Dennis Schroder, Atlanta Hawks, PG (First Team)
Even more than Millsap, Dennis Schroder is the main reason why Atlanta put so much pressure on the Washington Wizards. Schroder played at a comfortable pace, and even found a comfortable spot underneath John Wall’s skin.
This series had chippiness, petty wars (shoutout to Rob Perez) and tons of trash talk, with Schroder and John Wall being the main event.
Dennis Schroder dropped a game-high 29 points & dished out 11 assists as the Hawks fall short vs. Washington in Game 5. #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Ptkg86U8I7
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 27, 2017
After averaging 17.9-3.1-6.3 during the regular season, Dennis has upped those numbers to 24.4-2.6-7.2 this postseason. The two most glaring improvements I’ve seen in Schroder’s postseason game is his ability to take care of the ball and stroke from behind the arc.
He shrunk his 3.3 turnovers per game to only 1.6 in the playoffs. Not only is he making better decisions, but he’s also shooting above 40 percent from three. He shot sub-35 percent from distance during the regular season.
Norman Powell, Toronto Raptors, SG (First Team)
This might be my favorite surprise team member of all. Norman Powell is unconscious. He was born to play on the big stage. Through the first three games of the Toronto-Milwaukee series, I’m not sure if Dwane Casey even knew Norman was on the bench. In Games 4 and 5, though, Casey found a hidden gem. After a bad Game 3 loss and in an effort to spark some momentum, Powell was given his opportunity to make a difference in this series and took full advantage.
.@npowell2404 was on one last night. #WeTheNorth https://t.co/jYZFxfPeVS
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 25, 2017
In Game 4, Powell tallied 12 points, four rebounds and four assists. He also shot a perfect 3-3 from the three-point line. in his 34 minutes of action.
That resulted in a massive series-shifting win on the road for the Raptors, and he only followed that up by going berserk in Game 5 at Jurassic Park. Powell erupted for a career-high 25 points, four boards, four assists, three steals and a blocked shot. He was everywhere.
Whether he was carrying rookies to the rim on his way to a flexing and-1, or flamethrowing from the three-point line (10-11 (91%) on the series),
Whether he was carrying rookies to the rim on his way to a flexing and 1 or flame-throwing from outside (87% 3PT on the series), the young bucks had no answer. In crucial situations, his buckets seemed to be worth four or five points. If there is an MVP for surprise player of the postseason, it might just be Norman Powell.