NBA Finals 2020: Ranking the best players on the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat

Scott Rafferty

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NBA Finals 2020: Ranking the best players on the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat image

The NBA Finals are here, and what a series it will be.

For the first time in NBA history, two teams that didn't make the playoffs the season prior will battle for the title. On one side, the Los Angeles Lakers, who are back in the Finals for the first time since 2010. On the other, the Miami Heat, who are back in the Finals for the first time since The Heatles days of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Ahead of the series, we decided to rank the best players on both teams. Up to the task were six members of our NBA.com Staff: Gilbert McGregor, Carlan Gay, Kyle Irving, Yash Matange, Alex Novick and myself. Similar to how we do our other rankings, we each submitted a list of who we believe are the 12 best players in the series. We then took the average to come up with the following rankings.

With that in mind, onto the rankings...

12. Jae Crowder, Miami Heat

crowder-091220-ftr-getty.jpg

Highest rank: 9

Lowest rank: Not ranked

Defensively, the Heat know what they can expect from Crowder. Offensively ... not so much. After shooting 40.0 percent from the perimeter against the Indiana Pacers in the first round and Milwaukee Bucks in the second round, Crowder shot 25.5 percent from 3-point range against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat can't afford for him to go ice cold in the Finals.

11. Danny Green, Los Angeles Lakers

#Green

Highest rank: 9

Lowest rank: Not ranked

Green's 3-point shooting has come and gone in these playoffs, but he's shown up on the big stage before. Even last season, Green helped the Toronto Raptors win Game 3 of the Finals against the Golden State Warriors with an 18-point game that saw him go 6-for-10 from 3. It wouldn't be a shock to see him have another one of those nights against the Heat. 

10. Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers

Howard

Highest rank: 10

Lowest rank: Not ranked

Ahead of the Western Conference Finals, Howard didn't crack our list of the 12-best players in the series. Was it an oversight? Maybe. But Howard was coming off of a series in which he sat more games (3) than he played (2). Either way, he was a difference-maker against the Denver Nuggets, so much so that he started in place of JaVale McGee in Games 4 and 5.

Howard's offensive rebounding could be crucial in the Finals.

9. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Los Angeles Lakers

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Highest rank: 7

Lowest rank: Not ranked

Speaking of things that will be crucial: Caldwell-Pope's 3-point shooting and perimeter defence. He has been the Lakers' best 3-point shooter in these playoffs and figures to draw the Goran Dragic assignment, which ... won't be easy. Caldwell-Pope could help the Lakers crack the Heat's zone defence and help slow down their high-powered offence.

8. Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat

Robinson

Highest rank: 7

Lowest rank: 10

It's crazy how quickly life can change.

Three years ago, Robinson was apparently reaching out to people in the sports media world for advice because he thought his playing career was coming to an end. Now, he's starting on a Heat team that is four wins away from winning the championship.

Robinson is making an impact as well, averaging 11.3 points per game on 40.0 percent shooting from 3-point range in these playoffs. He is without question the best shooter in this series.

7. Tyler Herro, Miami Heat

Herro

Highest rank: 6

Lowest rank: 10

It feels weird to have a rookie this high, and yet we just saw Herro hang 19.2 points per game on the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, punctuated by a historic Game 4 in which he scored 37 points and some clutch shooting in Game 6 that saw him make more history.

Now in the Finals, it'll be interesting to see if the 20-year-old can continue to play at the level he has on the brightest stage.

6. Rajon Rondo, Los Angeles Lakers

Rajon Rondo

Highest rank: 6

Lowest rank: 8

Rondo was solid once again in the Conference Finals. Not only did he average 7.6 points and 7.4 assists per game, but he also shot 45.5 percent from 3-point range on 2.2 attempts per game.

More importantly, Rondo has helped the Lakers survive the minutes LeBron James has been on the bench to this point of the playoffs. Whereas they were outscored by 5.3 points per 100 possessions with Rondo on the court and James on the bench in the regular season, they're outscoring opponents by 6.4 points per 100 possessions in those situations in the playoffs.

5. Goran Dragic, Miami Heat

Dragic

Highest rank: 5

Lowest rank: 5

Did you know that Dragic is leading the Heat in scoring in the playoffs with 20.9 points per game? He's been efficient, too, posting .452/.363/.814 shooting splits. His days of being an All-Star might be over, but Dragic sure has played like an All-Star in the season restart, which has taken this Heat team to a different level.

4. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat 

Bam Adebayo

Highest rank: 2

Lowest rank: 4

Adebayo took the blame for the Heat's Game 5 loss to the Celtics, telling the media to "put that one on me."

Regardless of whether or not he was actually the one to blame — spoiler: he wasn't — Adebayo sure made up for it in Game 6, leading the Heat to the Finals with 32 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.

The last time someone on the Heat recorded 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a playoff game? Some guy by the name of LeBron James.

Following that performance, Butler said that Adebayo is "going to be the reason that we win a championship." You know, no pressure or anything.

3. Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat

Jimmy Butler

Highest rank: 3

Lowest rank: 4

The scary thing about this Heat team is that they have a number of players who can carry them offensively any given night — Adebayo, Herro, Gragic ... the list goes on — but Butler is the straw that stirs the drink.

Through three rounds, Butler is up to 20.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game on 45.7 percent shooting from the field and 36.7 percent from 3-point range. He's been the team's closer, tied with Jamal Murray for the most points scored in the clutch in the postseason. He's gone from being one of the least efficient crunch time scorers in the league during the regular season to picking teams apart with the game on the line in the playoffs.

The Heat are going to need a lot more of all of that from Butler to take down the Lakers.

2. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

#Davis

Highest rank: 2

Lowest rank: 3

Former Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Steve Jones said it all with this tweet:

The Heat are better equipped than the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets and Nuggets were when it comes to slowing down Davis because they have Adebayo, but even he will have a hard time containing the seven-time All-Star. While the two won't be matched up with one another each minute they're on the court — Adebayo might very well start games on Howard or McGee, giving someone like Crowder the first crack at defending Davis — it's going to be fun watching them go head-to-head when the Lakers go small with Davis at centre.

To put how valuable Davis is to the Lakers into perspective: Los Angeles is scoring at a rate of 117.7 points per 100 possessions with him on the court in the playoffs. With him on the bench, that number plummets to 105.8. 

The Lakers have been far superior defensively with him on the court as well, giving up 7.0 points per 100 possessions more with him on the bench.

As Jones said, an incredible run from Davis so far.

1. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

#LeBron

Highest rank: 1

Lowest rank: 1

If you were wondering if James is still the best player in the world, what he did in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals to send the Nuggets packing provided a pretty clear answer.

A scary number for the Heat? James is averaging 35.0 minutes per game in these playoffs, the lowest mark of his postseason career. Some of that has to do with him being 35 years old and in his 17th season, but there's a chance the Lakers have been saving him for this moment.

If that's the case ... uh oh.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.