USC Trojans who will be featured in 2026 NBA playoffs

The NBA playoffs are officially here. Multiple USC Trojans will be battling for NBA glory. Evan Mobley is gearing up to help lead his Cleveland Cavaliers on a deep playoff run, while Onyeka Okongwu and his young Atlanta Hawks are trying to knock off one of the favorites in the East, the New York Knicks.

Here are the USC Trojans who will be in the NBA playoffs:

De'Anthony Melton

The Golden State Warriors are a little bit healthier, and they have De'Anthony Melton remaining in the starting lineup and making a big impact. He has been great defensively. This past week, he had two great scoring outings. Melton and the Warriors will face off vs the Clippers on Wednesday for a fight to get a chance to play for the 8th seed. It will be tough sledding for Golden State, but with Steph Curry and rotational players like Melton, you can't count them out.

Jordan McLaughlin

McLaughlin did not get many minutes this season on the Spurs, but if an injury happens to any of the Spurs guards, he will be one of the first guys in. He is a service guard who has bounced around, but for the last two years, he has resided in San Antonio. He and the Spurs will be battling it out starting Sunday with either Portland or Phoenix.

Onyeka Okongwu

The Atlanta Hawks and Onyeka Okongwu will be facing off vs the 3 seed New York Knicks in round 1. The Hawks have physicality and a starting 5 full of athletes, but vs the Knicks in the first round, Onyeka will be the biggest x-factor. He has shown some great flashes of being a great 3-point shooter this season, but he will have to give Karl Anthony Towns fits and dominate the glass. That is one area where Atlanta can steal an advantage.

Bronny James

As the season has gone on, Bronny James has progressively gotten better, and now it is time for the Lakers to rely on him to provide productive minutes off the bench. When he and his dad share the court, they make history. Now, for playoff time, he will have to make his minutes count more than ever. It will be fun to see him and LeBron share the court for the first time in the playoffs. Bronny's first trip to the playoffs kicks off vs the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.

Nikola Vučević

Vučević is now healthy, and in the past week, he scored in double figures in 2 of the 3 games he played. He will be a vital piece of the bench for the Celtics as they look to get another championship in the last few years. He and the Celtics will be taking on the winner of the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia Sixers, starting Sunday.

Evan Mobley

Evan Mobley is in rhythm at the right time, and he looks like he and his 3 other co-stars are connecting the best they have yet. The Cleveland Cavaliers look like a top team to come out of the East, and that is mainly due to the play of Evan Mobley. The Cavaliers, starting Saturday, will be battling it out in a series vs the Toronto Raptors.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC basketball stars have high expectations heading into NBA playoffs