Five Players Who Exceeded Expectations in the First Round
The playoffs are where athletes make a name for themselves. Plenty of careers have been revived by great playoff performances and legacies are cemented by huge shots on the biggest stage. With one signature moment, a player can become an entire city’s hero. In my opinion, plenty of guys in this year’s playoff field who have exceeded expectations and have lifted their teams to playoff unexpected victories that are well on their way to becoming fan favorites and earning the nickname “Playoff _____.” Needing to narrow down the field, I compiled a list of five players who have stood out to me as outperforming expectations in the first round of the playoffs.
1. Andrew Nembhard
Nembhard has put up good stats in the postseason. Against the Bucks, he posted 13.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 4.6 APG on 60% FG and 45% 3PFG splits which are all above his season average. But the eye test shows that Nembhard has become confident as the starting guard alongside Tyrese Haliburton. He handles the ball very comfortably and plays at his own pace, as exhibited by his magnificent 28:5 assist-to-turnover ratio against the Bucks. While Haliburton struggled down the stretch of games versus Milwaukee—he only had 15 points in the fourth quarter and overtime play—, Nembhard rose to the occasion by scoring 22 points in such situations.
Additionally, Haliburton shot 5-21 in the fourth and OT while Nembhard was 10-13, destroying Damian Lillard in iso and pick-and-roll repeatedly. Nembhard also sunk a clutch turn-around two-pointer in overtime of game three to tie the game at 115 which set up Haliburton’s game-winner. Nembhard has provided stability with a touch of flashiness that I didn’t know he had in his bag. It seems sustainable, too.
2. Derrick White
Until possibly this year, White has spent his entire career as one of the most underrated players in the league due to his defensive prowess and unseen offensive impact. In the Celtics’ first-round series against the Heat, White’s full game was on display. He didn’t have a game where he shot under 50%, shooting 40-71 (56.3%) in the series and 21-44 (47.7%) from three. His 21 first-round threes only trail Michael Porter Jr. and Tyrese Maxey.
White showed his ability to explode in game four when he tied the record for most points in a playoff game without a free throw attempt by dropping 38 points. He did so by excelling in the pick and roll and making several outstanding cuts to the rim. We know how good White is as a cutter, screener, and off-ball player on offense, but when he’s winning in iso ball and beating defenders off the dribble, there is nothing opponents can do to stop him with Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis all as major offensive threats.
Since arriving in Boston, White’s impact has always been beyond the numbers, but when he is scoring 22.3 PPG (second only to Brown who is at 22.8), he is a legitimate all-star level player and can be a key to leading the Celtics to their first championship since 2008.
3. Isaiah Hartenstein
Call me crazy, but I believe Hartenstein was the difference in the Knicks vs 76ers series. What did the Sixers lack in this series? Joel Embiid’s consistent fourth-quarter scoring to match Jalen Brunson’s fourth-quarter scoring. Embiid was clearly fatigued by the time he got to the fourth due to an extremely banged-up knee. The 76ers lacked depth at center—Paul Reed became virtually unplayable as the series progressed—and couldn’t keep up with the Knicks with Embiid playing second fiddle to Tyrese Maxey. If the Knicks had Hartenstein, I believe they would’ve won this series. He’s a quality center on both sides of the ball who would have been able to help the Sixers tread water in the non-Embiid minutes instead of going -47 when he was off the court.
In a healthy sample of 25.3 minutes per game, Hartenstein averaged 10.3 points and 6.5 rebounds on 63.4% shooting. Whenever the Knicks needed a bucket from somebody besides Brunson, Hartenstein was right there with his deadly 5-foot left-handed floater that never touches anything but the net. His 112.3 offensive rating tells a good story. At the end of the day, I was less impressed with Hartenstein and more left under the impression that without him, New York couldn’t have won their first-round battle with Philly.
4. Michael Porter Jr.
Porter Jr. might not be the most improved player, but to me, few players have shown more growth in the last year. Last season, despite being a key member of the Nuggets’ championship team, Porter received immense criticism for shooting every time he had the ball. He received nicknames such as Michael “never swing the rock’ Porter, Michael “the possession stops here” Porter, and Michael “bring your own ball” Porter.
Against the Lakers, Porter looked look a new player. He averaged 8.4 rebounds per game and was very engaged defensively, averaging 1.2 steals per game. Porter only had 1.2 assists per game vs the Lakers but was actively looking for Aaron Gordon at the rim in games two and five in Nikola Jokic fashion.
And Porter is scoring with more variety too. He’s averaging more points off the dribble when he creates his own shot in the playoffs than in the regular season. Porter is becoming a more versatile scorer and his 22.3 PPG on 53/50/74 splits in the playoffs are reason to believe that he is ready to take the next leap.
5. Jaden McDaniels
“They got KD but we got Jaden McDaniels.” Anthony Edwards wasn’t kidding when he flaunted the Timberwolves forward in advance of Minnesota’s first-round series against Phoenix. Of the 139 players who played at least 10.0 MPG in the first round, McDaniels ranked 16th in net rating with an offensive rating of 123.2 (7th) and a defensive rating of 106.7 (51st). This was a theme throughout the Timberwolves sweep—McDaniels held his own defensively, but against all odds, was a game-changer offensively.
He averaged 14.3 PPG on 50% shooting in the first round (he was at 10.9 PPG and 49% in the regular season) and put up career highs in game two with 25 points to lead his team and nine rebounds. In the same game, Kevin Durant shot 6-15 and scored 18 points with McDaniels as the primary defender. In the next game, KD went for 25 (below his season average) on 8-18 shooting. By the end of game three, the series was essentially wrapped up. Major credit to McDaniels for drastically decreasing the production gap between him and KD compared to the start of the series.