2019 NBA Playoffs: Player power rankings
No. 12-11
12: Al Horford – Right off the bat this ranking might be too low. Al Horford is a player perfectly designed for playoff basketball, and he has been crucial to Boston’s success over the past few seasons.
On offense he doesn’t demand the ball but can shoot, drive and pass when he does have it in his hands, and seems to know intuitively when to do all three.
Last season he played Joel Embiid off the court, shooting from outside and forcing the Philadelphia 76ers to move Embiid to an easier assignment. He has done the same for Tristan Thompson, Robin Lopez, Marcin Gortat — any traditional center that tries to mark him gets roasted.
Defensively he is as versatile as they come, with quick hands and feat and elite instincts.
He has the strength to stonewall post-up bigs but moves fluidly enough to switch easily onto the perimeter. His communication is stellar, helping to direct traffic for the Celtics and shrewdly executing their “scram switch” system.
Horford fits nicely as the second or third option on offense and as the chief destroyer on defense.
11: Klay Thompson – First off, Thompson does not receive enough credit for how unique of a player he is. He is one of the five best shooters in NBA history, able to catch fire like no one in the history of the game.
He does so while not demanding the ball, fitting into whatever level of usage required. Opponents cannot ever get away with “hiding” a defender on him as he will run them off of screens again and again before drilling a shot in their face.
Yet he gives nothing back on defense, the complete package for a perimeter defender.
Unlike similar offensive players in Kyle Korver or J.J. Redick he has the size, strength, agility and instincts to guard to opponent’s most dangerous backcourt player, freeing up Stephen Curry to take the better matchup.
Why Thompson is so high on this list is that in the playoffs he can simply take over a game, and has done so in a number of high-leverage situations.
Few players in the league can point to a must-win performance like he put up in Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals, an elimination game where he hit shot after shot in the second half to pull out the road win and save the series.
When the games matter more he steps up, and he deserves recognition for that.