10 Superstars Under The Most Pressure In 2024 NBA Playoffs

The 2023-24 NBA playoffs are set and we know which teams will be pushing for a deep run towards the Finals. The Boston Celtics captured the best record in the NBA which means superstar Jayson Tatum must perform, while reigning NBA champions Denver Nuggets have to prove themselves with Nikola Jokic leading the way. 

We have collected the 10 best players in the NBA this postseason who must prove themselves or risk the wrath of the media and fanbase. These stars either have yet to prove themselves to date or need to show they deserve their praise, and it is important to note that superstars such as Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, and Zion Williamson will be excused for now due to the injuries they have suffered.

1. Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum does not have an excuse to not win an NBA championship this year. He led the Boston Celtics to the best record in the league because the elite management he works under has given him plenty of help. While Tatum was exceptional in leading the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals, this is an entirely different team with Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday on board. The Celtics have everything to win since they ranked 2nd in offense and 5th in defense this season.

Winning 64 games and facing a play-in team in the first round, the Celtics have a fantastic chance to gain an early start to their Finals run by dominating the competition early. While Jaylen Brown will be criticized for any failures the Celtics might face this postseason because he signed the largest contract in history, Jayson Tatum will be the one to receive the brunt of the NBA’s wrath. He is the best player on the team, a top-five MVP candidate, and someone who has plenty of help to get the job done.

After only posting 21.5 points per game on 36.7% from the field against the Warriors in the 2022 Finals, he must prove he is an elite star by playing far better in this season’s Finals. Failing to make the Finals would make this season an utter disaster and anything except a championship will lead to the media assassination of Jayson Tatum more than anyone else.

2. Joel Embiid

Despite appearing in only 39 games, Joel Embiid enters the 2024 playoffs with a ton of pressure. He seems to be healthy enough to make an impact in any series, as evidenced by his 23-point, 15-rebound performance against the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament. The big man is talented enough to make a difference as a former MVP, but we haven’t seen enough in his postseason career. 

If Embiid wants to be mentioned alongside Nikola Jokic in terms of being the best player in the world, he has to show up. In Game 7 against the Boston Celtics in the second round last year, Embiid only had 15 points with a -28 plus/minus and he can’t have any more of these performances. We won’t blame him if he is hurt, but he must ensure a first-round exit or potentially a second-round exit doesn’t happen. 

3. James Harden

James Harden is exiting his prime slowly and isn’t the same player who won three scoring titles with the Houston Rockets. Still, he has a job to do for the Clippers and he must shake off the image of being a poor postseason performer. He has had poor moments with the Thunder, Rockets, and 76ers and he must not continue his inconsistent play with the Clippers. Simply being a playmaker won’t cut it, especially with Kawhi Leonard potentially nursing an injury that could see him out for a few weeks.

The Clippers have pressure on quite a few players but Harden is the one who will receive the most criticism. His disastrous performances in Game 6 and Game 7 of the second round last year were inexcusable. He had 13 points on 25% shooting from the field in Game 6 and followed it up with an equally worse 9-point performance in Game 7. Harden can’t afford to have games like these or else his legacy will be permanently damaged.

4. Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is a two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP so why does he have pressure to perform? Simply because he hasn’t impressed in the postseason since he left the Golden State Warriors. Durant needed to join a 73-9 Warriors side to win his rings, stacking the deck in his favor. With the Nets, Durant only had a second-round appearance and his lack of leadership was evident throughout his tenure in Brooklyn.

With the Phoenix Suns, Durant made it to the second round of the playoffs last year and averaged 29.5 points per game against the Denver Nuggets but he shot a putrid 22.2% from three. Durant needs to lead the Suns to a Western Conference Finals at least or risk a damaged legacy because many doubt his leadership skills as an all-time great outside of being in Golden State.

5. Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard has a squad beside him now. The excuses of being loyal to Portland and only having CJ McCollum beside him are no longer there. He has the best two-way star in the world beside him in Giannis Antetokounmpo and some elite role players such as Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, and Brook Lopez. With this squad, despite the fact Doc Rivers was brought in late in the season, Lillard has enough to win a championship.

The point guard must shake off whatever he is feeling living in Milwaukee and simply perform on the basketball court. He is properly compensated for his play, made the 75th Anniversary Team, and is one of the greatest shooters ever. Lillard needs to be the co-star alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo because if he fails to perform, there will be major doubts about his ability to be a superstar in the playoffs as he has been in the regular season.

