The NBA playoffs are close, with the Play-In Tournament set for April 14-17 and the first round starting on April 18. At this point of the season, most people talk about the stars. Big playoff games are often decided by the best players on the floor.
But that is not the full story. Every year, one or two role players change a series. Sometimes it is a bench shooter who gets hot for two games. Sometimes it is a defender who makes life hard for an All-Star. Sometimes it is a young guard who gives real minutes when almost nobody expects much.
That is the idea behind this list. These are not the biggest names in the postseason, and they are not the players who sell the most jerseys. But they can still change a playoff game, or even a playoff matchup, in a very real way. A smart cut, one extra rebound, a big defensive stop, or three made threes can swing momentum fast. In April and May, small details become important.
Here are seven players who may not be the first names fans discuss, but they have a real chance to leave a bigger mark than many people expect.
7. Daniss Jenkins
2025-26 Stats: 9.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 3.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 41.2% FG, 37.6% 3P
Daniss Jenkins is the player nobody expected to see in this spot a few months ago. He came into the season as an undrafted guard, with very little attention around him, and for a while, he looked like just another depth piece on a deep Pistons roster. Then the season changed. They lost Cade Cunningham for a stretch, and suddenly Jenkins was not just filling minutes. He was helping run the team of the No. 1 seed in the East.
When Jenkins started this season, he did not look like a player trying to survive. He looked ready. In 19 starts, he averaged 17.2 points, 7.4 assists, and 3.6 rebounds. In 18 games without Cunningham this season, those numbers were 17.3 points, 7.9 assists, and 3.7 rebounds. That is not a small spark off the bench. That is real starting point guard production.
The key part is that this was not empty production on a bad team late in the year. Jenkins was doing it for a Pistons team that kept winning. They went 8-2 without Cunningham when closing in on the top seed, and Jenkins had one of his best nights in the clincher against the 76ers with 16 points and 14 assists. A few days later, he also had 18 points in a road game against the Magic.
He may not be considered an upcoming star, and that is fair. But in a playoff series, a guard who can settle the offense, create for others and knock down open threes can become important very fast. Jenkins came out of nowhere this season. Now he looks like a player the Pistons can actually trust when the games get tight.
6. Julian Strawther
2025-26 Stats: 6.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 46.7% FG, 38.0% 3P
Julian Strawther had a quiet regular season on the surface, but his value for the Nuggets is bigger than the basic line suggests. He played 55 games and did not have a huge role every night, yet he still gave the second unit real scoring punch and efficient shooting.
More importantly, when his role grew, he looked ready for it. In 13 starts this season, Strawther averaged 14.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. That matters for a Nuggets team that enters the postseason on an 11-game winning streak and with a top-four seed in the West. He is not just a low-minute bench guard. He has already shown he can handle more work when the rotation gets thinner.
That is where his playoff value starts. The Nuggets do not need Strawther to create the offense. They need him to punish the attention that Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray force on every possession. In a playoff series, defenses will send extra bodies toward Jokic in the post, crowd Murray in pick-and-roll, and try to make the other shooters hesitate. Strawther can change that. He shot 38.0% from three and 46.7% from the field this season, and his scoring jumps sharply when he gets starter minutes. That gives the Nuggets another wing who can hit open threes, attack a closeout, and keep the offense moving instead of dying on the weak side.
He can also influence a series in a simple but very real way. Bench units often decide one game in the first round, sometimes two. If Strawther gives the Nuggets 12 to 15 quick points in one of those bench stretches, that can flip a playoff game. He already showed that kind of spark late in the season, including an 11-point game in the win over the Trail Blazers and a 22-point night in the win over the Thunder. The Nuggets do not need him to be a star. They need him to be a clean, confident scorer in short bursts. For a team with real title hopes, that can become a very important playoff swing factor.
5. Julian Champagnie
2025-26 Stats: 11.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 43.7% FG, 38.2% 3P
Julian Champagnie became one of the Spurs’ most useful role players this season because his role is clear and he executes it well. He started 67 games and averaged 11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in those starts, which tells you this was not just a bench player getting random hot nights. He gave the Spurs stable wing minutes almost every night. The shooting growth is what stands out most.
