As the proverbial best part of the season rapidly approaches, it’s still too early for definitive judgments, but every moment is a good opportunity to take stock of where things stand.
With the 2026 NBA Conference Finals set to begin next week – where the final four teams will battle for a spot in the NBA Finals – it’s worth identifying who has impressed the most so far. Mostly through the impact on the game itself, whether individually or collectively.
Welcome back to Outside the box, Dunkest’s newsletter that tries to go beyond the surface level of the game, searching for tactical trends that reflect the evolution of basketball.
Today, after two rounds of postseason action, we analyze who has played the best basketball, who has coached the best, and who has been the most impactful player on the floor so far – essentially, halfway through the journey toward crowning an NBA champion.
New York Knicks: the most complete basketball of the postseason
Starting here, it would almost feel natural to simultaneously crown the best coach of the playoffs so far, because during postseason basketball, making adjustments and attacking opponents’ weaknesses is routine and represents the true value of a coaching staff.
Still, while coach Mike Brown currently has the team playing the best basketball in the world on both ends of the floor, it’s worth separating the two discussions. So: the New York Knicks are playing the most entertaining basketball, but perhaps someone else has coached more creatively than their head coach.
Especially because it only took one major adjustment to solve all the problems exposed in the first three games against the Hawks, two of which New York lost: changing the primary offensive initiator. With Jalen Brunson at risk of struggling against Atlanta’s perimeter defenders – forcing him to burn too much energy and arrive exhausted late in games – using Karl-Anthony Towns as the offensive hub turned out to be a brilliant idea.
The former Timberwolves big man more than doubled his regular season assist numbers, and by operating from beyond the arc – thanks to his shooting gravity and ability to attack defenders off the dribble – he created a multidimensional offense capable of warping opposing defenses.
And finally, all the cutting and off-ball movement New York had been building since the beginning of the regular season started paying dividends. Having Brunson work more frequently away from the ball has made him fresher and more effective as a scorer. At the same time, it helped reintegrate Mikal Bridges offensively after too often settling for off-rhythm jumpers in static situations – a completely different player when attacking off cuts and screens.
Meanwhile, in such a productive offensive environment, New York’s role players have absolutely bled on the defensive end. Thanks to AND Anunoby, Josh Hart, Miles McBrideBridges himself, rim protection from the bigs and relentless ball pressure, the Knicks swept the Sixers in the second round not only with an elite offense, but with an equally devastating defense.
Without question, New York has produced the most complete and entertaining basketball of the postseason so far – and winning basketball too, considering the Knicks haven’t lost in seven straight games since falling behind in the series against Atlanta.
Victor Wembanyama: the most dominant impact of the NBA Playoffs
The regular season numbers already left very little doubt, and Victor Wembanyama’s performances in his first NBA postseason have been completely consistent with them – even if that was far from guaranteed. There were concerns about how he would handle a more physical style of basketball. There were questions about his physical and mental durability, given his unique frame and lack of playoff experience. Instead, the French phenom has already shown he can face adversity and respond in the best possible way.
In the first round against Portland, a hard shot to the face forced him to miss a game and a half while in concussion protocol. Upon returning – after his teammates proved they could still win without him, an important signal considering the team’s on/off numbers during the regular season – Wembanyama completely dominated the remainder of the series.
Against Minnesota, after falling into the traps of a physical series and committing the intentional foul that led to his ejection in Game 5, he came back in the following game with a devastating first quarterdominating both offensively and defensively. On defense especially, he completely changes the geometry and efficiency of opposing possessions.
In short, this 22-year-old in just his third professional season and first NBA playoff run already looks like an unsolvable puzzle. He’s impacting both ends of the floor while leading a young Spurs team that continues to mature game after game.
A team that still hasn’t officially punched its ticket to the Conference Finals, but could realistically become the toughest possible matchup for the Thunder, who otherwise appear to be cruising toward a repeat Finals appearance.
JJ Redick: The Value of Coaching Beyond the Results
And speaking of the Thunder, it’s worth giving some credit to the losing side too. That means talking about JJ Redick and the Lakerseven if he perhaps hasn’t been the single best coach in the playoffs purely in terms of results. Still, context matters – especially considering the roster limitations, Luka Doncic’s major absence and Austin Reaves returning before being fully healthy.
The former podcaster had to reinvent the team while eliminating Houston with a 41-year-old LeBron James leading the way. He drew up unlikely offensive sets featuring Luke Kennard or Marcus Smart as central pieces, while somehow surviving a disastrous second-round performance from Deandre Ayton. And despite the massive talent gap between the Lakers and Thunder, he managed to squeeze far more out of the roster than seemed realistically possible.
Sure, getting swept is far from flatteringbut the way Redick organized the defense against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – trying to manage Chet Holmgren while largely conceding opportunities to an improved and at times unstoppable Ajay Mitchell – deserves real praise. The Lakers gave everything they had, and with clever adjustments like the aggressive trapping schemes against Kevin Durant in Game 2 of the first round, Redick still secured the first playoff series win of his coaching career.
Once again, he showed there’s real substance there. And perhaps with a deeper, more flexible roster – Luka Doncic would help, but wouldn’t fully solve some long-standing issues – the results could eventually look very different. That, ultimately, is exactly what the Lakers are hoping for while waiting to find out whether free agents Austin Reaves and LeBron James will still be part of the team next season – and right now, neither return feels particularly guaranteed.
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