National Basketball Association

Colin Cowherd ranks top 10 most valuable players left in NBA playoffs – not including Giannis Antetokounmpo

Updated Jun. 9, 2021 4:42 p.m. ET

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Some takes are hot – and then some are inferno. 

"I don't have Giannis in my top 10 most valuable. I'll give you my list – tell me where I'm wrong."

On Tuesday's edition of "The Herd," Colin Cowherd broke out the old ranking tool and laid out his 10 most valuable players left in the NBA playoffs – and, of course, there was one glaring omission in the form of the most recent back-to-back regular-season MVP since Steph Curry in 2015 and 2016.

Cowherd pointed to Giannis Antetokounmpo's struggles shooting from outside the paint, as well as his struggles in the clutch, in explaining why he left the "Greek Freak" off his list. 

"Late in games, none of these players I feel are a liability," he said. "Giannis is with four minutes to go."

In Game 1 of Milwaukee's Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Brooklyn Nets, Antetokounmpo put up 34 points and 11 rebounds but was 3-for-8 outside the paint. 

In Game 2, Antetonkounmpo was 0-for-5 outside the paint and didn't score in the fourth quarter, registering 18 points and 11 rebounds. 

Let's take a look at Colin's list:

10. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers 

Colin's thoughts: "Say what you want, [but] he's the closest thing we have to Shaq. He gets docked a little bit because he played great and couldn't beat Trae Young. That's why I put Trae Young ahead of him."

9. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

Colin's thoughts: "Devin's a great player. … He's a tremendous offensive player, and he'll body up defensively. He also had 47 points in the closeout game against the Lakers. I love that. It was a stand-up moment. Step on the throat of the Lakers – he did."

8. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

Colin's thoughts: "Folks, what are you gonna say? The kid is not only carrying a team – who's the third-best player for the Hawks? Seriously. We're in the playoffs. You can name the third-best player for every team left. And he's a great road player. He's a showman. Most young players shrink on the road in the playoffs. Not Trae Young. He's better on the road in the playoffs."

7. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Colin's thoughts: "He's the only player in the postseason giving you 30 points and 10 rebounds. He's a point-center. He's the best passing big man in the NBA. … He's OK on the defensive end. He's not great. They don't have any of their guards, so it's now really leaning on him."

6. Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets

Colin's thoughts: "Kyrie is a great offensive player, but Kyrie, emotionally, sometimes doesn't show up. Defensively, he's a liability. The one thing I'll say about Kyrie – we all know he's a great finisher – the dude does not turn the ball over. … To handle the ball as much as Kyrie and never turn it over tells you how much control and skill he has offensively."

5. Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz

Colin's thoughts: "Donovan Mitchell is the only active player to average 20 points a game in the playoffs each of his first four years in the NBA. But he's also a very willing defender. He's also the team leader. They don't have a second scorer on this team that can give you 25 a night guaranteed. He's incredibly important to this team."

4. James Harden, Brooklyn Nets

Colin's thoughts: "I like Harden, but he's not playing right now, so I got him at No. 4. We know James can score, but he's a little dependent on the whistle, so that's why I think KD in the playoffs is more valuable than Harden is. Harden was more valuable in the regular season than KD was."

3. Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns

Colin's thoughts: "Phoenix had the worst record in the NBA the previous five years. You take him off this roster — it's a bunch of kids — they're not playing anymore. I think he's the most underrated player in the NBA in 20 years. … Second-best record in the NBA, and for 11 years, they didn't make the playoffs. And just blew by the Lakers."

2. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers

Colin's thoughts: "Doesn't have the 3-point ability of KD, but he's a better defender than KD. He doesn't have the offensive range of KD, but he's a better defender, and we saw what he did to Luka [Doncic] at the end of that series."

1. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets

Colin's thoughts: "32 a game, 55% shooting – he is unstoppable. He's Dirk Nowitzki but significantly better. He's the best player left. Let's be honest: He gets hurt, they're not winning the championship. James Harden is missing, and they're blowing the Bucks out."

Check out Colin's entire breakdown below: 

Herd Hierarchy: Colin Cowherd ranks the Top 10 players remaining in the NBA playoffs | THE HERD

In this Herd Hierarchy, Colin Cowherd ranks the Top 10 NBA players that remain in the 2021 playoffs. Hear where players like Chris Paul and Kevin Durant land in Colin's rankings, and why Giannis Antetokounmpo isn't on the list at all.

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National Basketball Association

Kevin Durant

Kawhi Leonard

Chris Paul

James Harden

Donovan Mitchell

Devin Booker

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Kyrie Irving

Nikola Jokic

Trae Young

Joel Embiid

Philadelphia 76ers

Phoenix Suns

Atlanta Hawks

Denver Nuggets

Brooklyn Nets

Utah Jazz

LA Clippers

Colin Cowherd

The Herd with Colin Cowherd