The NBA X Factors

The German sniper had one of the worst shooting lumps of his career, leading to the playoffs. Injuries to superstar Luka Dončić meant Kidd had to extend his bench to supplement the perimeter shooting and playmaking of Dončić. Through two games, Kleber has made his presence known. After a measly 10 points and -10 PER in Game One, Kleber caught fire and led to a massive upset win in Game Two, pouring in 25 points on 8 of 11 from three-point land. Most of all, he has rendered Jazz center Rudy Gobert a liability on defense. Kleber’s shooting has kept Gobert stretched out to the perimeter, leaving the post wide open for the Mavs guards to feast.

You won’t find Vanderbilt’s impact evident on any stat sheet. Hell, he might not even score. But those who are more than casuals know Vanderbilt’s defensive impact on a game for his T Wolves. For the T Wolves to do the impossible and win their first playoff series since the Garnett era, they will need to keep Jarren Jackson Jr. of Memphis as quiet as possible offensively. Of course, the two teams have traded off blowouts both ways. But when Vanderbilt was stuck to Jackson like glue in game one, he limited the Grizzlies’ second-best player to 12 points and a -16 PER.

On the perimeter, the Jazz are old, slow, and mostly useless. The performance thus far stopping the Mavs supporting cast sans Luka has been pathetic. The only Jazz player on the perimeter with any ability to keep his man in front of him is Royce O’Neale. If Luka Dončić comes back to this series, it won’t matter because Utah has no chance. But, if the Jazz want to make this a series, they need O’Neal to take on the challenge Donovan Mitchell has thus far declined, stopping Jalen Brunson on switches. O’Neale is a cagey, youngish wing at 28-years-old and is the only Utah wing capable of handling any player who switches on him. The Jazz will need him to use his large frame and wingspan to body up Brunson, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Reggie Bullock in crunch time unless Mitchell suddenly decides to be a superstar on both sides.

Ol Crazy Eyes was a lynchpin in the Bucks championship run last season. With the recent injury to Kris Middleton, the journeyman forward will be vital to the Bucks maintaining their continuity and chemistry as they try to get out of the first round against a talented but top-heavy Bulls team. Portis will need to be a three and D maestro and hopefully can shake the double vision he suffered from in Game Two after getting smacked in the face. However, Portis has that “DAWG” and the offensive skills to be more than a role player for at least one series. If he can step up and take on more of a scoring load, the Bucks can survive a challenging first round.

Hard to believe a former All-Star can be considered an X-factor. That’s where Vucevic finds himself with the Bulls as they try to upset last year’s champion in the first round. Vucevic is dependable for a double-double, as he averaged 18 and 11 this season, bearing his output as the lone star in Orlando. But for the Bulls to upset the Bucks, he will need to be a defensive anchor the same way Nikola Jokić is for the Nuggets. This means he will need to lead the team in assists, rebounds, and blocks while coming in third in scoring behind his two superstar teammates to lead his team as the anchor on both sides of the court. No longer the main attraction, Vucevic needs to take advantage of the lighter load on offense to help out his team in an all-around fashion.

Initially thought of as a throw-in piece when the Pelicans acquired CJ McCollum, Nance has proven to be the Pelican’s best bench player. Supplementing Brandon Ingram’s production when the star forward sits, Nance, can give the Pels an inside athletic presence with a knack for rebounding 48 minutes. In two games, he’s averaging 13 and 6 off the bench against the Suns—a solid number for a player who only tallied 7 and 4 all season. If Nance can keep it up, he can be an unguardable presence for the Suns, who don’t have much depth up front after Deandre Ayton and already give up size and strength by starting Jae Crowder at the power forward spot. In addition, if Nance continues to dominate the boards in the 20 minutes he’s been given, the Pels will have a decided advantage in at least one statistical category.