25 Best NBA Players By Tiers (May 2024, Only Playoffs Matter)

Continuing our series following our April 2024 rankings, it is time to list the 25 best NBA players by tiers for the month of May. This tier system separates the best talents in the NBA from the rest, focusing purely on the players' performances in the postseason starting from the play-in tournament.

We have witnessed some excellent performances from players such as Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson, but where do they rank in the tiered system? Remember, a player’s status is not considered but rather the performance and impact over the postseason based on stats, impact, and all-around play regarding team performance.

Rules: Only players who played in the 2024 Playoffs (and play-in) can be ranked by tiers.

Tier 1

Jalen Brunson (Tier 3 in previous month - April)

Anthony Edwards (Tier 3 in previous month - April)

Nikola Jokic (Tier 1 in previous month - April)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Tier 1 in previous month - April)

Luka Doncic (Tier 1 in previous month - April)

Jalen Brunson has been on an absolute tear in the postseason, posting 36.6 points and 8.6 assists per game while leading the New York Knicks to an incredible 2-0 record over the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs. Brunson has been the most dominant offensive player in the playoffs so far and has elevated his play to nearly astronomical standards for a 6’2” point guard.

Anthony Edwards has surprised people with how well he has played..especially those who haven’t been paying much attention to his greatness. The shooting guard is a terrific athlete but also an elite scorer and defender, posting 32.3 points per game for the Minnesota Timberwolves team that is undefeated in the playoffs so far. We are looking at the rise of the face of the NBA.

Nikola Jokic has just earned his third MVP award, placing him in an elite company with names such as Michael Jordan and LeBron James. He had a dominant first round in the playoffs but has struggled against the Minnesota Timberwolves by his standards. Averaging 5.5 turnovers per game in his appearances against the Timberwolves is unlike him, and is shooting only 42.1% from the field and 20.0% from three. Despite his inefficiency in the second round, Jokic is posting 27.0 points and 15.0 rebounds per game in the postseason overall. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander loves to score the ball, definitely more than pass it, which is why he is averaging 27.6 points per game in the playoffs so far. The superstar missed out on the MVP award this season, but his true goal is to get the Thunder into the Western Conference Finals. Based on his play so far, Gilgeous-Alexander could make that goal come to a reality.

Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic finds himself down 1-0 to the Thunder in the second round, but there is plenty more basketball to play. He is posting 28.3 points per game and took apart the Clippers in the first round which is why he is an easy inclusion into Tier 1 as one of the top 10 players in the world right now.

Tier 2

Donovan Mitchell (Tier 3 in previous month - April)

Joel Embiid (N/A in previous month - April)

Damian Lillard (Tier 4 in previous month - April)

Jaylen Brown (Tier 4 in previous month - April)

Jayson Tatum (Tier 2 in previous month - April)

Tyrese Maxey (N/A in previous month - April)

Donovan Mitchell has been on a tear offensively, posting 29.3 points per game with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It seems very unlikely that the Cavaliers get past the Boston Celtics in the second round because they are unmatched, but Mitchell is still a dominant scorer who can get buckets against any opponent. It would be criminally unfair to place him anywhere below Tier 2 based on his performances.

Joel Embiid suffered a disappointing first-round exit, but his bad leg and case of Bell’s Palsy did not stop him from putting up monster numbers. The superstar center and 2023 MVP averaged 33.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in the playoffs, and one can only wonder what those numbers would have been if he was healthy. Regardless of his lack of playoff success, Embiid is a top-five player in the world.

Damian Lillard did his best to keep the Milwaukee Bucks afloat over his four appearances in the first round, but it wasn’t enough. The absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo killed Milwaukee’s chances to defeat Indiana, even if Lillard posted 31.3 points per game and had vintage moments of play from his days in Portland. We can’t ignore what Lillard did even if it was over only four games.

Jaylen Brown has answered the call after many doubted his ability to be effective in the playoffs against talented opponents. He is averaging 24.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game on 54.5% shooting from the field, meaning he has been the best offensive player on the Celtics so far. It helps having stars such as Jayson Tatum beside him, but Brown is still performing at a very high level.

Jayson Tatum is the star of the stacked Boston Celtics team and he is having himself an excellent all-around postseason even if he doesn’t have to score as much. Tatum is averaging 21.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game while still occupying the bulk of the attention of the defense. Even if Jaylen Brown is outscoring him, Tatum has shown why he was a perennial MVP candidate throughout the season.

Tyrese Maxey had to mature quickly this season following James Harden’s exit from the 76ers and also Joel Embiid’s first-round injuries. He averaged 29.8 points per game in the first round, nailing 40.0% of his threes and often carrying the offense whenever his number was called. Maxey is a bonafide All-Star at this point and his performances have not gone unnoticed.

