely impressive, as he has been the primary assignment on star guard Trae Young, and has made him work for every bucket (even holding him to 26% from 3%). More surprisingly, he has managed to bully the Hawks on the other end, scoring over 20 points in each of his first two games, and giving Eastern conference opponents another reasons to be scared of Boston.

#3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. #6 Brooklyn Nets: Tyrese Maxey

With MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid hurt and James Harden having a mixed bag of a first round, Philly needed Maxey to turn in a great first round. He certainly has fit the bill, seemingly either slicing through a tough Nets defense or simply shooting over them on nearly every possession. His defensive play has also gone up a notch, and he has consistently come up with steals in crucial moments, giving Sixers fans a constant to latch onto during the 3-0 beatdown.

#4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #5 New York Knicks: Cedi Osman

The Cavs-Knicks series has been an absolute brawl so far, and there are several players from both teams who would be worthy of this selection. Osman gets the nod here due to his shooting gravity, solid connective passing, and underrated defensive effort, all of which are things that Cleveland will need against the Knickerbockers. 

(All statistics shown are from espn.com and are accurate as of 4/21/23)