Every season, without fail, there are difference-makers who fundamentally swing the outcome of the NBA Finals.
Last season, wing Bruce Brown came through big for the Nuggets en route to Denver’s first championship. Andrew Wiggins, heavily criticized for years as an underwhelming No. 1 pick with the Timberwolves, more than redeemed himself as the Warriors’ second-most important player during their title run in 2022. And sure: Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was incredible, notching a 50-piece in the NBA Finals clincher back in ’21. But both Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis were absolutely essential the year before that off Milwaukee’s bench.
That isn’t to say that the huge impacts will be seen only in the championship round. Swing players—or x-factors, if you’re willing to see them that way—will be key all season. Here are three players from the West we feel can either lift or sink their clubs depending on how well they play in the 2023–24 campaign. (We’ll list three players from the East in a separate piece soon.)
