The last day of the NBA regular season normally sees players who don’t receive much playing time and are outside the rotation get extended run. This is because many teams have nothing to play for. Their seed in the playoffs are set, or they have been eliminated. While some Western Conference games on Sunday were of extreme importance, the entire Eastern Conference playoff and play-in brackets had already been set. Here are five players (listed in alphabetical order by last name) that had career-best days in the NBA regular season finale after seeing their minutes skyrocket due to players ahead of them in the rotation sitting out.
NBA Regular Season Finale Sees Many Career-Best Performances
Branden Carlson, Oklahoma City Thunder
Undrafted in 2024, Branden Carlson was originally brought in by the Thunder when all of their centers were sidelined with an injury. The 7-footer has saw minimal action with just seven games where he reached double-digit minutes entering Sunday. With OKC long wrapping up the top overall seed in the West, all of their starters sat out Sunday. The Thunder still beat the New Orleans Pelicans 115-100, and Carlson played 39 minutes. His career-best showing saw him score 26 points (10-19 shooting) while grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking three shots.
Pat Connaughton, Milwaukee Bucks
Pat Connaughton was a key member of the 2021 Bucks team that won a title. His 23.7 minutes per contest during that playoff run were the most by any Milwaukee player coming off the bench. Now 32 years old, the 10-year veteran has frequently been out of the team’s rotation since mid-November. Resting four of their five starters, Connaughton played 44 minutes in the Bucks 140-133 victory over the Detroit Pistons in overtime. Entering Sunday, his career-high in points was 24. He smashed that in the regular season finale. He scored 43 points on 16-29 from the field, 5-12 from beyond the arc, and 6-9 from the free-throw line. Connaughton also added 11 rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Lamar Stevens, Memphis Grizzlies
Now 27 years old, Lamar Stevens wasn’t even in the league until he signed a 10-day deal with Memphis on February 21. They eventually signed him for the rest of the season, but he entered Sunday having played just 120 total minutes. With the Grizzlies assured of finishing eighth in the West, their starters rested and Stevens played 36 minutes. He scored a career-high of 31 points (previous high was 23) while shooting 14-25 from the field. Stevens also had six rebounds and three assists in Memphis’ 132-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Jaylon Tyson, Cleveland Cavaliers
The 20th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Jaylon Tyson hasn’t seen much playing time on a dominant Cleveland team. He entered Sunday averaging just 3.0 points in his 46 games. The Cavaliers lost a hard-fought double overtime game against the Indiana Pacers to end the regular season. With Cleveland having long clinched the best record in the East, Tyson got extra run. The 22-year-old played 46 minutes and scored a career-best 31 points (previously had just three double-digit scoring games). He also grabbed seven rebounds, dished out four assists, and had three steals.
Keaton Wallace, Atlanta Hawks
Keaton Wallace, the older brother of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace, went unselected in the 2021 NBA Draft. He didn’t make his NBA debut until the third game of this season for Atlanta. Having appeared in just six games since February 8, Wallace played 37 minutes of the Hawks 117-105 victory over the Orlando Magic. The 26-year-old secured a triple-double in the win, finishing the outing with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 15 assists (also added five steals).
Photo credit: © Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
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