The reigning MVP's playoff run is over. Long live the playoff MVPs.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo slumping against the Miami Heat's defense as the Milwaukee Bucks fell behind 3-0 before a second turn of his right ankle ended his series, the title of MVP is wide open during this postseason unlike any other. A number of historic individual performances have given several players claim to the title.
Let's run through the best performers so far in the playoffs, limiting the list to players whose teams remain active.
1. LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers
Guard
The combination of the Bucks' early exit from the playoffs and James passing Derek Fisher to become the winningest player in NBA postseason history spurred comments from his current and former teammates and coaches that James was the deserving MVP this year. I don't agree about the regular season, where Giannis was dominant, but the playoffs are a different story -- as often are with James.
Despite the fact that he hasn't yet had to extend his minutes (his current average of 34.8 would be the lowest in his playoff career by more than three per game) James is threatening to average a triple-double with his second-highest postseason averages in terms of both rebounds (9.6) and assists (9.0). He's doing it all while making 67% of his 2-point attempts and 41% of his 3s. Oh, and as the Houston Rockets were reminded Tuesday, you should still never, ever attempt a layup in transition with James anywhere in the vicinity.
Given all that, he's my playoff MVP so far.
2. Kawhi Leonard
LA Clippers
Forward
Let's be honest: The Kawhi-LeBron debate for playoff MVP and the current belt holder as the league's best player won't be decided until their teams meet in the Western Conference finals, should both advance.
If James is No. 1 so far, Leonard is a close 1A. After sitting out back-to-backs throughout the regular season, Leonard has again extended his minutes in the playoffs without shirking his defensive responsibilities. Aside from an outlier 4-for-17 shooting performance in Game 2 vs. Denver, he has been a consistent, efficient scorer. He also has shown his improvement as a playmaker, allowing the Clippers to play frequently without a traditional point guard while Patrick Beverley was sidelined in the opening round.
3. Jimmy Butler
Miami Heat
Guard
In terms of box score statistics, Butler hasn't been as impressive as some of the players behind him on the list. He has picked his spots, scoring 17 points or fewer in three of Miami's five games against the Bucks. But when Butler takes over, there has been no stopping him. We saw that in the fourth quarters of Game 1 (15 points on 6-of-8 shooting) and Game 3 (17 points with nine free throws in 11 attempts, including the winning ones with no time remaining) against Milwaukee.
Combine Butler's tangible production at both ends -- including lockdown defense late in games and his presence as a confident leader -- and the result was one of the bigger upsets in NBA playoff history, at least in terms of how comfortably the Heat pulled it off.
4. James Harden
Houston Rockets
Guard
Both the highs and lows of Harden's playoff run have been extreme. He followed a hyper-efficient Game 5 against Oklahoma City (31 points on 15 shot attempts and six free throw tries) with a dismal Game 7 (1-of-9 from 3-point range) that was salvaged by a game-saving block of Luguentz Dort's potential winning 3-pointer.
Granted that reprieve, Harden has been more consistently strong throughout Houston's second-round matchup with the Lakers -- even if it might not translate into a series victory.
5. Anthony Davis
Los Angeles Lakers
Forward/Center
Davis' first playoff run with the Lakers has gone largely to form. He struggled a bit in the Lakers' pair of Game 1 losses so far, including an 8-of-14 shooting effort vs. Portland that was redeemed by 12 free throws in 17 attempts, but -- like the Lakers as a team -- dominated the rest of the time. By virtue of making 63% of his 2-point attempts, Davis has been nearly as efficient as LeBron. His playmaking has also been solid; Second Spectrum tracking shows him handing out 7.0 potential assists per game, up from 5.8 in identical minutes during the regular season.
6. Bam Adebayo
Miami Heat
Center
As important as Butler has been to Miami's run to the conference finals, don't overlook Adebayo's key role. Thus far in the postseason, the Heat have outscored opponents by 12.5 points per 100 possessions with Adebayo on the court while getting outscored (by 3.1 per 100 possessions) with him on the bench.
Adebayo's defensive versatility is impossible to replace. Per Second Spectrum, opponents have averaged just 0.73 points per chance in the playoffs on pick-and-rolls where Adebayo defends the screener. Among players who have defended at least 100 screens, only one other (Jeff Green) has allowed fewer than 0.9 points per chance in those situations.
7. Jamal Murray
Denver Nuggets
Guard
Surely the MVP of the first round of the playoffs, Murray joined a select group (including opponent Donovan Mitchell) by putting up two 50-point outbursts in the same series -- sandwiched around a 42-point effort. In that series, Murray made an unthinkable 24 pull-up 3-pointers on 42 attempts (57%), per Second Spectrum tracking on NBA Advanced Stats. That's more than the Lakers have made as a team so far in the playoffs (18-of-63, 29%).
Predictably, Murray has found the going tougher against the Clippers' defense in the second round, following up an inefficient Game 7 vs. Utah (7-of-21 shooting) with similarly clunky shooting efforts in Game 1 (5-of-15) and Game 3 (5-of-17) of this series. Still, the Nuggets wouldn't be in this position without Murray's heroics leading them back from a 3-1 deficit in the first round.
8. Kyle Lowry
Toronto Raptors
Guard
On the back of last year's championship, Lowry's excellent postseason run has replaced the label of playoff underachiever with that of someone you don't want to see on the other side in a big game. Sure, Lowry might still struggle through an off-shooting night, like his 0-of-7 3-point effort in Game 2 vs. Boston. Still, nobody makes more winning plays than Lowry, who has drawn seven charges per the NBA's hustle stats tracking (tied with P.J. Tucker for most in the league) and recovered a league-high 20 loose balls.
9. Jayson Tatum
Boston Celtics
Forward
After torching the Sixers for 27.0 PPG and 9.8 RPG on 45% 3-point shooting in Boston's opening-round sweep, Tatum has buckled a bit under the weight of heavy defensive attention from the Raptors in the conference semifinals. Wednesday saw him do better than ever before at leveraging that attention against Toronto, handing out a career-high nine assists and falling one shy of his first triple-double.
10. Kemba Walker
Boston Celtics
Guard
When Tatum has struggled, the Celtics have been fortunate to have another go-to option capable of causing problems for opponents. The danger Walker presents in the pick-and-roll for drop coverages has been a factor in the Raptors playing extended zone in this series and ultimately going without a center on the court during the fourth quarter and overtimes of Game 6. Though Walker is undersized, he has competed well at the defensive end of the court in his deepest foray ever into the postseason.