Top 10 NBA Role Players Every Contender Should Want

Joel Piton
3 minutes ago
7 min read

The playoffs are halfway through, and it's getting intense. As we know, every championship team needs star power, but even the greatest superstars can't do it alone. Behind every deep playoff run are the players who defend the toughest matchups, crash the glass, move the ball, take charges, and keep possessions alive when the game gets ugly. These aren't the names that light up the box score, but their impact is undeniable.

The best role players understand their job, embrace the tough assignments, and make life easier for everyone around them. Whether it’s a lockdown defender, a versatile wing, or an athletic beast off the bench, contenders are always searching for players who can elevate a team without needing the spotlight.

With that in mind, here are the ten role players every contender should want:

Ayo Dosunmu (MIN)

2025-26 Stats:

14.8 PPG · 3.4 RPG · 3.6 APG · 51.7% FG

A positionless guard-forward with a high motor, Dosunmu's play exploded after being traded from Chicago. A slasher with insane efficiency, more than a third of his total field goal attempts this season (36.7%) came from within three feet of the basket. He also knocked down a blistering 41.4% of his three-pointers across the 24 regular-season games he played with Minnesota. It seems in high stakes, the kid plays 10x better. When Donte DiVincenzo went down with an Achilles tear in the first round, Minnesota’s postseason looked structurally doomed, but Ayo stepped up immediately, dropping 43 points and carrying the Wolves to a win without Anthony Edwards. This is a guy you need to scale games in your favor.

Alex Caruso (OKC)

2025-26 Stats:

6.2 PPG · 2.8 RPG · 2.0 APG · 42.3% FG

A lockdown, high caliber defender, Caruso's numbers look like a trap: don't let them fool you. If you watch how he impacts winning, he's arguably one of the most scalable, high-floor role players in the entire league. An elite, multi-time All-Defensive weapon, Caruso navigates screens in his sleep and routinely shuts down the opponents primary bucket-getter. On a true contender, you already have your scorers. You don't need another player demanding 15 shots a night. Caruso respects the spacing, makes lightning-fast passing decisions, and makes the right reads without a high usage rate. With a staggering +382 plus-minus rate, Caruso's IQ is off the charts. A two-time champion, Caruso has delivered at the highest level as an undrafted player and has maximized his potential.

Andrew Nembhard (IND)

2025-26 Stats:

16.9 PPG · 2.8 RPG · 7.7 APG · 44.2% FG

Nembhard plays basketball at an entirely different pace than most young guards. A pass-first threat, he operates out of the pick and roll like a veteran. He manipulates weakside help, can get to his spots in the midrange, and is also a budding defender. Even though he took on an immense offensive burden with Haliburton gone, Nembhard successfully hounded the opponent's best ball handler. Nembhard absorbed a massive portion of Haliburton’s vacant 22% usage rate. He went from a low-maintenance secondary ball-handler to a primary focal point, keeping Indiana competitive without their superstar. It's a tough shift to go from Conference Champions to one of the worst teams in basketball, but somehow Nembhard made this team watchable.

Christian Braun (DEN)

2025-26 Stats:

12.0 PPG · 4.8 RPG · 2.7 APG · 51.9% FG

Christian Braun's massive five-year, $125 million contract extension has sparked plenty of controversy, but what if I told you it just might be warranted? A proven champion, Braun is a high energy, hyper efficient guard that complements Jokic's game perfectly. He gashes defenses with perfectly timed baseline cuts, runs the lane with ferocious intensity in transition, and punishes rotating defenses with his 6'5" frame. In the modern era where guards typically refuse to prioritize the glass, Braun pulling down 4.8 rebounds per game from the perimeter is a luxury. Sticking to his role confidently, many talented young guards and wings fail on contenders because they're fighting for touches to prove they're the guy. Braun has already spent years playing alongside a multi-time MVP and loves doing the dirty work that doesn't show up on the box score.

