The NBA playoffs are not just a place where stars perform at peak efficiency. They are also a platform for lesser-known players to break out of their shells and introduce themselves to national audiences, sometimes giving their teams huge, albeit somewhat unexpected boosts.
A great example of that came in 2002-03, when a rookie-year Tayshaun Prince, who had been in and out of the rotation his entire inaugural campaign, only seeing action in 42 games for the loaded Detroit Pistons, had a 20-point outburst out of nowhere in Game 7 of the team’s opening series, one that helped spring Detroit to the next round of the playoffs and complete a 3-1 comeback against Tracy McGrady and the Orlando Magic.
Prince’s scoring average that entire previous regular season? 3.3 points per contest.
That was a breakout performance for a player who’d go on to win a championship, make four All-Defensive Teams and even take home Olympic gold with Team USA.
A more recent example would be Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro, who, in his first postseason, put up a 19.2/6.3/4.8 stat line in the Eastern Conference Finals while shooting over 52 percent from the floor, giving Miami the boost they needed to complete their surprising run to the 2020 Finals.
There are various breakout candidates this year, too; we are here to present seven young players we believe could be surprising catalysts for their squads ahead of the 2020-21 NBA playoffs.
Check it out below.
Note: A few of the players below, primarily those that play for the Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies and even, potentially, the Los Angeles Lakers, will have to get through the play-in tournament before they reach the playoffs. These breakout predictions are based on them making it through that round and reaching the actual playoffs.
