The second round of the NBA playoffs is officially underway.
After an exciting first round of games, the action is sure to pick up as teams strive to win their way into the conference finals. X-factors are needed more than ever in the postseason. Here are 10 to watch in the second round.
Kelly Olynyk
Olynyk has scored in double figures in three of his last four games, including Sunday’s 123-111 Game 1 victory over the Washington Wizards. The Boston Celtics big man knocked down 5-of-7 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, to finish with 12 points across 18 minutes.
The Wizards lack depth at the center position after Marcin Gortat, which is all the more reason Olynyk should be able to have an impact on offense every game of the series. His ability to stretch the floor and score inside should come through for the Celtics.
Kelly Oubre Jr.
Oubre was forced into action midway through the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Celtics after Markieff Morris sprained his left ankle. Morris did not return to the game for Washington, but Oubre filled in nicely with 12 points and two blocks across 26 minutes.
Morris said he plans to play Game 2 on Tuesday, but it’s unclear if he’ll be cleared to play. If Morris can’t go, Oubre will have to raise his game in the first postseason start of his career.
Norman Powell
The Toronto Raptors didn’t use Powell much early in their first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, but that soon changed after facing a 2-1 deficit. Powell started Game 3 and scored 12 points with three 3-pointers, then erupted in Game 4 for 25 points with four 3-pointers.
Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench in the second round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Raptors need to get Powell going early and often. He can also help them on the defensive end of the floor.
J.R. Smith
Smith is taking it upon himself to guard DeMar DeRozan in the next series. He’ll try to slow down the Raptors star, who averaged 22.8 points in the first round of the playoffs and 27.3 points during the regular season. On top of that, Smith will also try to rebound from a poor first-round performance against the Indiana Pacers that saw him average just 6.8 points in four games.
Smith averaged 11.5 points in the playoffs last year during Cleveland’s championship run. If the Cavaliers plan to make it back to the Finals, they’ll need more from Smith going forward.
Patty Mills
The San Antonio Spurs are going up against a premier 3-point shooting team in the second round, and will occasionally need to fight fire with fire if their defense can’t slow down the trigger-happy Houston Rockets. That said, Mills is San Antonio’s second-best shooter from the perimeter after Kawhi Leonard. He’s also leading the team in scoring off the bench with 10.2 points per game.
Houston has some guys in Lou Williams and Eric Gordon who can keep up the scoring when James Harden goes out of the game, so it will be up to players like Mills to match them. And Mills can score points in a hurry. See Game 5 against the Memphis Grizzlies when he scored 20 points, including five 3-pointers, across 22 minutes.
Nene Hilario
Nene, at the ripe age of 34, is playing some of his best basketball with the Rockets, and he was the X-factor to help put away the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. In a brilliant Game 4 performance on the road, the Rockets’ backup center went 12-of-12 from the floor for 28 points and added 10 rebounds in a 113-109 victory. He followed that up with 14 points and seven rebounds in Game 6 to help Houston eliminate Oklahoma City.
The Spurs have a deep bench, especially in the frontcourt with Pau Gasol and David Lee. It’s vital that Nene continue to contribute with the second unit.
Trevor Ariza
It’s not what Ariza does on offense that makes him an X-factor for the Rockets but what he does on defense. In the second round, he’ll likely be tasked with defending Leonard, who has been on a tear in the postseason. Leonard, an obvious MVP candidate, averaged 25.5 points during the regular season, and is now averaging 31.2 points after a first-round series against Memphis.
Ariza will have his work cut out for him defending one of the best all-round scorers in the league, and the Rockets need him to come through in a big way if they’re to have any chance at knocking off the Spurs.
Joe Johnson
After Gordon Hayward and George Hill, Johnson has been Utah’s best offensive player. He averaged 15.4 points in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers and finished in double figures in all but one game.
Assuming the Golden State Warriors turn their focus on defense to stopping Gordon Hayward, it will be up to Johnson and the rest of the Jazz players to carry the scoring load. Iso Joe should continue to come up big for Utah in the second round.
JaVale McGee
Much has been made about the Warriors offense, but they’re actually a pretty good defensive team as well, and one of the players helping them lead the league in blocks during the postseason is McGee. The former first-round pick has been labeled a draft bust after failed stints in Washington and Denver, but he’s fitting right in with the Warriors in a bench role.
Often times, McGee is on the floor for his defense, but in a first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, he was able to provide the Warriors with a scoring lift off the bench, twice scoring in double figures. It will be interesting to see what he’s able to do against Utah’s second unit once fellow seven-footer Rudy Gobert goes off the floor.
Derrick Favors
Another player that needs to step it offensively for Utah is Favors. The big man played well in the first round against the Clippers. He averaged 10.0 points and 6.4 rebounds off the bench, and came in handy when Gobert was sidelined for two games with a knee injury.
However, in Games 3, 4 and 5 against the Clippers, Favors was a non-factor on offense, finishing with four points or less in each of those games, two of them losses. In the second round, the Jazz need Favors to be the player he was on Sunday after scoring 17 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in a 104-91 Game 7 victory over the Clippers. It won’t be easy with two-time All-Defensive First-teamer Draymond Green likely guarding him, but Favors has to find a way to provide a scoring lift for Utah.
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