Tier 3

Paolo Banchero (N/A in previous month - April)

Kevin Durant (Tier 3 in previous month - April)

Devin Booker (Tier 3 in previous month - April)

Anthony Davis (Tier 4 in previous month - April)

LeBron James (Tier 4 in previous month - April)

What Paolo Banchero did in the first round was special. As a 22-year-old in only his second NBA season, he took the Donovan Mitchell-led Cavaliers to seven games and averaged 27.0 points per game while doing so. The Orlando Magic have a very special player on their team which is why they will look to revamp the roster this summer.

Kevin Durant was swept in the first round of the playoffs which is why he only appears in Tier 3. Posting 26.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game makes it hard for us to put him any lower. He is a terrific offensive player but did not benefit from enough help on the team other than Devin Booker, who also happens to be in Tier 3.

Booker posted 27.5 points per game but the Suns simply have no depth. The shooting guard has to carry a heavy load alongside Durant and a two-man team can never take out a side like the Minnesota Timberwolves who are swarming on defense and have a ton of offensive options around Anthony Edwards. Edwards outplayed Booker (and Durant), but that doesn’t mean we neglect what the Suns’ stars did in the first round on an individual level.

Anthony Davis was a phenom at times in the first round, posting 27.8 points and 15.6 rebounds per game. Davis managed to equal Nikola Jokic’s performances on paper, but could not get enough help from anyone outside of LeBron James. Davis did his part, on both ends of the floor, but the Lakers were simply outplayed by the much better team.

LeBron James shouldn’t appear in Tier 3 at 39 years old. His presence is supposed to be a luxury for a team in the postseason, but that isn’t the case. James posted 27.8 points and 8.8 assists per game in the first round meaning he is the greatest player of all time when it comes to pure longevity and is still a top 10 player in the world right now.

Tier 4

Karl-Anthony Towns (N/A in previous month - April)

Kyrie Irving (Tier 4 in previous month - April)

Pascal Siakam (N/A in previous month - April)

Karl-Anthony Towns has been very consistent for Minnesota and has been a wonderful second option behind Anthony Edwards. At his size, Towns has the skills of a guard and has been a difference-maker when he isn’t battling foul trouble. Posting 20.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while playing elite defense, Towns impact is coming mainly off the stat sheet.

Kyrie Irving has shut out the noise of those who have doubted his passion for the game. He has formed a dominant partnership with Luka Doncic, and taking out the Clippers as handily as they did in the first round was more than impressive. Irving is posting 25.6 points per game in the playoffs but he might need to do more to get the Mavericks past the talented Thunder.

Pascal Siakam has to be the most consistent member of the Pacers right now since Tyrese Haliburton’s offense has slightly waned. With Haliburton only averaging 14.6 points per game, Siakam has upped his play (21.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG) on both ends of the court although he will need to do more to prevent a debilitating loss against the Knicks in Game 3.

Tier 5

Khris Middleton (N/A in previous month - April)

Jamal Murray (N/A in previous month - April)

Bam Adebayo (Tier 5 in previous month - April)

Derrick White (N/A in previous month - April)

Josh Hart (N/A in previous month - April)

James Harden (N/A in previous month - April)

Khris Middleton showed why he was a former All-Star in the first round of the playoffs. Despite the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard missing the critical Game 6, Middleton averaged 24.7 points per game on 35.5% shooting from three. A knockdown shooter, Middleton did his best to keep the Bucks afloat and they probably should not have lasted six games without Giannis to begin with.

Jamal Murray hit two game-winners in the first round of the playoffs, essentially ending the Lakers’ playoff run. However, his start to the second round has not gone well. Murray is only averaging 12.5 points per game on 28.1% shooting from the field and has been mentally taken out of the series. It has been shocking to see a player of Murray’s caliber get shut down the way he has, but he has time to correct it and prevent a 3-0 hole to the Timberwolves.

Bam Adebayo tried, but he failed to prevent a very expected loss against the stacked Boston Celtics. The big man averaged 19.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in the playoffs while playing some inspired defense, but the Heat were just outmatched without Jimmy Butler on the floor. Regardless, Adebayo is still one heck of a basketball player.

We can’t ignore Derrick White anymore. The man is on a mission to boost the Celtics back into the NBA Finals and he is averaging 22.8 points per game on 50.0% shooting from three which usurp the numbers that Jayson Tatum is putting up. White is obviously benefitting from the presence of Tatum and Brown, but his performances have been extraordinary so far.

The same goes for Josh Hart, a Swiss army knife player who has been dominant on the boards. Posting 17.9 points and 12.4 rebounds per game as a swingman, Hart has managed to make the Knicks a legitimate title contender even with Julius Randle out of action. Hart has been a perfect sidekick to superstar Jalen Brunson and Madison Square Garden is jumping due to his performances.

The Clippers were a disappointment in the first round but James Harden was impressive on an individual level. Averaging 21.2 points and 8.0 assists per game, Harden was the best player on the team with Kawhi Leonard out and did his best to make it a series against the Mavericks. Even if he failed, Harden is perhaps the one player who did his job the best on the Clippers.