The Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors will meet in the postseason for the first time ever during the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The third-seeded Celtics are tasked with beating the Raptors, the No. 2 seed, without forward Gordon Hayward. Hayward is expected to miss the series after injuring his ankle in Game 1 of Boston's first-round series against Philadelphia.
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| Pascal Siakam and Jaylen Brown are set to battle in the Conference Semifinals. (Michael Dwyer/AP) |
With Hayward out for Boston, the Celtics will be devoid their fourth-best player. So who are the best players in this series? Let's rank the top-10 ahead of the Celtics-Raptors best-of-seven showdown.
10. OG Anunoby
Toronto's starting small forward, OG Anunoby is most known for his defense. He guarded Brooklyn's Caris LeVert well in the opening round, holding the wing to 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting in total minutes of 1-on-1 defense in the Raptors' sweep.
9. Normal Powell
The Raptors hold a +62 with Norman Powell on the court, the best player +/- of the 2020 NBA postseason. The guard averaged 17.5 points in the first round, shooting 60.5% from the floor and 45.5% on 3's.
Powell shined in the Raptors' series-clinching victory over the Nets. He went off for 29 points (9-for-14), five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in just 24 minutes.
8. Serge Ibaka
Serge Ibaka, Toronto's top reserve, averaged 19.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in the opening round.
Due to in-season injuries to Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol, Ibaka started 27 games this season. He logged 15.4 points and 8.2 rebounds in 55 appearances. Ibaka is a far more important player than Gasol, the starting center who failed to crack this list.
7. Marcus Smart
One of the best defensive players in basketball, Marcus Smart is the heart and soul of the Celtics. He registered career highs in points (12.9), assists (4.9) and free throw percentage (83.6) this season.
In the wake of Hayward's injury, Smart has been pressed into Boston's starting lineup. Due to various injuries for the Celtics across the year, Smart made 40 starts in 60 games played in 2019-20.
6. Fred VanVleet
Fred VanVleet was Toronto's best player in its four-game shellacking of the Nets. He averaged team-bests in points (21.3) and assists (7.8), while shooting a remarkable 55.9 percent from downtown.
An impending free agent, the combo guard will be one of the most coveted players on the open market this offseason.
5. Kemba Walker
Boston's prized offseason acquisition, Kemba Walker finally won his first career playoff series, producing 24.3 points in the Celtics' sweep of the 76ers. He poured in a game-best 32 points in the series finale.
Walker, a starting guard for the Eastern Conference All-Star squad, had just four turnovers all series despite a hefty 26.9% usage rate.
4. Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown, Boston's top two-way player, accumulated 21.5 points with 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and one steal per contest in the first round.
3. Kyle Lowry
Lowry's status (ankle sprain) for Game 1 remains a mystery, but assuming he's good to go, the Raptors' longtime All-Star point guard can be expected to do the playmaking on offense and spearheading the NBA's top-ranked defense.
2. Pascal Siakam
Siakam led the Raptors in scoring and player efficiency this season. An All-Star starter, Siakam is Toronto's best player, a year after being the No. 2 option on its championship-winning squad.
1. Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum was on fire against Philadelphia and looks like a true superstar. Holding massive value to the Celtics, Boston owned a +19 net rating in his 145 minutes on the court versus the 76ers. The Celtics logged a -9 during his 47 minutes on the bench.
Tatum produced team-bests per-game marks in points (27.0), rebounds (9.8) and blocks (2.3) in round one.
