An NBA player’s first time in the playoffs is always a special one. Broadly speaking, making it to the postseason is not a huge deal in the NBA, where more than half of the league’s teams qualify for the field every season. But there’s nothing quite like the debut and getting thrown into the deep end and told to sink or swim.
Some manage to thrive off the bat. Derrick Rose stands out as a prime example, dropping 36 points and 11 assists in his first-ever playoff game against the defending champion Boston Celtics in 2009. Or LeBron James, who recorded a triple double in typical “Chosen One” fashion during his playoff debut in ’06. Others struggle—even the very best. Steph Curry, the greatest shooter of all time, went 7-of-20 from the field the first time he stepped foot on the court for postseason play.
Regardless of how it went or whether it was indicative of future performance, first playoff acts remain a significant benchmark because, for the first time, these players experience the pressure cooker of postseason intensity. It cannot be replicated. At no point in the long NBA regular season will these players have their games put under such a fierce microscope, nor will they feel the same weight of expectations—or suffer from the same cost of failure.
Last season, the NBA world got to see talents like Paolo Banchero and Tyrese Haliburton make their first marks on the playoff world. This postseason promises to bring more such glimpses. Here are a few of the players expected to make their playoff debuts this month, all of whom are intriguing for their play, their place on their team or both.
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
It’s always exciting when a former No. 1 draft pick makes the playoffs for the first time. Those players were picked first overall for a reason—their talent and potential was so great it put them above every other prospect in their class. Sometimes it takes a little while to realize it, but a postseason appearance usually means they’re progressing along their development arc at a good rate.
Such is the case with Cunningham. The 2021 No. 1 pick has been instrumental in turning this Pistons team around after a historically heinous ’23–24 season in which they finished with 14 wins. Averaging 25.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game, Cunningham has transformed into the modern point forward that was promised.
His 6' 6" height allows him to see over the defense and his broad shoulders used to clear space wherever he is on the court. On top of that size advantage compared to most primary ballhandlers, Cunningham’s game is very deliberate; it’s hard to speed up the 23-year-old’s process as he methodically finds the open space in opposing defenses. Those traits shine in the pick-and-roll, especially. Cunningham is second in the NBA in PnR possessions per game, behind only Trae Young, and shoots 46% on such possessions—the second-highest mark among any player who averages at least nine pick-and-rolls per game, behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Between his offensive mastery and quality defense (opponents shoot 44% on field goals defended by Cunningham, the fourth-lowest mark among Pistons rotation players), the former Oklahoma State star is becoming the kind of do-it-all wing who rules supreme in today’s NBA. The fact he recorded the third-most turnovers in the league this season will prove troublesome for Detroit’s hopes to win a series or two. But Cunningham’s first playoff foray should show the Pistons—and the world—how close he is to true stardom.
Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
Thompson is one of the most fun players to watch in the NBA and the larger viewing audience will find that out soon enough as he helps lead the Rockets to a very surprising playoff experience. The second-year Thompson doesn’t have the makeup of a typical budding NBA star; he struggles mightily shooting the ball and averages only 3.8 assists per game. In a league dominated by heliocentric stars who punish defenses with mind-warping passes and deadeye shooting in equal measure, Thompson may not appear to be the sort of player meant to thrive in postseason play.
But Thompson is an athlete. Even compared to his genetically gifted counterparts around the NBA, he stands out. He can jump through the roof and do so in the blink of an eye. He’s so fast he almost teleports from midcourt to wherever the ball is in transition, on offense or defense. The NBA has seen its fair share of elite athletes, yet what sets Thompson apart is that he has amazing instincts to pair. He recognizes what’s happening in front of him a half-second faster than anybody else and can immediately push the advantage with his alien quickness.
Even so, Thompson might struggle on offense with the lack of transition opportunities in postseason basketball. He should prove an unholy terror on defense anyway. The 2023 lottery pick is averaging 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, one of four players averaging at least one steal and one block this season. Thompson’s natural ability is rare and he’s realizing his defensive potential under coach Ime Udoka, which should become clear to the national audience in the playoffs. Throw in a poster dunk or two thanks to his ridiculous vertical and he could very well end up with the most impressive highlight reel of any playoff rookie.
Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
Sengun couldn’t be further from his teammate, Thompson, as an athlete, but he’s nearly as entertaining. The ground-bound big man, picked 16th in the 2021 draft, broke out by using his shiftiness on the block and preternatural touch to average 19.2 points per game this season despite shooting under 70% from the free throw line and averaging 1.2 three-point attempts per game. In today’s league, it’s pretty difficult to score without regular trips to the charity stripe or great shooting—yet Sengun has managed to do it.
How? He’s a post-up maestro from the days of yore. The Rockets center averages 4.1 post-ups per game, tied for third in the NBA, and scores 1.06 points per possession on those plays. To put that into perspective, Houston dumping it to Sengun on the block is more efficient than a Jayson Tatum isolation (1.01 points per possession) or a Jalen Brunson pick-and-roll (1.04 points per possession). It should prove to be the most entertaining part of his game in postseason play, but for those appreciative of big men cleaning the glass, Sengun has recorded 16 games of at least 14 rebounds or more this season.
The playoffs are not always kind to players who are outmatched athletically but the space of today’s NBA means there’s plenty of room (literally) for Sengun to thrive. He’ll be prominently featured as one of the few hubs of creation in Houston’s offense; along with the scoring prowess highlighted above, Sengun’s assist percentage of 24.1 ranks alongside Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Williams. There isn’t much room for error in Sengun’s game, but players who excel in the paint tend to translate well to postseason play.
Ty Jerome, Cleveland Cavaliers
Despite being in the NBA since 2020, and playing for teams that made deep playoff runs like the ’22–23 Warriors and last year’s Cavaliers, Jerome has no playoff minutes to his name. That’s assured to change this spring. The former Virginia Cavalier has been a lightning bolt off the bench for Cleveland all season, one of many pleasant surprises for the team after it replaced J.B. Bickerstaff with Kenny Atkinson at coach.
Jerome, a strong candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, is averaging a career-high 12.4 points off the bench for Cleveland in 19.8 minutes per game. He’s shooting 51.5% from the field with a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio; his 64.1% true shooting percentage is second on the Cavs behind center Jarrett Allen. And unlike his 6MOY rival, Payton Pritchard in Boston, Jerome’s production doesn’t come by scorching the nets from deep.
He’s a quality shooter, to be clear, averaging 43% from deep on 3.6 attempts per game. But that’s more to keep the defense honest. Jerome’s game thrives when he leverages the threat from deep to attack inside the arc, with the journeyman guard hitting 57% of his shots from within three to 10 feet. More than that, he keeps the ball pinging around the Cavs offense when he’s on the floor. Jerome’s assist percentage clocks in at 23.9%, second on the team behind primary point guard Darius Garland.
Jerome is key to Cleveland’s hopes for a deep playoff run, which alone makes him worth watching closely. Whether he can keep the offense from cratering in the few minutes Garland and Mitchell are both off the floor could swing a game or even a series. Moreover, he feels the embodiment of the feel-good Cavaliers this season, a former late first-round pick who bounced around the league before finding a comfortable home in Atkinson’s offense. His game may not be the most electrifying of the other entries in this piece, but may prove more critical to the title race than any of them.
Honorable Mentions
Laker Luka: We already know Luka Doncic is a force to be reckoned with in the postseason. What about a Doncic who has been scorned? Is it possible for Doncic’s playoff numbers to jump even higher, with added motivation to remind the Mavericks of what they’re missing and playing alongside LeBron James? It’s hard to see that happening given he’s already one of the most statistically dominant postseason players in today’s NBA, but it’s going to be awesome watching him try.
This version of Payton Pritchard: Pritchard, now in his fifth NBA season, has played a good amount of playoff basketball and averaged 18.6 minutes per game during Boston’s championship run this time last year. But the Pritchard of this season is different, a favorite for Sixth Man of the Year and a bona fide spark plug off the bench. If he can carry his flamethrower ways over into the postseason, the Celtics will be that much harder to beat—and he’ll put on a fun show in the process.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cade Cunningham and the NBA Playoff Debuts We Can’t Wait to See.
