This year's NBA playoffs have doubled as a debutante ball for first-time participants Devin Booker and Trae Young.
Typically, players struggle with increased defensive attention and stronger competition in their first trip through the postseason, but Booker and Young have been exceptions. They've led their teams to the conference finals with a pair of upsets in the case of Young's Atlanta Hawks and two dominant performances by Booker's Phoenix Suns, who can reach the NBA Finals by beating the LA Clippers on Wednesday.
To put the achievements of Booker and Young in context, let's take a look at the top dozen playoff debuts since the first round expanded to best of seven in 2003 as measured by my wins above replacement player (WARP) metric, taking note of where this year's stars rank.
12. Deron Williams
2007 Utah Jazz
1.91 adjusted WARP
At 19.2 points per game, Williams was one of just two Jazz players to average more than 12 PPG to lead a balanced attack as they reached the Western Conference finals by ending the run of the "We Believe" Golden State Warriors. His 8.6 assists per game ranked third among all players who reached the second round, behind veterans Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. Williams particularly excelled against the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals, averaging 29.5 points and 9.3 assists over the first four games of the series before being limited in Game 5 with a foot sprain.
