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2023 NBA Playoffs: Ranking 6 stars with the most to prove this postseason

By Michael Saenz

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Ranking six stars with the most to prove heading into the 2023 NBA Playoffs. 

While there is still much to be decided heading into the final week of the regular season, you can’t help but begin to get excited about the 2023 NBA Playoffs. It all begins with the NBA Play-In Tournament, which will begin on April 11 and conclude on April 14. Once the final two seeds in each conference are decided by the PIT, the official NBA Playoffs begin on April 15.

And without a clear-cut NBA championship favorite (though you can make a strong case for the Milwaukee Bucks with how dominant they’ve been recently), this could end up being one of the most competitive playoff fields in recent history.

The NBA Playoffs will bring added pressure on some

What makes the NBA Playoffs so great is the opportunity that it presents for many teams and players to add to their legacy. This season will be no different. As the playoffs quickly approach, we rank the six stars that are facing the most pressure this postseason.

6. De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings

Leading us here at No. 6 may be somewhat of a surprise. But with how well the Sacramento Kings have played this season, there’s at least some part of me that believes they need to translate some of their success to the postseason. Depending on who they match up with in the first round of the playoffs, there will be many doubting the Kings.

This is why I believe there’s at least some pressure on De’Aaron Fox, as the team’s best player, to begin to change the narrative surrounding the franchise. The Kings may still be a few years away from being a true contender in the West but this is a team that should absolutely win a first-round series.

The unfortunate part of all this is that there’s a good chance they end up facing the Golden State Warriors or LA Clippers in the first round. Both of those would be difficult matchups for this team. However, heading into the postseason, Fox needs to step up and lead the Kings to a strong run.