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#3 Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)
It’s almost a year since Jimmy Butler put up a couple of sizzling performances in the 2020 NBA Finals to help the Miami Heat push the LA Lakers to a six-game series. Butler came out on the losing side but his two triple-doubles in Games 3 and 5 of those Finals were absolutely epic.
Butler carried that form into the 2020-21 NBA season, averaging 21.5 ppg, shooting a phenomenal 49.7% from the field and posting career-best numbers in rebounding (6.9 rpg), assists (7.1 apg) and steals (league-best 2.1 spg).
Like DeRozan, Butler has never been a great three-point shooter in his career, but he more than makes up for it with his tenacity and toughness on both ends of the floor.
#2 Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
He's the youngest player on this list and someone who has a great future ahead of him. Jayson Tatum has played four NBA seasons so far, but fans are still figuring out what his real ceiling is.
His scoring average has improved by nearly twice as much since his rookie season, where he averaged 13.9 ppg. Tatum averaged 26.4 ppg in 2020-21, also posting a career-best 7.4 rpg and 4.3 apg.
The highlight of Tatum’s 2020-21 NBA season, undoubtedly, was his 60-point outing against the Spurs on 30 April 2021. It made him only the second player (after Larry Bird) in Celtics franchise history to score 60 points in a regular season game.
A few weeks before the game against San Antonio, Tatum also dropped 53 points and 10 rebounds on the Minnesota Timberwolves, making him the youngest Celtics player to hit a 50-point game. Simply put, Tatum is an elite wing player, who also walked off with a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
#1 Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)
Not just the best small forward in the Eastern Conference, but Kevin Durant is possibly the best player in the world. Had it not been for his big feet touching the three-point line, the Milwaukee Bucks may not have had an NBA championship against their name this year.
But even in that 2021 Conference semis matchup against the Bucks, Durant showed why he is the best in the business.
With James Harden and Kyrie Irving unavailable for the entire series, Durant put the Brooklyn Nets on his lean shoulders and single-handedly nearly eliminated Milwaukee.
He averaged 35.4 ppg, 10.6 rpg and 5.4 apg, shooting nearly 50.0% from the field in the series. His Game 5 triple-double (49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists) and Game 7 heroics (48 points, hitting the basket that sent the game into overtime) will be discussed for years to come.
