These 9 NBA veterans are crucial to their team's playoff success

Older generations have always had critiques of where the game is going. Each generation, old heads critique how soft and easy the game has become. You can track this through podcasts, interviews, and any episode of the NBA on TNT with Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. While revisionist history and recency bias can be debated ad nauseam, one of the few points retired players consistently make and agree upon is the necessity of vets.

The essence of this argument has merit, as the NBA is experiencing the highest level of talent than ever before. As a result, players are phasing out of the NBA at an earlier age than ever before. Moreover, as the talent level of the NBA rises, the age of players playing at a star level has gotten younger than ever. But in the year’s playoffs, a group of veterans across both Conferences have been crucial to their team’s success in the first round. We’ve pinpointed these veterans that are helping their teams advance with their leadership and on-court contributions.

Of those on this list, no player has impacted at as high a level for as long as Horford has with the Celtics. Upon his return to Boston for his second stint, he immediately helped propel them to a Finals run. At 36, the five-time All-Star is still one of the top centers in the league. His averages this season are 9.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and 71.4 percent from the charity stripe. He’s maintained this level by evolving along with the game, hitting a late career-high 45 percent from three.

The Hawks have hunted Horford in their first-round matchup by trying to get Horford switched onto Trey Young. The Celtics countered by playing Horford in drop coverage, trying to cut off the driving lane. Horford’s age is catching up to him, but he’s been critical in the Celts capturing a 3-1 lead on the Hawks. In Game Four, he went scoreless, taking and missing two threes, but stuffed the stat sheet with 11 rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 34 minutes.

It’s hard to figure out why the hell the Cleveland Cavaliers bought out Kevin Love, the most important holdover from the LeBron James-led championship team. Love was the most dependable shooter off their bench and now brings his championship experience and stretch shooting to the Miami Heat. At 34, he’s been streaky this postseason but was pivotal in the Heat snatching Game One with an 18-point, eight-rebound effort in the Heat’s shocking 130-117 upset victory, snatching home-court advantage from the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.

In addition, he has helped the Heat on the perimeter, where they were one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA, as he nailed 4-of-7 from downtown in Game One. For Love’s career, he’s been a reliable marksman in the regular season (37 percent) and playoffs (40.4 percent). He’s only scored a combined 16 points through Games Two through Four, but he can go off from three at any moment, forcing the Bucks to stay on him as a small-ball center.

Since Gordon was traded from the Orlando Magic, who drafted him fourth in 2014, to the Denver Nuggets, he has been underwhelming in his role as the starting power forward. In the deal, Denver gave up former starting guard Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton, and Denver’s protected 2025 first-round pick. First Round picks, protected or not, are high currency in today’s landscape. Gordon never reached the career highs he set while in Orlando when he was the best player on a young Magic squad. But this postseason, against the length and height of the Minnesota Timberwolves, his athleticism and perimeter shooting have been crucial this series.

Through four games, he’s been a +6.5 while averaging career post-season highs in FG percentage (.514), three-point percentage (.444), two-point percentage (.536), effective field goal percentage (.568), and free throw percentage (.917). With teammate Nicola Jokic playing at a monster level, the double and triple teams he commands have allowed Gordan to thrive in single coverage. But he’s also developed into a staunch defensive ace. He provided lockdown defense on Karl-Anthony Towns. Through four games, Towns is being held to 16.3 PPG, on a 43 percent from the field, and 28 percent from three. He’s also committing 3.8 turnovers per game. For a three-time All-Star, those are disappointing numbers and a huge reason the TWolves are down big in this series. The Nuggets have Gordon to thank for Towns’ limited impact.

Schröder went from the butt of the NBA when he turned down an $80M extension with the Lakers back in 2021 to a key member of the Lakers’ retooled roster. Schröder is part of the Lakers point guard duo between him and D’Angelo Russell. Schröder is the better playmaker, penetrator, and defender, with a penchant for making huge shots. This was most apparent in the Lakers’ pivotal overtime win in Game Four, where he poured in 12 points on 60 percent shooting, two steals, and hitting all six of his free throws. He was especially clutch in the Lakers’ second Play-In game to secure the seventh seed.

He scored 21 points and secured the win with two clutch free throws with 8.4 seconds left. He also hit the tie-breaking 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds to play in regulation. It was the perfect example of what makes the Schröder/Russell duo so dangerous. Russell was awful in that Play-In game, which allowed Schröder his turn at manning the point and coming up clutch. Their complementary skill sets will continue to power the Lakers as they upset the second-seeded Grizzlies and make a deep postseason run.

Last year at the 2022 trade deadline, the Celtics picked up White. It went under the radar at the time, but he has become the third-best player on the team this postseason. In the first round of this year’s playoffs, White is averaging 19.4 points, 3.8 assists, and four rebounds in four games, outshining his 2022 playoff numbers. Defensively, he has been the Celtics’ best option to guard the Hawks’ point of attack. But it’s that White’s been elite on both sides of the ball that has made him a fan favorite of Boston fans. It’s also why they were furious at rookie head coach Joe Mazzulla for closing with Marcus Smart over White in Game Five.

