National Basketball Association

Herd Hierarchy: Kevin Durant facing the most pressure in NBA playoffs

Updated May. 19, 2021 11:46 a.m. ET

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There's no pressure quite like playoff pressure.

With the Play-In Tournament in full swing, the final NBA playoff field is just days away from being set.

When the main show begins, which players will be facing the most pressure?

Colin Cowherd broke down the landscape on "The Herd," naming the top five players under the playoff microscope in his latest "Herd Hierarchy."

5. Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns

Career playoff record: 53-56 overall, 7-12 series record

Career playoff stats: 20.9 points per game, 8.3 assists per game, 5.2 rebounds per game

Cowherd's thoughts: "We've got this thing about Chris Paul where he has been around forever, and everybody wants to say he's a top-five point guard, and he's not good in the postseason. Let's be honest. His career postseason winning percentage is 47%. And yet he's won 65% of his games in the regular season."

4. James Harden, Brooklyn Nets

Career playoff record: 66-62 overall, 12-11 series record

Career playoff stats: 23.5 PPG, 5.8 APG, 5.4 RPG

Cowherd's thoughts: "His game, like Karl Malone, relies on the whistle. Karl Malone needed the whistle. James Harden needs the whistle. There's no excuses now. You've got Kevin Durant. You've got Kyrie Irving. … James has got to win a couple of playoff series or get to the Finals here."

3. Paul George, LA Clippers

Career playoff record: 41-48 overall, 6-9 series record

Career playoff stats: 20.1 PPG, 3.8 APG, 7.1 RPG

Cowherd's thoughts: "Paul George ⁠– stinkaroo last year. Last year, first player since the '60s to shoot under 25% in three straight playoff games. He was awful. And I like Paul. He was awful. … Paul George has to at least redeem himself a little because he was atrocious last year in the playoffs."

2. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers

Career playoff record: 80-44 overall, 17-6 series record

Career playoff stats: 20.1 PPG, 2.7 APG, 7.9 RPG

Cowherd's thoughts: "Kawhi Leonard is missing 20 games a year, and now he's not good at the end of games. What is he? This is really important because last year, this team fizzled ⁠– a favorite and fizzled ⁠– in the bubble."

1. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets

Career playoff record: 88-51 overall, 20-7 series record

Career playoff stats: 29.1 PPG, 4.0 APG, 7.7 RPG

Cowherd's thoughts: "The question for Kevin Durant is: Dude, you left an organization where you could've played about 50 games in Golden State with Klay [Thompson] and Steph [Curry] and won a bunch of titles. … You win a championship [in Brooklyn], it's like, ‘All right. My bad. I’m wrong.'"

For Cowherd's full breakdown of "Herd Hierarchy," check out the video below:

Herd Hierarchy: Colin ranks top 5 NBA players under the most playoff pressure | THE HERD

In this edition of ‘Herd Hierarchy,’ Colin Cowherd ranks the top 5 NBA players under pressure this postseason.

For more up-to-date news on all things "The Herd," click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

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National Basketball Association

Chris Paul

Phoenix Suns

James Harden

Brooklyn Nets

Paul George

LA Clippers

Kawhi Leonard

Kevin Durant

Colin Cowherd

The Herd with Colin Cowherd