Ranking the top 10 players featured in the NBA Conference Finals

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Boston Celtics Malcolm Brogdon (David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports) /

10. Malcolm Brogdon (Boston Celtics)

The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year plays a crucial role off the bench for the Celtics. While it might seem odd to have a non-starter on a list like this, Brogdon is a lot more than a normal bench player. He has been a starter his whole career before this year but accepted the 6th man role in Boston where he has flourished (as evidenced by winning the Sixth Man of the Year Award).

In the regular season, Brogdon averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He also had a very efficient season, shooting 48.4% from the field and finishing near the tops in the league in 3-point shooting percentage at 44.4%.

Through the opening two rounds of the playoffs, Brogdon is averaging 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 44.6%/43.5%/84.6% shooting splits. He has scored in double-digits in 11 of Boston’s 13 games so far.

I debated long and hard between Brogdon and his fellow Celtics teammate Marcus Smart for this spot. I ultimately leaned toward Brogdon because I feel that his size makes him slightly more dangerous, but Smart’s value to the team can’t be understated.

9. Michael Porter Jr. (Denver Nuggets)

Now that MPJ got mostly healthy again this year, he showed just how valuable to the Nuggets he is. Through two rounds of the playoffs, Porter Jr. is averaging 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He’s also shooting 47.2% from the field and hitting 40% from behind the arc. MPJ also has a positive +/- in 9 of Denver’s 11 playoff games so far.

This comes on the heels of a regular season in which the former 14th overall pick averaged 17.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on 48.7% shooting. He also shot an impressive 41.4% from three on over 7 attempts per game.

Having MPJ as your third-best player on most nights is a blessing for Denver, because of just how good he can be on the offensive end. I also thought about Aaron Gordon in this spot, but MPJ’s outside shooting gave him the edge in my opinion.