Ranking the top 10 players featured in the NBA Conference Finals

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Miami Heat Bam Adebayo (Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports) /

8. Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)

The Nuggets were without Murray in their last two trips to the playoffs, and he’s shown us what they were missing so far this time around. He is averaging 25.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game through Denver’s first 11 games of the playoffs. He’s shooting 46.1% from the field, 39.5% from three, and 91.5% from the line in the playoffs as well.

Murray already has a 40-point game in the playoffs and has topped the 30-point plateau four times as well.

In the regular season, Murray had a career year in which averaged 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. He also had 45.4%/39.8%/83.3% shooting splits on the year. The 26-year-old is really coming into his own as one of the most underrated point guards in the league.

7. Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)

While many Heat fans want Adebayo to more be assertive on the offensive end at times, there’s no arguing the impact he has nightly on the defensive end and as a playmaker.

Adebayo was crucial in Miami’s upset of the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the 1st round with his defense on Giannis Antetokounmpo. He then kept it up as he kept Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson of the 5-seed Knicks in check in Miami’s 2nd round win.

So far in the playoffs, Adebayo is averaging 18.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 49.7% shooting. Adebayo also had a Triple-Double in the closeout Game 5 victory over Milwaukee.

In the regular season, Adebayo had arguably the best season of his career, averaging 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game on 54% shooting. Adebayo was also a 2nd team NBA All-Defensive team member this season. As he continues to develop as an all-around player, Adebayo continues to creep higher and higher up the ranks of the top big men in the league.