Champagnie broke the franchise record for made threes in a season, passing Danny Green’s old mark, and he also had an 11-three game earlier in the year. For a Spurs team that finished 62-19 and locked up the No. 2 seed in the West, that kind of low-maintenance production matters a lot. He does not need touches forced to him. He spaces the floor, rebounds his position, and keeps the lineup clean around the stars.
That is exactly why he can influence a playoff series. The Spurs finished fourth in offensive rating, third in defensive rating, second in net rating, and 12th in 3-point percentage. Champagnie helps all of that make sense. When defenses load up on Victor Wembanyama in the paint or lean extra help toward De’Aaron Fox driving downhill, Champagnie is one of the players who can punish that help without stopping the offense. He shot 38.2% from three this season, and he can get those shots up quickly. In the playoffs, that matters more than raw scoring totals. One wing who makes the defense stay honest can change the shape of the whole floor.
He also gives the Spurs something contenders always need in April and May: a role player who does not need the game built for him. If Champagnie hits three or four threes in one playoff game, that can swing a result. If he rebounds well, holds up defensively, and makes the simple extra pass, that can win a quarter. The Spurs already have the stars. What they need from players like Champagnie is reliability. He looks underrated because he does simple things, but simple things become very big in the playoffs when every possession matters.
4. Sam Merrill
2025-26 Stats: 12.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 46.1% FG, 42.1% 3P
Sam Merrill became a much more important player for the Cavaliers this season than many people expected. He was not just a bench shooter waiting for a few catch-and-shoot chances. He played real rotation minutes, started 38 games, and gave the Cavaliers strong production in that role. As a starter, Merrill averaged 14.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, which is a very solid output for a player whose main job is to stretch the floor and keep the offense moving.
The efficiency is what really stands out. He shot 46.1% from the field and 42.1% from three on 7.2 attempts per game. That is elite floor-spacing volume. He also had real scoring spikes during the season, including a career-high 32 points with nine made threes against the Wizards in February.
That kind of shooting can become a real playoff weapon. The Cavaliers finished the regular season with a 119.0 offensive rating, and a big part of that is the injection of James Harden at the deadline. Merrill was clearly favored by his playmaking. He does not need the ball for long, he gets his shot off fast, and he forces defenders to stay attached. In a playoff series, that matters a lot. Defenses will load up on Donovan Mitchell, show extra bodies at Evan Mobley inside, and try to shrink the floor in half-court possessions. Merrill can break that plan just by making two or three threes in one quarter.
He can also influence a series because playoff games often swing on bench stretches and weak-side shooting. Merrill is exactly the kind of role player who can change one of those stretches fast. If the Cavaliers get a game where he hits five or six threes, that can flip the whole tone of the night. And if opponents overreact to his shooting, it opens driving lanes and cleaner passing windows for everybody else. The Cavaliers already know their stars will carry the offense. What can raise their ceiling in the playoffs is a role player like Merrill turning good spacing into real damage.
3. Isaiah Joe
2025-26 Stats: 11.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 45.5% FG, 42.3% 3P
Isaiah Joe keeps doing the kind of work that makes a contender harder to guard. The Thunder finished with the NBA’s best regular-season record and the No. 1 seed in the West, and Joe was a real part of that, not just a shooter getting empty bench minutes.
He averaged a little over 11 points in just more than 21 minutes per game, hit 42.3% from three, and gave the Thunder another floor-spacing weapon next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. He also stayed efficient on real volume, making 2.5 threes per game. That is a strong number for a player who does not need plays built for him.
The best part of Joe’s season is that his role is very clean. He does not slow the offense down. He catches, shoots, relocates, and attacks a bad closeout fast. For a Thunder team that finished first in defensive rating and near the top of the league in offensive rating, that kind of quick decision-making helps keep the machine moving. Joe also closed the regular season in good rhythm. He had 21 points off the bench against the Clippers in the game that sealed the top seed, and one game earlier, he went 6-for-9 from three against the Lakers.
