2019 NBA Playoffs: Player power rankings

No. 20-19

20: Khris Middleton – It’s hard to identify which player on the Bucks is the best after Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Middleton has made a strong case.

The perfect wingman to Giannis would be a wing who can bomb from outside, serve as a secondary playmaker and guard the opponent’s best wing player to free him up to play free safety. Middleton fits that profile perfectly.

A well-deserving All-Star this season, Middleton has continued to improve as a player. He joined the Bucks as a throw-in for the Brandon Jennings–Brandon Knight deal but has done nothing but get better and better every year.

Last year he proved that in the playoffs he does what all great players do, finding another gear and pushing the Celtics to a Game 7. If he does that again this year, it will mean the Bucks reach the NBA Finals and Middleton moves even further up this list.

19: LaMarcus Aldridge – The San Antonio Spurs are the team that never dies, and LaMarcus Aldridge refuses to leave his prime. He put up another excellent season for the Spurs, moving between power forward and center and providing strong two-way production the entire time.

The Spurs feel comfortable running their offense through him at the post, or having him set up just inside the arc to drain mid-range jumpers. Aldridge may be in the perfect environment for his skills, as few teams would let him fire away from 18 feet.

Where he is underrated is on defense; he was the only above-average defender in the starting lineup for a team that comfortably made the playoffs. His series against Denver could show the world at large he still has it.