Four games into the NBA Finals, things haven’t played out exactly as they’ve been expected to. After many expected the Thunder to have their way with Indiana, disposing of it quickly with either a sweep or a gentleman’s sweep, the series has been wildly competitive.
Except for Game 2, every game has featured back-and-forth high-octane action, and as things currently stand, it appears we could be heading toward an iconic Game 7 conclusion.
In the midst of all this back-and-forth battling, some players have stepped up while others have faded somewhat into the background. The NBA Finals are basketball’s biggest and brightest stage, and it’s where legacies are cemented and career-defining moments are put on display.
Below is a list of players who are stepping up to meet the oncoming challenge head-on, and players who are frankly playing well below their capabilities.
Excelling: Tyrese Haliburton
Averaging 17.8 points per game, 6.0 rebounds per game and 7.5 assists per game through the first four games of the NBA Finals, Tyrese Haliburton has continued to be the engine that makes the Indiana Pacers offense go.
While his 33.3 percent hit rate from three and his 4.3 turnovers per game may be leaving a bit to be desired, there’s no questioning that the Pacers are giving the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder all they can handle because of the play of their star point guard. From clutch buckets to peskier-than-expected defense, Haliburton is showing up and delivering in the biggest series of his career.
Disappointing: Cason Wallace/Isaiah Hartenstein
Controversially inserted into a starting lineup fresh off a dominant regular season and playoff run, Cason Wallace has mostly been a non-factor in the NBA Finals.
The second-year guard out of Kentucky is a hounding three-and-D guard akin to that of Jalen Suggs or Marcus Smart, but recently, Wallace’s ability to stretch the floor has been severely lacking. After averaging 8.4 points per game and shooting 35.6 percent from deep during the regular season, Wallace has managed just 4.8 points per game on zero percent — not a typo — from three during the Finals.
After controversially losing his spot in the starting lineup to begin the Finals, Isaiah Hartenstein retook his spot during Game 4 after the Thunder had fallen behind 2-1 in the series. But while Oklahoma City wound up evening the series at two games apiece with the big man back in the lineup, Hartenstein was hardly any kind of a catalyst.
Overall, through four Finals games, Hartenstein has been mostly a non-factor, averaging just 4.5 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game to go along with a total of zero blocks. Hartenstein has been a welcome addition and solid contributor to the Thunder this year, but going up against the rangy stretch bigs of Indiana has rendered Hartenstein’s impact largely mute.
Excelling: Alex Caruso
Alex Caruso is not a player typically known for his scoring, so it’s not all that surprising that through 54 regular-season games with the Thunder, he averaged just 7.1 points per game and scored 20+ points zero times.
Well, apparently, Caruso just needed the stakes to be raised a bit higher for his scoring exploits to fully appear. Through just four Finals games, Caruso now has two 20-point scoring outbursts on his Thunder resume, and unsurprisingly, those are the two games the Thunder managed to win.
Caruso is and always will be recognized for his defense, but as a former champion with the Lakers back in 2020, he is showing up and delivering the full package now in a featured role with the Thunder. Averaging 14.8 points per game on 50 percent shooting from three to go along with 2.5 steals per game, Caruso has arguably been the Thunder’s third-best player during these Finals.
Disappointing: Myles Turner
Myles Turner’s inclusion here as “disappointing” certainly comes with a caveat. Turner has been elite defensively all series long. Averaging two blocks per game and consistently disrupting and frustrating Chet Holmgren, Turner has been holding up his end of the bargain on the less glamorous side of the ball.
It’s on the other end of the court where Turner’s been wholly disappointing. Turner is a big man who lives and dies on a heavy diet of jumpers, and right now, he’s not living well. Averages of 39.5 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from three are inefficient for an undersized guard; for a 7-foot center, they’re inexcusable.
Credit to the depth of Indiana for still managing to win two games thus far despite an anemic offensive performance from its starting center.
