NBA Finals 2025 – Rating (nearly) each participant in Thunder-Pacers

After six weeks of riveting playoff motion throughout each conferences, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and the Indiana Pacers will start the NBA Finals on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC). It’s going to be the beginning of a best-of-seven affair to find out which group will declare its first NBA championship. (Indiana received a number of ABA titles; Oklahoma Metropolis has one prior NBA crown from when it was the Seattle SuperSonics.) One of many groups additionally will change into the league’s seventh consecutive new champion, establishing a file for parity within the NBA.

It is a sequence that ought to ship some thrilling basketball. Oklahoma Metropolis, representing the Western Convention, was the league’s greatest defensive group this season, whereas the Japanese Convention’s Pacers possess one of many NBA’s elite offenses. Each play with a relentless, full-court model designed to put on on the opposition.

To get you ready for all of the motion, we have broke down our prime 20 gamers within the Finals, utilizing a mix of how they’ve carried out throughout the 2024-25 season and playoffs and their projections for this sequence.

It is no shock the NBA’s Most Precious Participant will sit atop the listing. He led the 68-win Thunder on a formidable march by way of the West portion of the bracket to deliver Oklahoma Metropolis again to the NBA Finals for the primary time since 2012. Like he has all season, Gilgeous-Alexander will spend a lot of this sequence each attending to the rim and working within the midrange. And he simply may pressure Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard, Indiana’s two prime wing defenders, into foul hassle. It is arduous to see a approach for Indiana to decelerate Gilgeous-Alexander, and the Pacers undoubtedly will likely be pleased if they’ll maintain him from breaking their protection by himself. — Tim Bontemps

After a gradual begin, maybe influenced by lingering hamstring points, Haliburton has performed at an elite stage because the calendar flipped to 2025. He averaged 19.5 factors and 9.7 assists over the past 39 video games of the common season, capturing 51% general and 43% on 3s. Haliburton has created a league-high 25.3 factors on passes throughout the playoffs, per NBA Superior Stats, and he made clutch photographs in a number of of Indiana’s inconceivable postseason comebacks. The one query is how Haliburton will deal with a Thunder protection loaded with elite point-of-attack defenders. As ESPN’s Zach Kram famous, Haliburton has averaged simply 12 PPG in opposition to Oklahoma Metropolis throughout the previous two seasons, his lowest mark in opposition to any opponent. — Kevin Pelton

Siakam, who received MVP honors within the East finals, is the one member of Indiana’s rotation with NBA Finals expertise. He was a member of the 2019 Toronto Raptors championship group, going for 26 factors and 10 rebounds to shut out the sequence in Recreation 6 on the Golden State Warriors. Siakam has been an ideal match with the Pacers and Haliburton since arriving lower than 18 months in the past. He’ll have to hold over his play from the convention finals if Indiana needs to have an opportunity to make this an extended sequence. — Bontemps

The West finals represented a key step in Williams’ growth as a championship-caliber sidekick. He struggled in opposition to the Denver Nuggets’ zone in Spherical 2 — just like final season’s sequence loss in the identical spherical to the Dallas Mavericks — capturing a mixed 10-of-43 (23%) over Video games 3 by way of 5 earlier than bursting out with 24 factors in Recreation 7. Towards the Minnesota Timberwolves within the convention finals, nevertheless, Williams averaged 22.2 PPG on 49% capturing, together with 12-of-26 (46%) on 3s. If Williams repeats that within the Finals, the Thunder will nearly actually elevate their first championship banner in Oklahoma Metropolis. — Pelton

Holmgren had his greatest sequence of the playoffs in opposition to the Timberwolves within the West finals, eclipsing 20 factors in three of the 5 video games and capturing 56.7% for the sequence. The versatile 7-foot-1 large man possible will spend time on each Siakam and Myles Turner on this sequence and, as all the time, will play a key half within the swarming Thunder protection’s sport plan to decelerate the high-powered Pacers offense. As with Williams, if Holmgren can sustain his offensive manufacturing in opposition to Indiana, the Thunder will likely be robust to beat. — Bontemps

