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NBA Playoffs 2017: 5 biggest x-factors

By Brandon Jefferson

March 6, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) grabs a rebound against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
March 6, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) grabs a rebound against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Checking in on the below-the-radar players who could make a huge impact in the NBA playoffs.

The regular season is in the rearview and it is now time for 16 teams to start on the road toward a championship. Out of those 16, only a select few really have a shot at bringing home the Larry O’Brien trophy in June.

Superstar players like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, John Wall, Isaiah Thomas, etc. are critical to their team’s success over the next few months. However, they can’t do it all alone. They will need the players around them to excel in their roles if they want their team to end the year on top.

Every postseason there’s at least one player that goes from under-the-radar to household name by having a huge impact on his team in the playoffs. It could be for one series or it could be for one game. There’s no telling who is going to be that guy.

In the following pages, you will find five players that can potentially be the biggest x-factors in the postseason. The list ranges from situational players to role players to starters to sidekicks.

5. Avery Bradley

The Boston Celtics are led by Isaiah Thomas, there’s no questioning that. The rest of the roster consists of versatile players that each bring their own set of skills to the team. It’s worked well enough that they ended the season with one of the top two records in the Eastern Conference.

The postseason is a different animal.

In the one-off matchups of the regular season teams can’t scheme for specific tendencies and players, but in the playoffs, that’s usually the deciding factor in whether a team wins or loses a series.

Boston held firm a the trade deadline with the belief that adding a player like Jimmy Butler or Paul George wouldn’t be enough to unseat the Cleveland Cavaliers from the throne in the East. After a less than stellar post All-Star break — Cleveland went 12-14 in that stretch — the Cavaliers look more vulnerable than ever.

If the Celtics are to pounce on this tiny crack in the championship window they are going to need more from Avery Bradley. Bradley has often found value against Cleveland because he is the team’s best defender against Kyrie Irving. Bradley’s combination of quickness, agility and length make it tough for Irving to get in the paint or find open looks.

This time around, along with being tasked to slow down Irving, Boston is going to need Bradley to produce on the offensive end as well.

He’s averaging a career-high in points (16.4 PPG) and assists (2.2 APG) this season. Bradley gets over a third of his points on 3-pointers — 36.6 percent of his points are from 3-pointers according to NBA.com — and 81.3 percent of his made 3-pointers are off assists.

With Thomas and Al Horford doing most of the heavy-lifting on offense, the Celtics need Bradley to fill the role as a tertiary scoring threat. The more people Cleveland has to worry about the easier it makes for Boston to have success in Brad Steven’s spread motion system.