Who are the breakout stars of the 2023 NBA Playoffs?
With the 2023 NBA Playoffs ending in a couple of weeks, the league has seen some stars appear from the cracks over the last month.
For some, it was becoming more effective with more minutes, for others, it was taking that elite step forward, producing big plays and captivating winning basketball.
Each player has staked a claim for a bigger contract and more minutes on the court when the next season arrives after helping each team make deep playoff runs.
Here are the breakout stars from this year's NBA Playoffs!
Austin Reaves had a breakout season for the Los Angeles Lakers and showed he belongs at the biggest stage of them all in recent weeks.
Reaves was the third-highest scorer for The Lakers in this season's playoffs, behind superstar duo LeBron James (24.5) and Anthony Davis (22.6).
Reaves averaged 16.9 points over 16 playoff games, increasing the average by more than three points from the regular season. Reaves scored 23 points on five occasions in his first postseason.
Derrick White was crucial in the Boston Celtics getting to the Eastern Conference Finals and forcing it to a game seven, with a clutch put back on the expiry of the shot clock in game six.
Part of a Boston Celtics team that has made two deep playoff runs, White has found his way in the line-up, finishing as the fourth-highest productive scorer (13.4 PPG) and playing an average of 29.7 minutes per game.
In comparison to last year, White averaged five more minutes a game and scored five more points a game this season, making him a more important player as seasons go on.
Bruce Brown has been the spark plug for the Denver Nuggets off the bench in the playoffs, producing big performances in helping Denver reach their first NBA Finals.
In the opening three games of the Western Conference Finals, Brown scored 16, 12, and 15 points and produced ten assists with zero turnovers as The Nuggets swept The Lakers.
Brown averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in the regular season and has become more productive on the scoring end, producing 12.2 points per game in the postseason.
The story of Caleb Martin is inspirational, going from undrafted to being waived by Charlotte and now becoming a pivotal player in Miami's return to the NBA Finals.
As the stakes have got higher, Martin has got better, going from producing 10.8 points in 26.6 minutes against Milwaukee to playing 35 minutes and averaging 19.3 points against the Boston Celtics in the conference finals.
His standout performance came in game seven of the conference finals against The Celtics, scoring 26 points, ten rebounds, and three assists, missing out on the Larry Bird MVP award by one vote to Jimmy Butler.