3 NBA Postseason Trends That Will Totally Change the 2025 Draft

Looking at the playoff value of bench depth and what it means for draft day decisions.

The current NBA postseason is shaping up as a potential blueprint for the kind of players NBA team decision-makers will seek in the upcoming draft. The NBA Finals matchup between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder showcases two distinct approaches to team construction. At the same time, the successes and failures of the other postseason teams highlight a few positive aspects to build on and a few shortcomings that GMs can address in the upcoming draft. From Two-Way versatility, depth, roster versatility, and prospects that can play when the lights are brightest, it’s not a surprise that the front offices are taking notes — and calibrating their draft boards accordingly.

Homegrown Depth Over Superteams

Since Kevin Durant left the Golden State Warriors after losing to the Toronto Raptors in 2019, there have been several team-ups of high-profile stars. Brooklyn Nets’ Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden flopped. Sixers’ Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey were NBA All-Medical 1st Team this season. The Los Angeles Clippers’ iteration of Kawhi Leonard + Paul George or James Harden has been disappointing at best. Lebron James got a Bubble Chip after he teamed up with Anthony Davis in LA, but has underperformed since, prompting James to flip a refurbished Davis for a carb-loaded Luka Doncic, a pairing that also ended in a disappointing postseason run. The Phoenix Suns tried it with Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, to no avail.

Since the Warriors superteam won their chip back in 2018, the Raptors, Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, (non-superteam) Warriors, Denver Nuggets, and Boston Celtics have won the chip, and now, one of the Indiana Pacers and the OKC Thunder will bring home Larry OB. All of these teams have constructed a roster where regular key contributions came not just from their main supporting cast but also from their bench.

Teams like the Celtics, Nuggets, and Warriors leaned on developing their cornerstone players selected from the draft, but key contributors like Payton Pritchard and Jordan Poole were also homegrown. Looking at the current NBA Finals, 8 of the Thunder’s 12-deep postseason roster were homegrown, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Hartenstein, Isaiah Joe, and Alex Caruso acquired via trade. On the other hand, five of the Pacers’ key players were acquired via trade. Still, they are also receiving key contributions from their homegrown talent, including Andrew Nembhard, Myles Turner, Ben Mathurin, and Ben Sheppard.

Outside of the consensus Top 10, prospects like Derik Queen, Collin Murray-Boyles, Jase Richardson, Nique Clifford, and Liam McNeeley appear to be “NBA-ready” and could be instant rotation players if they end up with the right team.

Old School vs New School Offense

Part of the New York Knicks’ success and eventual downfall was their overreliance on Jalen Brunson. Former Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau’s old-school approach to using Brunson made the Knicks’ offense predictable. Traditionally, we’re used to seeing the game slow down in the playoffs, with many play calls intended for star players to get to their sweet spot on the floor to ISO. Possessions and “minutes” are overly valued; often, the role players’ touches and minutes shrink if they do not disappear altogether.

The last two teams standing have defied that logic, with both teams trusting the egalitarian offense that got them there:

• A team with multiple playmakers at all times that can instantly switch as a play-finisher on any given possession
• weaponized 5-man lineups, where every player on the floor is likely to touch the ball and a threat to score
• break-neck pace that makes Steve Nash’s “7 seconds or less” Suns’ pace appear slow

Draft prospects like Flagg, Harper, Kon Kneuppel, VJ Edgecombe, Kasparas Jakucionis, Queen, and Tre Johnson can thrive in this type of offense (with a big emphasis on Jakucionis).

Bright Lights Merchants

Some players rise to the occasion and tend to flip a switch when the lights are the brightest. While this is often attributed to the star players on the offensive side of the game, we’re starting to see more and more role players that are stepping up in the postseason. We’ve seen Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, Myles Turner, and Andrew Nembhard make big shots this season, with the Pacers delivering perhaps the most clutch performance in history.

Who are the clutch players in this draft? We’ve seen Derik Queen’s game-winner, but he’s not the only one who’s had a few “bright lights merchant” highlights. There’s Cooper Flagg’s Elite Eight heroics vs Arizona. Jeremiah Fears’ freshman resume’s riddled with clutch performances, including a four-point play against Michigan. Kasparas Jakucionis has had a few, including a huge corner three against Wisconsin. Tre Johnson is another clutch performer — most notably a 22-point come-from-behind win against #13 Texas A&M that would make the Pacers proud. Johni Broome and Walter Clayton Jr.’s clutch shotmaking should get them drafted in the first round.

Some of these players probably won’t make it as the team’s “closer,” but these prospects have shown that they can deliver in the game’s crucial possessions. Having reps at the collegiate level gives the scouts something to work with that’s not purely theoretical, having demonstrated that they can be trusted with the ball in late-game situations. Also, the rise of the clutch role player is not limited to shotmaking. Jaden McDaniels, Alex Caruso, Nembhard, etc. have had moments in the postseason where they’ve made key defensive stops.