His shooting has been outstanding, averaging 52 percent from beyond the 3-point line and an overall 58 field goal percentage. After scoring 22 points in Game 1, he dropped 26 on 11-for-16 shooting in Game Two, along with seven rebounds, two assists, and three blocked shots. White has given the Celtics a third option when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are having inefficient shooting nights, like when Tatum went 1-10 from three. He provides the team with valuable scoring and defensive capabilities, and could be a key player for the Celtics in their playoff run.

Hart is the definition of a “dawg.” He was the second-best acquisition of the deadline after Kevin Durant. He has solidified the Knicks’ “Mobb Deep,” adding three-and-d ability to the bench unit of Obi Toppin, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Immanuel Quickley. Hart provides vocal leadership, balancing out Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson’s lead-by-example approach. Against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hart has been a knockdown three-point shooter hitting a team-high 56 percent from three and 60 percent from the field. His 13.5 PPG off the bench leads the Knicks reserves, but furthermore, he has been the X-factor the Cavs can’t match.

He has been reunited with his Villanova teammate, Jalen Brunson, with whom he won an NCAA championship. The duo has elite chemistry on the court, often engaging in a two-man game where the two small guards screen for each other, throwing defenses off kilter and allowing for open threes and driving lanes to the basket. His elite rebounding at the two-guard spot has, at times, outpowered the Cavs’ big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.

In Game Four, he outrebounded Allen and tied Mobley with seven. But it’s his penchant for big-time plays, securing loose balls, nabbing key offensive boards, and hitting clutch threes that have secured close wins for the Knicks. Before his arrival, the Knicks were one of the worst teams in the league at closing games. That immediately changed when Hart joined the team, as securing wins is one of the many things a “dawg” brings to a team.

It feels like Tucker had been a dawg his whole career. Especially the second half where he turned into one of the best three-and-d, small-ball fours in the game with the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, and now Philadelphia 76ers. At this point as a 38-year-old journeyman, he’s a hired enforcer. This postseason he’s been the vocal leader for the 76ers. It’s been documented how savage he’s gotten during practices, ripping his team when they’re too soft. Even though he’s gone 3-of-15 in his favorite corner spot, his championship resume makes him a threat to erupt if left open. He doesn’t need to just hit shots to be effective.

In the Sixers’ first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, Tucker tallied a combined 27 rebounds, 10 assists, and seven steals over four games. What doesn’t show up in a box score is the toughness, leadership, and vocal presence Tucker brings to keep his team’s sights on winning their third championship, and first in 40 years. They will need everything Tucker has left to give as they are likely to matchup against the Boston Celtics, where his matchup with Horford, a fellow veteran dawg on this list, will be key.

Since the playoffs began, there has been a fierce debate among experts and local residents about Coach Monty Williams’ decision to make Torrey Craig a starter, particularly after Josh Okogie held the position for the last 26 games to complete the revamped starting lineup. Craig was the starter before the Suns acquired Kevin Durant at the deadline. Despite this criticism, Craig has been playing exceptionally well. Over the first four postseason games against the Los Angeles Clippers, the six-year NBA veteran has averaged 12.4 points per game.

This is the highest he has ever achieved in a playoff series while setting a new career high with 22 points in Game One. He followed that up with 17 points in Game Two, while hitting key shots down the stretch to close the game. Then in Game Three, he hit a massive three with less than two minutes left to secure the win. Furthermore, he was the primary defender of Kawhi Leonard. The starting five of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Durant, Craig, and DeAndre Ayton has played together for 94 minutes this postseason, the most of any other lineup. They have an offensive rating of 125.6 and a defensive rating of 104.1, equating to a 21.6 net rating overall, the best of any starting five among playoff teams.

Barnes has been a key player in the Sacramento Kings’ success this season, with a scoring average of 15 points per game. Barnes’ presence on the team is an argument for the importance of veterans on a roster. Since arriving in Sacramento in 2019, he has been one of the most underrated players in the league and has helped build winning habits that are finally paying off this year. In the early days of Sacramneto’s chaos, Barnes rotated through four coaches in just four seasons, showing how dysfunctional the Kings have been until now.

However, under a winning GM in Monte McNair, the likely Coach of the Year in Mike Brown, and alongside more talented teammates in De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, Barnes has been a key contributor toward the Kings breaking their 16-year playoff drought. He might have missed a crucial three-pointer in Game Four, but he’s been steady as hell for the first four games. Against his old team, The Golden State Warriors, he’s averaging 13 ppg, 4.3 rpg, and 1.5 steals. Coach of the Year Mike Brown has called Barnes “irreplaceable” twice this season, lamenting the leadership and steadiness he brings to a team trying to reverse their poverty label.