NBA Playoffs: 10 sleeper players to watch in Round 1
By Tom West
Now that the 2015-16 NBA Playoffs are about to start, which veteran and rookie sleepers could make a big impact in the first round?
The 2016 NBA playoffs will be highlighted by the greatest regular season team in history and, as always, a plethora of superstars. The 73-win Golden State Warriors are on the road to their second straight championship, facing a Houston Rockets team in the first round that offers minimal competitiveness. Then, slightly further down the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder look to make a statement that they can compete with the best, courtesy of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
Generally speaking, most people’s attention during the playoffs is focused on how such stars leads their teams and ultimately how those top-tier contenders compete against the best teams in the league.
However, one of the joys of the playoffs is that anyone can step up at any moment, being spurred on by some fierce desire to avoid elimination or to merely prove that they can challenge the highest seeds as underdogs.
Such individual performances are always exciting to watch, and no matter how historically great the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are, there are plenty of sleepers and overlooked x-factors that you need to keep an eye on.
There are more than 10 players who can fall into this category as eight different series get underway over the next few days, but here’s a selection who are certainly worth looking out for.
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