None of the other three major North American professional sports leagues rely on one player to carry the load for the entire team as much as NBA basketball where the superstar players are often called on to shoulder the majority of the load. The microscope on those superstar players intensifies in the postseason as the urgency picks up and the burden becomes that much more difficult to shoulder.
Now that the playoffs are here, let’s take a quick look at the five superstars that carry the heaviest burden as the 16 teams make their run for the championship.
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
No matter where he plays, LeBron will be widely recognized as the best player in the game. After being anointed as the “Next One” throughout his youth, his time is now to deliver on the biggest stage with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron does get to play with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, as well as a strong supporting cast that was improved via trades with the arrivals of Timofey Mozgov and J.R. Smith, but at the end of the day his team revolves around him and he will be asked to lead the way when the playoffs begin.
All eyes are on Cleveland as they look to finally end their championship drought. LeBron understands that burden all too well as a native of Ohio and, with the time ticking, it’s hard to be certain about what the window looks like for the Cavaliers.
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
One of the biggest cases against Davis for MVP this season was the idea that the Pelicans looked like they would not make the playoffs. But, now that they got in, it’s clear that his performance this year should be taken into consideration. Arguably no one team relied more on their star player than New Orleans did with Davis and that is represented by his 31.2 win share percentage that leads all players on playoff rosters. Davis has averaged 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game this season and while nobody is predicting they upset the Golden State Warriors in the opening round of the playoffs, there might not be a player in the NBA that has carried his team more this season.
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Harden has made his case for NBA MVP with a brilliant year from start to finish and it’s truly been amazing how the Rockets haven’t missed a beat despite the number of injuries around the team this season. Harden has been electric averaging 27.4 points, 7.0 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game this year but those numbers hardly bring to light how he has completely changed the game every time he is out there on the floor. The supporting cast will be a little better with Dwight Howard back healthy to start the postseason but ultimately, it will be on Harden to carry the load after such an impressive season.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
The ignorant casual fan might stand to dismiss everything Curry has done for the Warriors this season but he’s truly the MVP. He’s led the team to the best record in the NBA with 67 wins and while he does have such a strong supporting cast, it’s important to remember this isn’t just a good playoff team, it’s a great one. Golden State finished with 11 more victories than Houston, who is the No. 2 seed, and it has been Curry torching opposing defenses while averaging 23.8 points, 7.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 3.6 three-point shots per game.
The Warriors have the most talented team heading in to the postseason but with some people underestimating Curry, it will be up to the likely MVP award-winner to step up and carry the load in the playoffs.
John Wall, Washington Wizards
The Wizards have had the good fortune of playing in the Eastern Conference with a couple of quality big men in Marcin Gortat and Nene as well as an emerging guard in Bradley Beal, but it’s hard to imagine where this team would be without Wall. Washington ranks third in points allowed per 100 possessions this year and Wall’s play at both ends of the floor is easily the biggest reason they have had so much success. Now after averaging 17.6 points and 10.0 assists per game this year, all eyes will be on Wall as he attempts to carry the Wizards to a playoff series win.
