10. Bruce Brown (Denver Nuggets)
After being a breakout player in Brooklyn for the last two years, Bruce Brown has turned into a key contributor as the Nuggets’ sixth man. Brown averaged 11.5 points (career-high), 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game this year in the regular season. He did so while shooting 48.3% from the field and 35.8% from 3.
In the playoffs, Brown has stepped his game up even further. He is averaging 12.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while also shooting 53.1% from the field (although his 3P shooting number has dipped to 28.9%, mainly due to a rough series from deep against Minnesota in the 1st round). Brown has scored in double-digits in 11 of Denver’s 15 playoff games so far and put up 25 points in the Nugget’s Game 5 win over the Lakers.
9. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Denver Nuggets)
KCP continues to be a strong contributor in the league. In the playoffs, Caldwell-Pope is averaging 11.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He’s shooting 48.1% from the field, 41.1% from beyond the arc, and is knocking down 86.4% of his free throws.
In the regular season, KCP averaged 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. It was arguably the most efficient season of KCP’s career as he put up very strong 46.2%/42.3%/82.4% shooting splits.
The 2013 8th overall pick is also one of the most experienced players in Denver’s rotation, having played in 759 regular season and 45 playoff games in his career. He also is the only Denver rotation player with a ring, winning the title in 2020 with the Lakers.