Some players are having the time of their lives right now while others are struggling. Some players are having some surprising series’, however against their respective opponents. Nonetheless, this article will include who is doing the best and who is struggling right now. These are the 2022 NBA Playoffs Player Grades.
Luka Doncic – A+
The man is playing like a beast right now. The fact that his career-playoff averages in points are higher than Michael Jordan’s is definitely saying something as well. Right now, he is averaging 33.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists, one steal, 0.8 blocks, and 4.8 turnovers on 50% from the field, 39% from three and 80% from the line. His outer-worldly numbers have gotten them to the second round, but right now they face a 2-0 deficit to the Suns. They’re finally back on their home court, though. Maybe this will wake up his teammates and they can steal the next two. Jalen Brunson was a borderline all-star in the first round, but his average of 11 points in this series needs to go up in the worst way if they want to continue to fight.
Victor Oladipo – B+
Despite being a DNP when Kyle Lowry was active, Oladipo has come up for the Heat when they needed him most. Oladipo being a backup is such a luxury for this group as he is getting back to his Indiana form. His explosiveness and his defensive abilities are almost back to where they were before and it’s such a good sight to see for fans everywhere. Despite the lacking stats (13.3 points, five boards, 2.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.3 blocks on 42% from the field, 30% from three and 90% from the line), he has given them a nice microwave scorer off the bench along with Tyler Herro. As long as he’s still playing, he is going to be a part of this rotation and benches are going to be scrambling to stop him and Herro.
James Harden – C+
Harden is having a very rough series right now against the ferocious Miami Heat defense. As far as these playoffs go, he’s only averaging 18.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 3.6 turnovers a game on 40% from the field, 35% from three and 89% from the line. He’s down 2 – 0 to the Heat right now and it’s obvious something is wrong. He needs Joel Embiid in the worst possible way right now and who knows, maybe Harden is actually losing a little bit of his skill. He’s getting up there in age and has a ton of miles on him. Hopefully, he gets it going soon, but it’s not looking good right now in terms of long-term outlook.
Ja Morant – A+
Morant is actually insane right now. He’s averaging a nice 26.3 points, 8.6 boards, 10.1 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 3.8 turnovers a game on 41.7% from the field, 30.2% from the three-point line and 74% from the line. The efficiency is lacking, but the gameplay has been stellar as he has been the main cog in this well-oiled machine. During the regular season, the Grizzlies went 20-5 without him so adding him to the mix is kind of a nice luxury. The Grizzlies are tied 1-1 with the Warriors right now, but if Morant can have some more help in the form of Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson JR., this series could be much more favorable for the Grizz.