Before the playoffs began, the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers seemed destined to meet in the Western Conference Finals.
About that.
In defeating the Clippers in Game 7, the Denver Nuggets have advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2009, where they will take on the Lakers.
Ahead of the series, we decided to rank the best players on both teams. Up to the task were four members of our NBA.com Staff: Carlan Gay, Gilbert McGregor, Yash Matange 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.
A quick note: Nuggets guard Will Barton isn't included because there's still no word on whether or not he will return after leaving the NBA campus to receive treatment on his right knee. If we knew he was playing, he'd almost certainly crack the top-10.
Got it? Great! Onto the rankings...
12. Monte Morris, Denver Nuggets
Highest rank: 12
Lowest rank: Not ranked
A smart defender, knockdown shooter and solid playmaker who almost never turns the ball over, Morris has been one of the better backup guards in the league over the last couple of seasons.
11. Danny Green, Los Angeles Lakers
Highest rank: 8
Lowest rank: Not ranked
He might not be the player he once was, but Green still fills an important role on the Lakers as one of their best perimeter defenders and 3-point shooters.
Green is shooting 38.5 percent from 3-point range in these playoffs.
10. Kyle Kuzma, Los Angeles Lakers
Highest rank: 10
Lowest rank: 11
Kuzma might not be the third star he set out to be at the start of the season, but he's provided a much-needed scoring off the bench for the Lakers in these playoffs, scoring in double figures in five of the team's 10 games. He's developed some nice chemistry with LeBron James, and he's made some encouraging strides defensively.
9. Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
Highest rank: 7
Lowest rank: 11
I will say this: Porter Jr. is not afraid.
From calling out the Nuggets following a loss to waving off Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic in the clutch ... the 21 year old has no shortage of confidence.
MICHAEL PORTER JR. IS CLUTCH 😳 pic.twitter.com/bGsoIEOFeH
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 12, 2020
8. Paul Millsap, Denver Nuggets
Highest rank: 8
Lowest rank: 9
The Nuggets would almost certainly be back in Denver at this point if it weren't for Millsap. It was him who sparked their comeback in Game 5 against the Clippers with a 14-point third quarter.
Millsap is seeking his first win against James in his postseason career. Millsap has faced James twice before (2015 and 2016), both of which resulted in sweeps in favour of James.
7. Jerami Grant, Denver Nuggets
Highest rank: 6
Lowest rank: 8
Grant's defensive versatility has been on full display in these playoffs.
In the first round, he spent time on Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Jordan Clarkson, Royce O'Neale and Rudy Gobert. In the second round, he alternated between Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Marcus Morris Sr.
The bad news for Grant? His defensive assignments aren't going to get easier anytime soon.
6. Gary Harris, Denver Nuggets
Highest rank: 5
Lowest rank: 6
If it feels as though the Nuggets have been a different team since Harris returned, it's because they have. According to NBA.com, Denver's defensive rating has fallen from 106.3 to 117.0 with Harris on the bench in these playoffs. Harris has also provided a spark offensively, increasing his 3-point percentage from 33.3 percent in the regular season to 36.8 percent in the playoffs.
5. Rajon Rondo, Los Angeles Lakers
Highest rank: 5
Lowest rank: 6
We're a big believer of Playoff Rondo, apparently.
Following a lackluster regular season, Rondo showed that he's still more than capable of being a difference-maker on the biggest stage in posting 10.6 points, 7.0 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game in the second round against the Houston Rockets.
If Rondo can continue to give the Lakers that sort of production off the bench ... watch out.
4. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Highest rank: 4
Lowest rank: 4
Murray was the talk of the NBA with his performance in the first round of these playoffs, leading the Nuggets over the Utah Jazz with averages of 31.6 points, 6.3 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. He came back down to earth in Denver's second-round series with the LA Clippers, but he saved his best for last, joining a small group of players to score 40 points in a Game 7.
There aren't many players in the league today who are more fun to watch than Murray when they have it rolling.
Jamal Murray (@BeMore27) pours in 40 PTS (25 in 1st half) to help the @nuggets win Game 7 and advance to the Western Conference Finals! #Drop40
— NBA (@NBA) September 16, 2020
DEN/LAL Game 1: 9:00pm/et Friday on TNT pic.twitter.com/jrFpsd8bqM
3. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Highest rank: 2
Lowest rank: 3
Denver's first-round series with Utah was all about Murray. Its second-round series with LA? All about Jokic.
Through seven games, Jokic averaged 24.4 points, 13.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists against the Clippers, making him the leading scorer, rebounder and assister — that's a word, right? — of the series. Similar to Murray, he saved his best for last, exploding for 16 points, 22 rebounds and 13 assists in Game 7.
The fact that Jokic had complete control of a game in which he made only five shots goes to show how unique of a player he is.
Nikola Jokic (16 PTS, 22 REB, 13 AST) becomes the first player in #NBAplayoffs history to record a 20+ rebound triple-double in a Game 7!@nuggets advance to the Western Conference Finals vs. LAL starting Friday at 9:00pm/et on TNT. pic.twitter.com/rU5Vazyf2Z
— NBA (@NBA) September 16, 2020
2. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Highest rank: 2
Lowest rank: 3
With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard out of the playoffs, there's no doubt that Davis is the best two-way player remaining.
Davis is a basketball unicorn, someone who can protect the rim, guard the perimeter, handle the ball, score outside the paint and, well, do things like this inside the paint:
DUNK of the Night: September 8th
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) September 9, 2020
👉 Anthony Davis of the @Lakers#WholeNewGame pic.twitter.com/2AVLmtg9K3
The battle between Davis and Jokic — two elite big men with contrasting styles of play — make this series a must-watch.
1. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Highest rank: 1
Lowest rank: 1
He's LeBron James. What else is there to be said?
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