EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe NBA has added a number of new awards in recent years, from Clutch Player of the Year to conference finals MVP. But it's still missing something: an honor that encompasses the entire postseason, rather than just the conference finals and Finals separately.We're here to remedy that error. Today, we're awarding the 2026 All-Playoffs first and second teams, in recognition of the 10 best players since the start of the playoffs, and we're highlighting the single most valuable postseason performer with the 2026 Playoffs MVP Award.These (fake) honors factor in both quality and quantity of play, so it's naturally more rewarding to players whose teams won more games, which allowed them to accrue more value over the course of the postseason. That approach makes the most sense in a tournament format.At the 2024 Olympics, for instance, FIBA's "All-Star Five" teams for the men's tournament featured two players apiece from the United States (including MVP LeBron James), France, Serbia and Germany -- the final four teams -- as well as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose countries fell in the quarterfinals.Here are this spring's 10 All-Playoffs honorees -- starting with a player who already has received plenty of hardware.Jump to a team:First TeamSecond TeamFirst teamJalen Brunson, New York Knicks (MVP) Brunson won the MVP awards for the Finals and conference finals, and now he also adds this overall playoffs MVP honor.The underdog champion became the 13th player under the modern playoff format (since 1984) to average at least 28 points for a title winner. The other 12 are all so famous that they're recognizable by a mononym: SGA, Jokic, Giannis, Kawhi, Durant, Curry, LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Shaq, Hakeem, Jordan.Brunson is now at that level, after leading the 2025-26 playoff field with 28.4 PPG, capped off by a legendary 45-point outburst in the Finals clincher.The Knicks point guard was especially productive at the end of close games, when he was often his team's only option. Brunson had 38 clutch points this postseason, and everyone else on the Knicks combined for 35.Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs In his first postseason, the 22-year-old Wembanyama eliminated the defending champ Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 on the road, won conference finals MVP, reached the Finals and led the playoff field in a variety of advanced stats, including ESPN's net points and value over replacement player.He also showed flaws that he'll need to address before he can lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy: Wembanyama grew fatigued in the later playoff rounds, struggled to score in the clutch (outside his magnificent performance in Game 1 of the conference finals) and might have received a suspension because of an accumulation of flagrant foul points had the Finals continued past Game 5.But all in all, there's no doubting his immense value, after Wembanyama averaged 23.8 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in the postseason. The 2025-26 playoffs will be remembered primarily for the Knicks' incredible title, and secondarily for Wembanyama's arrival as a central figure in the league.Karl-Anthony Towns, New York KnicksThe Knicks' fortunes flipped after Game 3 of their first-round series against Atlanta, when they handed more responsibility to Towns and immediately embarked on the most dominant stretch, by point differential, in NBA history.Towns' surface stats this postseason aren't anything special; in fact, his 15.9 PPG were his lowest in any postseason since his first with the Minnesota Timberwolves (a five-game loss in 2017-18). But this chart, which lists the on- and off-court net ratings for the Knicks' starters this spring, shows Towns' importance to their title effort. His on/off differential was by far the largest on the championship roster.New York was absurdly dominant with Towns on the court and only decent without him. That's one reason he ranked second in total playoff net points, behind only Wembanyama.OG Anunoby, New York KnicksDespite sitting out two games in the second round because of injury, Anunoby's numbers this postseason are extraordinary. On offense, he contributed 20.1 PPG on 56% shooting, including 49% on 3s. Out of 94 players in NBA history who have attempted at least 75 playoff 3-pointers and won the championship, Anunoby ranks first in accuracy.On defense, Anunoby helped shut down all manner of All-Star wings and guards, while averaging 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks.And in the highlight department, Anunoby's tip-in to complete the Knicks' record-setting 29-point comeback in Game 4 of the Finals probably will serve as the defining moment of New York's triumph. After an injury prevented him from playing in the postseason when he won his first ring in Toronto, Anunoby made up for it with a playoff performance for the ages.Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder The back-to-back regular-season MVP didn't live up to his usual high standard for most of his team's conference finals loss to the Spurs, but he's an easy choice for this honor regardless. Gilgeous-Alexander had no real difficulties in the first two rounds, as the Thunder swept the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers, and he showed up in Game 7 of the conference finals, tallying 35 points and nine assists on 12-for-21 shooting in a loss.Among all players in this postseason, Gilgeous-Alexander ranked third in points (27.6) and assists (7.9) per game, and he brought his team to within one win of the Finals.Second teamStephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs In his first postseason, Castle averaged 18.2 points and 6.1 assists while serving as the Spurs' primary defender on Brunson, Gilgeous-Alexander, Julius Randle and Deni Avdija. Castle wasn't perfect this spring -- he committed too many turnovers, and his shot came and went -- but his two-way contributions made him a valuable contributor to San Antonio's run to the Finals.Teammate Dylan Harper received consideration for this spot, as well, but Castle beat him with volume. Castle had 24% more minutes, 29% more points and 127% more assists this postseason.Mikal Bridges, New York KnicksNear the start of the postseason, it seemed far more likely that Bridges would be benched than make this fake All-Playoffs team. Through five games against Atlanta, he'd averaged just 7.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists and shot just 44% from the field.But Knicks coach Mike Brown kept Bridges in the starting lineup, and he reaped the rewards as Bridges rediscovered his game. Bridges caught fire in the closeout game in Atlanta, and over the next nine games -- before fading a bit in the Finals -- he averaged 18.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 63%.Alex Caruso, Oklahoma City Thunder The Thunder had a plus-16.4 net rating this postseason with Caruso on the court compared with a minus-4.7 net rating without him. That's a swing of 21.1 points. For context, Ajay Mitchell -- whose numbers are skewed because he sat out the last four games against San Antonio -- was the Thunder's only other player with an on/off differential better than 2.7 points.Caruso is the ultimate role player, and he achieved that goal again this spring. He defended players ranging from Wembanyama to Castle to James, and he made 47% of his 3-pointers on the other end. Against the Spurs in the conference finals, Caruso's 3-point marksmanship -- he shot 50% (20-for-40) from distance in the series -- single-handedly changed the Spurs' defensive plans. And his 14.9 PPG against the Spurs were his most in any playoff series in his career.Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers Allen and Evan Mobley both received consideration for this spot -- the sole representation for a Cavaliers squad that reached the conference finals but amassed an unimpressive 8-10 record in the postseason.Mobley arguably had a better overall showing than his frontcourt partner. But Allen gets the nod for two reasons: First, he played his best basketball in the biggest moments, tallying 22 points and 19 rebounds in a Game 7 win over the Toronto Raptors and 23 points and seven boards in a Game 7 win over the Detroit Pistons. And second, the Cavaliers had a plus-6.8 net rating in the playoffs when Allen played without Mobley, per databallr, compared with a minus-9.0 net rating when Mobley played without Allen.Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota TimberwolvesThere aren't many candidates worth considering from playoff teams that lost before the conference finals. Nobody who bowed out in the first round played enough to place on the All-Playoffs team, and the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers didn't do much better, as they were both swept in the second round.Cade Cunningham almost nabbed this final spot because he scored 28.1 PPG (second in the postseason behind Brunson) for Detroit. But he also really struggled in a few backbreaking losses to Cleveland, and he averaged 5.6 turnovers for a team that ultimately disappointed relative to its No. 1 seed. (The Pistons probably would have lost in a rare 8-over-1 upset if Orlando's Franz Wagner had stayed healthy.)The Timberwolves, however, impressed in the first round -- with an upset over the Nuggets -- and acquitted themselves well in the second round, with a respectable 4-2 loss to the Spurs. They did all of that while dealing with major injuries, including star Anthony Edwards hyperextending his left knee and sitting out the final two games of the Timberwolves' first-round series. And a large portion of the credit belongs to McDaniels and Rudy Gobert.Gobert was considered for this spot, thanks to his defense on Nikola Jokic, though his effectiveness dissipated against Wembanyama in the second round. But McDaniels remained a defensive force throughout Minnesota's playoff run, frustrating the Nuggets' and Spurs' All-Star point guards.Jamal Murray averaged 23.7 PPG on 36% shooting in the first round, and De'Aaron Fox averaged 17.7 PPG on 43% shooting in the second. Murray looked especially bothered by McDaniels' length and nimbleness on the perimeter; he has historically been an excellent playoff performer, but he averaged only 20.7 points per 100 matchups against McDaniels compared with 33.5 points per 100 against all other Timberwolves defenders, per GeniusIQ.And on the other end, though McDaniels made only 24% of his 3-pointers in this postseason, he boosted his scoring when forced by the Timberwolves' injuries, highlighted by 32 points on 13-for-25 shooting in their closeout win over Denver. It was the highest-scoring game of McDaniels' playoff career -- and it earned him the last spot on the 2026 All-Playoffs team.
