Most important player on each NBA playoff bubble team

Although most basketball fans are glued to their televisions for the start of the NCAA Tournament, it shouldn’t be forgotten that the next two weeks also offer up high-stakes games for teams in the NBA.

Eight teams in the NBA right now are fighting for playoff spots in their respective conferences, and with less than a month to go in the season, one loss can make the difference between playing in late April or staying home. With that in mind, let’s take a look at each of those teams and which player is the most important for each squad down the stretch.

1) Indiana Pacers: Paul George

The fact that Paul George is back and playing in the NBA after the horrific leg injury he suffered in the Summer of 2014 is incredible by itself. The fact that George is still one of the best players in the NBA is even more marvelous.

With a record of 36-31, George is the primary reason the Indiana Pacers sit in the seven seed in the East. The sixth-year star out of Fresno State is Indiana’s leading scorer and best defender. Simply put, if George plays well, so does his entire team. If he doesn’t, well, let’s just say Monta Ellis isn’t the type of player you really want to rely on game to game.

The Pacers would need to have a minor collapse to fall out of the playoff picture in the East, but as long as Paul George is healthy and playing, that would appear to be an unlikely scenario.

2) Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond

Pistons center Andre Drummond has defied the expectations of many and become a true superstar in the NBA. The 22-year-old leads the NBA in rebounds per game, double-doubles and made his first All-Star team this year. Yet for the 34-34 Detroit Pistons, who are tied for the eight seed in the East, their playoff hopes likely hinge on Drummond’s ability to make free throws down the stretch.

Drummond is a miserable 37.1 percent free throw shooter, and opposing teams have been employing the “hack-a” technique more often of late to disrupt the Pistons' offense and force Drummond to try to beat them at the charity stripe. Unfortunately for Pistons fans, it’s been a successful strategy.

If Drummond doesn’t start making his free throws at higher pace, or if head coach Stan Van Gundy can't find a better lineup to play down the stretch, Drummond’s porous free throw shooting could leave the Pistons on the outside looking in by the end of the season.

3) Chicago Bulls: Jimmy Butler

With Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson bowing out with injuries, Bulls star Jimmy Butler couldn’t have returned at a more crucial time for Chicago. The Bulls are just 5-10 without Butler in the lineup this season.

All in all, it’s been a disappointing season for the Bulls, as they find themselves with a record 33-33 at the moment, but if Butler can carry Chicago down the stretch, it will quickly become the type of team no one would want to face in the playoffs. The Bulls' playoff hopes lay almost entirely on the shoulders of their 26-year-old All-Star at shooting guard.

4) Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal

While John Wall has been playing out of his mind of late for the Wizards, he will need one of his teammates to step up if Washington wants to avoid a disastrous non-playoff season. That player is fourth-year shooting guard Bradley Beal.

The often-injured Beal appears to be fully healthy, and with the Wizards one and a half games out of a playoff spot, the former Florida Gator needs to contribute more at both ends of the floor for Washington to close that gap. Given his size, athletic ability and shooting stroke, Beal has everything needed to do exactly that for the Wizards, but the young player just hasn’t been able to put it all together this season. If there was ever a time for Beal to figure it out on the court, it would be now.

5) Portland Trail Blazers: C.J. McCollum

The leading candidate for Most Improved Player of the Year, C.J. McCollum has helped put the  Portland Trail Blazers in position to make the playoffs — something few basketball pundits thought would happen this year given the offseason departures of LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez.

That being said, McCollum has struggled of late. The 24-year-old out of Lehigh has failed to put up over 20 points in four straight games and hasn’t played more than 30 minutes in three straight as well. If McCollum can pick up his play over the next few weeks, it would serve as huge boost the Trail Blazers and solidify them as playoff team in the Western Conference.

6) Houston Rockets: James Harden

Although they would make the playoffs if the season ended today, the Houston Rockets have been the NBA’s biggest disappointment this season. Dwight Howard (along with being a constant distraction) is no longer the player he used to be, the Ty Lawson trade was a failure and James Harden has failed to regain his MVP-level form of last season. All of this, along with firing coach Kevin McHale early in the season, has combined to leave the Rockets with a record of 34-34 and on the precipice of missing the playoff entirely.

If the Rockets are to hold on to a playoff spot, the formula for them to do so is simple: Their best player, James Harden, must play at his best. If “The Beard” can’t play at an All-Star level, or misses any games, the Rockets will most likely fall out of the playoff picture in the West.

7) Dallas Mavericks: Deron Williams

Just barely holding on the eight seed in the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks have already exceeded expectations this season. That being said, if you think Dirk Nowitzki and head coach Rick Carlisle are content with the way the season has gone, you would be sorely mistaken.

If the Mavs want to continue to defy expectations, they’ll need starting point guard Deron Williams to raise his game. Once one of the best point guards in the NBA, Williams’ play has regressed over the past few years, but he has had somewhat of a career renaissance in Dallas. Still, in the month of March, Williams is shooting just 36 percent from the field, and the Mavs in turn have posted a record of 2-6. If D-Will doesn’t come out of this funk sooner than later, the Mavericks could miss the playoffs for just the second time since 2000.

8) Utah Jazz: Rudy Gobert

With three straight wins over the Wizards, Kings and Cavaliers, the Utah Jazz now finds itself back in contention for the final playoff spot out west. If the team wants to make that leap back into a playoff spot, it'll need center Rudy Gobert to play like the force in the low post he can be.

A rebounding machine, Gobert has oddly struggled on the defensive side of the floor at a time when the Jazz needs him to be at his best. Granted, the 23-year-old has never had such a large role on an NBA team, but all the physical tools are there for the “Stifle Tower” to succeed down the stretch. If Gobert can raise his game another notch, the Jazz could easily leapfrog the Mavs or Rockets for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.