Top 5 Performers of the Eastern Conference Semifinals

It is known that the metaphorical lights shine brighter in the postseason. In the case of the NBA, certain players will take the spotlight with their brilliant playoff play, while others will take steps backward.

The Conference Semifinals have come and gone, and with that has come a rise in play from certain players. The Eastern Conference is not without its stars, and this year in particular saw a step backward from the stars of old and a step forward from the stars of new.

The NBA is a sport built around the marketing of superstars, and like the Western Conference, the Eastern Conference features no shortage of stars. The following are the best performers of the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

1 Tyrese Haliburton

Haliburton cemented his place as the Knicks’ new villain

Even though the Indiana Pacers were facing a New York Knicks team riddled with injuries, they needed a clutch player to rise to the occasion and not only win the series but cement Indiana’s place as a legitimate contender. In this year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, that player was none other than Tyrese Haliburton.

Haliburton went off in the Semifinals, averaging 23.8 points per game in the series, apart from Game 1 which saw him only put up six points in total. The Knicks had effectively shut down Haliburton in that game, but it was his ability to adapt to New York’s gameplan that allowed him to effectively counter their defense and suffocate their game plan, and Haliburton did not look back for the rest of the series.

The Pacers used their elite shooting ability to lock up the series, and Haliburton was one of their most effective players in that department. He averaged 55.1 percent from the field and 44.3 percent from the three-point range in the series, and allowed the Pacers to shoot 67.1 percent in Game 7 as a collective unit, the highest shooting percentage of any playoff game in NBA history.

2 Jayson Tatum

Tatum was his usual self, averaging a double-double in the series

When talking about the most complete players in the NBA right now, Jayson Tatum is certainly up there at the top. He averaged a double-double per game in the Boston Celtics’ first series against the Miami Heat, and the 26-year-old forward did it again in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Celtics have suffocated opponents all season thanks to their setback three, and Tatum has led the way in that department. In the series against the Cavaliers, which saw the Celtics defeat them in five games, Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game, while shooting 44.1 percent from the field.

If the Celtics are to win a championship, they will need Tatum at his prime, and he certainly appears to be playing that way right now. Tatum certainly left his mark as the best player in the series, and one of the best in the second round.

3 Jalen Brunson

Brunson was the Knicks’ leader and did what he could despite the series loss

No player put a team on his shoulders this playoffs more than Jalen Brunson. The story of the Knicks this year was a scrappy club bonded by the power of friendship, but the sheer amount of injuries eventually became too much to bear.

With that being said, Brunson did the most he could to keep the Knicks afloat until Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. But he landed on this list not because of the narrative, but because he backed it up. Brunson averaged nearly 30 points per game (29.7 to be exact) in the seven-game series against Indiana, along with 2.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists.

Brunson shot 46.1 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from the three-point range in the series as well. His average of 33 points per game over the collective playoffs was the most of any NBA player in the playoffs this year, and even though the Knicks have been eliminated, Brunson was certainly one of the top players of the second round.

4 Pascal Siakam

Siakam served as the 1A to Haliburton in the Pacers’ series win

Where Tyrese Haliburton wasn’t, Pascal Siakam was. The Pacers traded for him ahead of this year’s Trade Deadline in the hopes of solidifying their core with a strong shooter that can further enhance Indiana’s offensive presence. And that he did in the Conference Semifinals against the Knicks.

In the seven-game series against the Knicks, Siakam averaged 20 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. He shot 52.8 percent from the field and 40 percent from the three-point range. The one-two punch of he and Haliburton helped the Pacers achieve record shooting, particularly in Game 7, to put them over the hump and advance them to the Conference Finals.

5 Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown aided in the Celtics’ burying of the Cavaliers

Similar to Siakam’s role with the Pacers, Jaylen Brown served a similar role with the Boston Celtics. He is the 1A to Jayson Tatum, and in the Conference Semifinals against the Cavaliers, he performed his role exceptionally well. He averaged 23.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in the seven-game series.

Brown suffocated the Cavaliers from the field, shooting nearly 60 percent (59.2 percent to be exact) from the field. His three-point shooting was also dominant, as he shot nearly 43 percent (42.9 percent to be exact) from the three-point range in the series.

It was Brown’s ability to compliment Tatum in the series that allowed the Celtics to win the series. But his individual performance is what stood out and made him a top performer of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

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