That is why he can have a massive playoff impact. In a series, defenses will load up on Gilgeous-Alexander drives and bring extra attention to Holmgren in space. Joe is one of the players who can punish that instantly. If opponents help too much, he can bury three or four threes in a short stretch and flip a game. If they stay home on him, the Thunder stars get cleaner driving lanes and easier reads. Joe may not control the offense, but he can absolutely control the shape of the floor. For a No. 1 seed trying to win another title, that is a big playoff weapon.
2. Quentin Grimes
2025-26 Stats: 13.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 44.9% FG, 32.9% 3P
Quentin Grimes had a very strong season for the 76ers, and his value goes beyond the basic scoring line. He gave them 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 74 games, but the more important part is how steady he looked when his role became bigger. In 19 starts, Grimes averaged 16.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.
The 76ers spent long parts of the year dealing with injuries, lineup changes, and unstable rotations, and Grimes kept looking like a player who could do a little bit of everything without hurting the structure of the team. He can attack a closeout, make the extra pass, handle secondary creation, and defend on the perimeter. That is why he feels underrated. He is not just filling minutes. He is solving problems.
That skill set can translate very well to playoff basketball. The 76ers are still fighting to secure their postseason path, and Grimes has already shown he can carry more offense when needed. In March alone, he had scoring games of 31, 28, and 25 points, which says a lot about his ability to step into a bigger role without changing his style. He does not need to dominate the ball to matter. In a playoff series, that is valuable. Defenses will lock in on Tyrese Maxey, crowd Joel Embiid whenever he is available again, and force the ball into the hands of the next decision-maker. Grimes can be that player. He can punish a rotating defense, keep the possession alive, and create just enough offense to stop things from getting stuck.
He can also influence a series on the other end. Playoff teams always need one guard or wing who can take hard assignments, stay connected through screens, and still give useful offense. Grimes has the tools to do that. If he gives the 76ers solid defense on one perimeter scorer while also giving them 14 to 18 efficient points, that can swing a game. He may not be the center of the scouting report, but players like him often end up deciding which team wins the non-star minutes. That is a very real playoff role, and Grimes looks built for it.
1. Sam Hauser
2025-26 Stats: 9.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 41.9% FG, 39.3% 3P
Sam Hauser does not have the biggest role on the Celtics, but he has one of the clearest jobs on the roster, and he does it at a high level. He played 78 games this season, started 49 of them, and gave the Celtics 9.2 points with 39.3% shooting from three in just under 25 minutes a night.
In those starts, he averaged 10.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. That is a steady role because the Celtics do not ask him to create the offense or carry lineups. They ask him to keep the floor open, move without the ball, and punish any defense that loses track of him for one second. For a contender that just locked up the No. 2 seed in the East, that role is not small. It is part of how the offense keeps breathing.
The value is simple. Hauser is one of the cleanest release valves on the team. When defenses send extra attention toward Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, the possession often swings toward a shooter like him. If he is set, the shot is going up fast. If the defender flies at him, he can make the next pass and keep the ball moving. That fits a Celtics team that finished this season with a 120.7 offensive rating and 15.3 made threes per game. A team built like that needs wings who can keep defenders honest every single trip. Hauser is one of the main reasons opponents cannot fully load up on the stars.
That is why he can make a massive playoff impact. In a series, one quarter can swing a game, and one shooting run can swing a series. Hauser is exactly the kind of player who can do that without touching the ball much. He just showed it again in the win over the Pelicans, when he scored 24 points and hit eight threes as the Celtics tied the NBA single-game record with 29 threes. That kind of burst is very real playoff value. If Hauser gets hot for even 10 minutes, the math changes fast for the other team.
He also gives the Celtics margin for error. If one of the stars has an inefficient night, Hauser can help cover that. If opponents trap high or collapse hard into the paint, he can make them pay from the weak side. And if they stay home on him, that opens more room for the main creators. That is the kind of hidden pressure good role players create in the playoffs. Hauser may not dominate the ball, but he can still bend a game in the Celtics’ favor.