Caruso has but to begin within the playoffs, however when the chips are down, he is clearly one in all Mark Daigneault’s most trusted choices due to his defensive impression and succesful 3-point capturing. Caruso opened the second half of the Thunder’s two most essential wins to this point, capably matching up with Nikola Jokic in Recreation 7 of the Denver sequence and serving to Oklahoma Metropolis win Recreation 4 in Minneapolis to take command of the West finals. OKC’s protection is all the time good, and including Caruso’s disruption makes it traditionally elite. — Pelton

Nesmith has been one of many breakout stars of those playoffs. His spectacular efficiency in Recreation 1 of Indiana’s East finals victory over the New York Knicks nearly single-handedly powered the Pacers’ 17-point comeback within the fourth quarter. He additionally did an amazing job in guarding Jalen Brunson, earlier than a proper ankle sprain derailed Nesmith’s sequence. Nesmith, who has shot 50% from 3-point vary throughout the postseason, will play a important function within the Finals as he guards both Gilgeous-Alexander or Williams. And each Nesmith’s well being and his jumper will must be in an excellent place for the Pacers to have an opportunity to win this sequence. — Bontemps

Turner brings a stretch aspect to Indiana’s offense that helps make every little thing match collectively. Lengthy earlier than the likes of Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama redefined what facilities are able to offensively, Turner was averaging multiple made 3-pointer per sport, and this season’s 2.2 made 3s (on 40% accuracy) have been a profession excessive. Turner additionally has stepped up his rim safety throughout the playoffs, blocking a league-high 7% of opponent 2-point makes an attempt, a feat he hasn’t achieved within the common season since 2021-22. — Pelton

Hartenstein has the potential to dominate the glass within the Finals simply as Mitchell Robinson did within the East finals for the Knicks. A wonderful rebounder, Hartenstein’s minutes have waxed and waned because the playoffs have progressed, but it surely appears possible he’ll be capable of have a major impression when Turner takes breaks and Indiana’s small bench unit takes the courtroom in his place. — Bontemps

A primary-time decide to the NBA All-Defensive first group who completed fourth in Defensive Participant of the 12 months voting, Dort possible will get the project of defending Haliburton when each groups have their starters on the courtroom. Per GeniusIQ monitoring, Haliburton has scored simply eight factors in 122 matchups in opposition to Dort over the previous two seasons, simply his lowest per-matchup mark in opposition to any defender he has confronted a minimum of 100 instances throughout that span. To remain on the courtroom to defend Haliburton, Dort additionally will must be an offensive menace. Dort is capturing simply 30% on 3s within the playoffs after hitting a career-high 41% within the common season. — Pelton

Nembhard is a stable defender and a very good backcourt accomplice for Haliburton, with their various ability units. Nembhard has gone from being a 29% 3-point shooter within the common season to a 48% shooter in these playoffs. That has performed an enormous half in Indiana’s run to the Finals — and it’s one thing he must proceed in opposition to OKC, because the Thunder possible will play with the identical frenetic vitality they all the time do defensively, a scheme that results in open appears to be like. Nembhard additionally goes to spend so much of time on fellow Canadian Gilgeous-Alexander and must keep away from foul hassle. — Bontemps

Pacers ball handlers can be sensible to bear in mind some of the poignant quotes from “The Wire” when Oklahoma Metropolis’s backup guard is on the courtroom: The place’s Wallace? On a group full of elite defenders, Wallace may be the most effective on-ball choice, having ranked third in steals per sport (1.8) whereas averaging 27.6 minutes of taking part in time throughout the common season. Here is a tremendous stat, per GeniusIQ monitoring: When Wallace defends the participant bringing the ball upcourt within the playoffs, Thunder opponents have averaged a 92.6 offensive ranking as in comparison with 108.3 with another Oklahoma Metropolis defender. — Pelton

