Amidst the NBA Finals, let’s take a look back at the best playoff performers from ten to six years ago. This article will focus on the highest-scoring fantasy players by each postseason. It will span the years 2015-2019, which were defined by LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Also, the leaders will only be from the winners of each NBA Finals. The list would not be much as LeBron James was the highest scorer in four of the five seasons. There were some great runs and performances by other players as well, so let’s get into it.
The Best Fantasy Basketball Players in the Playoffs (2015-2019)
2015 – Stephen Curry
The first championship run for the young Golden State Warriors was a special one. It was capped off by the Warriors beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. During this playoff run, Curry averaged 28.3 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game. This included 4.7 threes per game while shooting 42.2 percent from three. This was the infamous finals, where Andre Iguodala won the Finals MVP over Curry. Although Iguodala was good, I think enough time has passed to we can recognize Curry deserved that Finals MVP. Curry ended up averaging 44.0 fantasy points per game, leading the Warriors to the first championship of the Curry era.
2016 – LeBron James
I think everyone remembers where they were during Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. Iconic moments were spread across these entire playoffs, and it was capped off by none other than LeBron James. We witnessed a career-defining playoff run for James, and the stats certainly show it. James averaged 26.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game in the 2016 playoffs. He also added 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game as well. James was an unstoppable force during this playoff run, averaging 52.8 fantasy points per game, easily their best fantasy player.
2017 – Stephen Curry
Even after acquiring Kevin Durant, Curry still led the Warriors in fantasy points per game during this playoff run. Again, Curry still did not win the Finals MVP. But, after his back-to-back regular season MVPs, we all knew how good Curry was. In the 2017 playoffs, Curry averaged 28.1 points, 6.7 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game. He did this on ridiculous 48.4/41.9/90.4 shooting splits. After these playoffs, Curry put himself into all-time great conversations, and it’s well deserved. He just edged out Durant in these playoffs, averaging 46.9 fantasy points per game in 2017.
2018 – Kevin Durant
After leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder, Durant would go on to win two NBA championships and two Finals MVP awards. He stepped up big time in 2018, though. Curry was forced to miss the first round of the playoffs, where Durant led the team past the San Antonio Spurs without him. Durant carried this momentum throughout the entire playoffs and helped the Warriors win their third NBA title in four years. In these playoffs, Durant averaged 29.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. He finished the playoffs averaging 46.7 fantasy points per game, the best fantasy player on the Warriors.
2019 – Kawhi Leonard
In the 2018-19 season, Kawhi Leonard was simply one of the best players to touch a basketball. After being traded to the Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Leonard brought a championship to Toronto for the first time in the history of their franchise. From the buzzer-beater against the Philadelphia 76ers to the outstanding performances in the NBA Finals, Leonard was not going to be denied a championship this season. Leonard averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game in the 2019 playoffs. This was good enough for 48.9 fantasy points per game, leading the Raptors as their best fantasy player.
The Recap
From 2015 to 2019, the NBA Playoffs were filled with superstar play and some of the greatest superstar battles we have ever seen. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard were all great playoff performers. These years also gave fans some of the most memorable moments of their lives. Before the NBA Finals are over, I will also be going through a similar list from the years 2020 to 2024. Overall, 2015-2019 was a great era of NBA basketball, defined by some of the all-time greats of this game.
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