NBA playoffs 2025 - Ranking the 50 most impactful players - ESPN

Who will decide the next two-plus months of NBA basketball?

Welcome to NBA Rank: 2025 Playoffs Edition, where ESPN's experts are counting down the 50 most impactful players ahead of the league's gauntlet through the postseason.

Can MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder break through for the franchise's first title? Can three-time MVP Nikola Jokic add another championship to his Hall of Fame résumé? How far can Luka Doncic and LeBron James, in his 18th career postseason, carry the Los Angeles Lakers?

All those players will feature prominently in their respective teams' playoff runs, but series are often decided by role players upping their games on the biggest stage. That's why our countdown is filled with key veterans, young stars making their playoff debuts and plenty of players who could steal the spotlight.

Let's get to the list, starting at No. 50 and counting down to the very best facing off in the 2025 playoffs.

Note: ESPN's NBA Rank panel, composed of more than 150 reporters, editors, producers and analysts, was asked to rank players based on their predicted impact — quality and quantity — for the 2025 playoffs.

Playoff career: 18.9 PTS | 6.9 REB | 4.4 AST (7 games)

Before he suffered a torn labrum in early December, Wagner was on track to reach his first All-Star game and be in consideration for All-NBA. In the first month of the season, Wagner had eight games of at least 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. He averaged 24 points in the 35 games since returning from injury. One area of concern continues to be his struggles from the perimeter. In last year's first-round loss to Cleveland, Wagner shot 26.5% from 3. This season, he shot below 30% for a second campaign.