Taking part in in opposition to his former group within the postseason for a second straight yr, Toppin had arguably his greatest sport in Indiana’s series-clinching Recreation 6 victory over the Knicks. He put up 18 factors — and blocked three photographs, after recording simply two of them whole by way of Indiana’s first 15 playoff video games. Toppin’s capturing will likely be wanted in opposition to the Thunder. However he’ll additionally should watch out with the ball; he tends to be a bit reckless with it at instances, and no group takes higher benefit of that than Oklahoma Metropolis. — Bontemps

Having averaged a career-high 12.0 PPG this season, the No. 55 draft decide in 2021 offered key contributions because the Thunder eradicated Denver. Wiggins scored all 11 of his factors within the second half of an important Recreation 4 street victory and ranked second, behind Caruso, amongst Oklahoma Metropolis reserves in scoring throughout that sequence. Wiggins then pale to the fringes of Daigneault’s rotation in opposition to Minnesota, seeing his first DNP-CD of the season in Recreation 4, illustrating the Thunder’s choices on their bench. — Pelton

Remarkably, Mathurin — the sixth choice in 2022 — is the best draft decide on Indiana’s roster. He’s a gifted however streaky scorer, placing up 20 factors in Recreation 4 and 23 in Recreation 5 versus the Knicks however registering 15 factors throughout the opposite 4 contests within the sequence. Like Toppin, Mathurin can get passive with the ball, and within the minutes he performs within the Finals, Mathurin has to keep away from that from taking place and permitting OKC’s turnover machine to create some straightforward offense. His measurement and athleticism on the wing additionally may very well be an element defensively. — Bontemps

One of the best shooter on a group that typically runs mild in that regard, Joe acquired up 10.5 3-point makes an attempt per 36 minutes throughout the common season and hit them at a 41% clip. Sixth Man of the 12 months Award runner-up Malik Beasley was the one different participant to shoot higher than 40% on a minimum of 10 makes an attempt per 36 minutes. Joe’s slight body could make him a defensive goal in playoff settings, however he’ll be able to shoot when wanted. — Pelton

McConnell, the defining product of “The Course of” in Philadelphia, has established himself as a everlasting a part of Indiana’s rotation as Haliburton’s backup, altering the sport along with his tempo and talent to assault the lane every time he’s on the courtroom. However because the Knicks modified their rotation because the convention finals progressed to taking part in Delon Wright extra, McConnell’s manufacturing diminished, as he went from double-digit scoring within the first three video games to tallying simply 15 factors over the ultimate three. Given how gifted Oklahoma Metropolis’s perimeter defenders are, it stays to be seen if that development will reverse within the Finals. — Bontemps

Sheppard’s function has change into more and more essential all through the playoffs, to the purpose the place he performed extra minutes than Mathurin within the convention finals. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has been in a position to rely on Sheppard to knock down 3s (42% within the playoffs, up from 34% within the common season) and play succesful protection, although the defensive project on Brunson may need been an excessive amount of to ask. Sheppard will certainly be wanted in an analogous function on this sequence. — Pelton

In his fifth marketing campaign with the Thunder, Williams went from barely taking part in within the first couple of rounds to showing in all 5 video games of the West finals. His skill to play as both a very small-ball heart at 6-foot-6 or as an influence ahead with 3-point capturing (21.4% this postseason) and defensive skill may make him an choice for OKC in a few completely different roles this sequence. — Bontemps

It is a testomony to Oklahoma Metropolis’s enviable depth that Williams, the group’s eleventh man, was so productive as a starter this season. He posted three triple-doubles in 9 begins, averaging 10 factors, 8 rebounds and 4.9 assists regardless of leaving a kind of video games after two minutes as a result of an ankle harm. Williams’ major function has been guarding burly facilities reminiscent of Jokic, so this sequence would not match his very specific set of expertise. — Pelton