Related: Complete Prediction Of 2024 NBA Award Winners After The End Of Regular Season

6. Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell seems to be flying under the radar when it comes to criticism which is unfair to his peers who seem to get it a lot worse. The shooting guard is immensely talented offensively, posting 26.6 points per game in the regular season for the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. After getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs last year, the Cavaliers have higher expectations this season.

Mitchell is the best player on the team and is in the conversation for being the best shooting guard in the world alongside Devin Booker. The All-Star player might have more help in Cleveland than he did in Utah due to the presence of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. There isn’t an excuse for the Cavaliers not to make it to the second round, at least, and Mitchell will be judged fairly this time.

7. Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving is used to criticism at this stage of his career although he has been praised for his elite skills more often than before. Irving is easily a Hall of Fame talent and one of the greatest ball-handlers ever, but there are doubts about his postseason impact since leaving LeBron James’ side. Irving is not a natural leader and he showed that with the Brooklyn Nets with his on and off-court shenanigans. However, Irving has been focused on basketball in Dallas.

He averaged 25.6 points per game this season as Luka Doncic’s sidekick and helped the Mavericks capture the 5th seed in the West with an impending showdown with the Los Angeles Clippers. The point guard needs to perform at the same levels he did with the Cavaliers in the 2016 championship run or risk his legacy being tarnished as a player who might have benefited from LeBron James’ presence far more than we imagined. Having Luka Doncic as a teammate accelerates expectations and Kyrie Irving must rise to the occasion.

8. Paul George

Paul George is always under pressure because he hasn’t played in an NBA Finals in his career let alone having an NBA championship. The two-way swingman has the skills to be a dominant postseason performer but he just can’t make it to the Finals. He came closest in 2021 when he led the Clippers to the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Phoenix Suns in six games.

With Kawhi Leonard’s legacy already set with two titles and two Finals MVPs, it is up to Paul George (and James Harden obviously) to perform higher than their usual standards. Even if Leonard needs to stay healthy and show he can be a leader, he is at least a champion while George desperately needs that on his resume to ascertain his place in the Hall of Fame although he might get in regardless.

9. Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis was dominant in the regular season. He is a contender for Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 24.7 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, and has the Lakers in position to battle the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the first round. Davis was dominant in the 2020 playoffs, averaging 27.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game and he was certainly a difference-maker as LeBron James’ co-star. This year, he needs to hover around those numbers again and not accept being outplayed by Nikola Jokic.

Davis is dominant enough to be a difference-maker, even in the series against the Nuggets, because he is exceptional defensively and has the athleticism to put Jokic on his heels. We can’t simply assume that Jokic is the best player in the world and Davis has no chance because it isn’t true. LeBron James, at 39 years old, needs Davis to be dominant more than ever, and failure to perform will place the big man in the limelight all summer long. Especially if LeBron James ends up leaving to join up with Bronny (if he is drafted), Davis could be the odd man out and could be axed.

10. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Having the first seed in the Western Conference automatically places a target on a player’s back. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been an MVP candidate all season long, posting 30.1 points per game and elevating the play of his teammates. Before this season, nobody expected Gilgeous-Alexander to lead a title-contending roster so early, but it has happened. It is slightly unfair to put pressure on the point guard as he only has two playoff appearances to his name, but he is approaching 26 years old and isn’t a kid anymore.

Gilgeous-Alexander needs to at least show his regular season performances haven’t been a fluke and he is good enough to be a difference-maker in the biggest games. Locked into battle with a play-in team means they have to make it to the second round and look like a threat to the Western Conference Finals. Nikola Jokic will likely win his third MVP award this season and if Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t perform in the playoffs, the point guard’s supporters will start turning their backs.

Honorable Mention

Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards is only 22 years old and only has two postseason appearances to his name, so why does he have pressure? Because our eyes do not lie to us since we can see what Edwards can be as the face of the NBA. His scoring, athleticism, and mentality are fit for a bonafide superstar and he needs to show that the praise he constantly gets is well-deserved because finishing with the third seed isn’t enough.

If Edwards wants to prove he can be the face of the NBA and is truly the guy we all think he is, he must perform for the Timberwolves and guide them to the second round and possibly further. He has enough help to lead the team as a contender, and all we want to see is improvement in this sense because he showed flashes last year by posting 31.6 points per game against the Denver Nuggets.

Related: 5 NBA Stars The New York Knicks Could Land This Summer

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