LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama and the stars who have defined the first round of the NBA playoffs

Cunningham scored the most points in Pistons playoff history, while Banchero was one bucket shy of passing Dwight Howard and Tracy McGrady for first in Magic playoff history (46 vs. 45). And we were witnessing two players going for it at the same time, making play after play to give their team a shot, and making whatever the defense wanted to execute not matter.

These were not easy buckets. Stepbacks, post-ups, fadeaways, pull-ups, you name it. The willingness to take and make tough shots in high-leverage moments. Driving into the paint as multiple bodies collapsed to contest. Making enough plays to where the defense no longer felt comfortable with the shots they were willing to live with.

It was key in particular to watch these two players have that moment. Part of the joy of the playoffs is watching players come of age to a degree. It’s not just understanding the assignment; it’s execution on top of it. The story is still unwritten. Can Banchero find enough buckets to get the 8-seed Magic over the top? Can Cunningham continue to create on his own and win matchups? Time will tell, but these two have delivered what a playoff series is supposed to be about.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Sometimes the playoffs are just about great players doing great things. As much as we love the unexpected, sometimes messages have to be delivered. Enter Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Game 1 against Phoenix was not the most fun time for SGA; while he got to the free-throw line (15 of 17) and was able to make plays versus the Suns’ help defense … the shots were not falling. He went 5 of 18 against a Suns group eager to show early help to counter his driving lanes, and that worked to contest every shot. The Thunder rolled, but it may have raised a question or two.

Unfortunately for Phoenix, Gilgeous-Alexander had those answers. His blend of playmaking, driving and shotmaking is always something he can bring to the table. It’s the adaptability and force that can sometimes be underrated. In the three remaining games against Phoenix, SGA averaged 36.7 points on 63% shooting from the field, and 8.3 assists. And that’s not true shooting percentage, that’s the one you find in the box score.

Any effort to “Rally the Valley” was shut down by SGA’s Game 3 performance in the desert: 42 points, 8 assists, 15-of-18 shooting from the field. Not only did Gilgeous-Alexander become the fifth player in NBA history to score 40 on 80% shooting in a playoff game (Dirk Nowitzki, Terry Porter, Elton Brand, Devin Booker), he became one of only three to shoot 15 of 18 from the field in a playoff game (Michael Jordan, Sam Jones). Everyone loves a star-making performance come playoff time. It’s another thing when a star confirms everything the opposing coaching staff was worried about coming into a series.

Victor Wembanyama

There was a moment in Game 4 from Wemby that stood out to me. De’Aaron Fox had scored to cut the Blazers’ lead to 17 at the half, but the Moda Center was rocking as the Blazers had given their all to try and flip this series. The ESPN cameras caught Wembanyama walking off, and all you see is him nodding, almost defiantly, absolutely displaying that he knew what had to take place in the second half.

Why is that significant? Because he did it. The Spurs flipped a 17-point deficit into a 21-point victory. Look no further than Wembanyama’s impact in that second half. He had 5 blocked shots, scored 18 points on 5-of-5 shooting (8 of 8 from the line) and was a +31.

Wemby followed that up in Game 5 with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocked shots on a grand total of seven shots. Offensively, he turned being aggressive in the first half of Game 4 to being effective. He flipped the defensive end of the floor. If the Blazers wanted to put him in action, he nailed his drop and still helped on drives to contest at the rim. If the Blazers guards thought they won a matchup and forced Wemby to help, he recovered to the big. Wembanyama saw a chance to end the series and did just that.

LeBron James

Twenty-three years of LeBron James, entering his 19th playoff appearance at age 41, I am certain there is a crowd that is tired of hearing about how “it’s not supposed to be like this.” My response is, hey, have you considered it’s not supposed to be like this? The young Rockets are attempting to make a historic comeback, but a large reason why they are trying to make a historic comeback is the work of James. No Luka Dončić, no Austin Reaves (for the first four games), no problem.

LeBron’s ability to get right back in the driver’s seat deserves a tip of the cap. Offensively, he’s worked to win different matchups, and poked at the Rockets’ help defense and pick-and-roll coverage. He’s also allowed the Lakers to keep a blend of off-ball movement to keep pressure on the Rockets’ defense. The effort he’s given on defense to show early help, stunt, rotate and recover played a large part in the Lakers building a 3-0 lead. Had the Lakers ended this already, his steal-and-3 sequence from Game 3 would already be added to the highlight reel. It’s the kind of effort you salute and don’t take for granted because you never know if you’ll see it again.

Jayson Tatum

I just think it’s significant that Tatum went down with a ruptured Achilles in May 2025 against the Knicks, and averaged 25 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists in that series. And now it is May 2026, and he’s right back in the playoffs averaging 24.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists. It’s been quite a few 3s, but that should not take away from how on target the playmaking has been.

Tatum has consistently made the right reads in pick-and-roll. When he drives and sees help, the ball gets where it needs to go quick. What Tatum brings to the table to elevate the Celtics in the half-court will be key against Philadelphia in Game 7 — and potentially beyond.

Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby

I had a back and forth on whether to put Jalen Brunson in here, but landed on Towns, and then had to let it soak in that Anunoby has not stopped making shots. OG had 26 in the first half of Game 6, shooting 10 of 12 from the field, and he deserves a tip of the cap.

To the Towns portion, coming into Game 6 he averaged 20 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 59.3% from the field and 47% from 3. Keep in mind he was an active part of the Hawks’ game plan. Atlanta worked to put different wings and bigs on him to take away his ability to roll, pop and drive. Towns was able to be timely with his attacks throughout the season while unlocking the Knicks’ off-ball movement. New York being able to find a flow offensively was key in this series, and Towns made the right reads and right plays time after time. Had CJ McCollum not embraced the villain role, KAT’s defensive stops early in the series would have been remembered differently. A 12-11-10 triple-double on four shots to close out the series says a whole lot.

To quickly go back to Anunoby, shooting 56% from 3 over the course of a series is insane.

Ayo Dosunmu and Jaden McDaniels

These two are here for the audacity. Ayo Dosunmu dropping 40 points off the bench. Jaden McDaniels saying no one on the Nuggets can defend, working to prove it, doing everything he can to disrupt the Nikola Jokić/Jamal Murray two-man game, and then scoring 32 points in a closeout game. The first round needs, respects and understands confident swings and the Timberwolves delivered that in spades.

Honorable mentions: McCollum for being deemed the villain, but reminding the world he isn’t and has kids; Alperen Şengün for the trademark “we’re coming back for Game 7,” Donovan Mitchell for the first two games of Raptors-Cavs; Scottie Barnes for the two games after that.