NBA Playoffs: 10 best players this postseason after Round 1

NBA Playoffs: 10 best players – 8. Trae Young, PG, Atlanta Hawks

The NBA playoffs are completely different from the regular season, with head coaches unveiling specific strategies to take away what the opposing team does best. For those making their playoff debut, the adjustment can take some time as they adapt to the speed and intensity of postseason basketball.

Yet this top 10 list features two players making their playoff debut, with Trae Young edging Devin Booker for the top newcomer slot. Young wasted no time in announcing that he is among the league’s elite, carving up the New York Knicks and their top-5 defense to the tune of 29.2 points and 9.8 assists per game.

They weren’t simply empty stats, either, as Young and his Atlanta Hawks turned in three double-digit victories as they won in five games. Young’s +9.1 BPM was seventh among all qualified players in the first round. The Knicks mixed up defenders and sent double teams at Young, but it wasn’t enough to slow him down.

Young didn’t simply bring points to the table, but he brought theater as well. Playing three of the series’ five games at Madison Square Garden, Young entertained the crowd by acting the part of the villain. When he helped to close out the Knicks in Game 5, there he was at halfcourt bowing sarcastically at the end of another virtuoso performance. What will Young bring in the encore in Round 2?