Grayson Allen (PHX)

2025-26 Stats:

16.5 PPG · 3.0 RPG · 3.8 APG · 40.3% FG

Grayson Allen, or at least someone with his playstyle, is a mandatory target for any front office with championship aspirations. Putting up a career-high 16.5 points per game, Allen was one of the most lethal, high-volume perimeter threats in the game this season. Allen doesn’t just stand in the corner waiting for a pass; he is a tireless off-ball mover. He moves off screens, relocates behind the arc and is a nightmare to guard. Teams are terrified of giving him an inch of daylight, so he creates massive driving lanes for his teammates just by being on the floor. A pure sharpshooter, Allen has not only led the league in three point field goal percentage, but has been a 40% sniper for virtually his entire career. Having a long-range juggernaut like him on your squad is a must.

Josh Hart (NYK)

2025-26 Stats:

12.0 PPG · 7.4 RPG · 4.8 APG · 50.8% FG

If you asked any championship coach to build a composite sketch of the ideal, selfless role player, they would draw Josh Hart. A 6'4" power forward who rebounds like a big man and passes like a guard, Hart possesses a rare archetype that you don't see every day. Averaging 7.4 rebounds per game as a perimeter player is flat-out ridiculous and his offensive rebounding turns into immediate second-chance opportunities for his team. Hart's endurance and biometrics also need to be studied. His usage rate has been off the charts in New York, so much so that he's actually led the league in minutes per game. He fills whatever structural gap his team needs on a given night, whether that means hounding an elite scorer or playing as a small-ball power forward and ultimately his play results in wins. His squad is making a legitimate push for an NBA title.

Jalen Suggs (ORL)

2025-26 Stats:

13.8 PPG · 3.9 RPG · 5.5 APG · 43.5% FG

The Magic aren't the lottery team of years past; they just finished a 45-win regular season and pushed the 60-win, top-seeded Detroit Pistons to a grueling seven-game series in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, and that's largely because of Jalen Suggs. Suggs is an All-Defensive caliber point-of-attack disruptor who plays with absolute visual intensity. He blows up screens, forces his way onto the team's biggest scoring threat, and helped the Magic finish with an elite 108.4 defensive rating. And of course, his +5.2 net rating was the best on the team. Suggs also finished the season with a career high 5.5 assists, which could be huge. The Magic's main hurdle was trying to figure out he could actually play like a point guard. With guard Anthony Black on the climb, a trade is highly possible this offseason. Where should he go?

Naji Marshall (DAL)

2025-26 Stats:

15.2 PPG · 4.7 RPG · 3.3 APG · 51.0% FG

Naji Marshall is the absolute poster child for why you don't judge a premium roleplayer solely by their team's record. Dallas had an incredibly chaotic 2025-26 season, but Marshall capitalized on the instability to completely shatter his previous offensive ceiling. Posting a career high 15 points a night, Marshall was a 6'7" freight train this season who forced his way to the rim for easy lays. The old scouting report was simple, expect defense and not much else. But in the wake of so many injuries in Dallas this season, Marshall's offensive game took a supreme leap and he finished second in total points for the team this season. Bumping his output to a career-high 3.3 APG proved he can consistently make the right read and collapse a defense. Marshall just looked like a different animal this season and there's no doubt about it: the price went up.

Rui Hachimura (LAL)

2025-26 Stats:

11.5 PPG · 3.3 RPG · 0.8 APG · 51.4% FG

One of the most efficient scorers in basketball, Hachimura has legitimately evolved into one of the league's best shooters. Finishing the season with a 44% clip from beyond the arc, just four spots shy of his league-leading teammate Luke Kennard, and his growth as a shooter deserves praise. Not shy when the stakes are high, Rui exploded for 17 points a night during the post season including an NBA record 51.6% from three. We've never seen efficiency like this before, not by Steph, Ray Allen, Reggie Miller—no one. And we might never see it again. And a jump of over 8 points per game against elite postseason defenses isn't a fluke, it's absurd. He won't facilitate. He won't rebound at a high level. This is an example of a guy who maximized one skill and made it invaluable.

Max Strus (CLE)

2025-26 Stats:

11.2 PPG · 5.4 RPG · 2.0 APG · 44.3% FG

Strus suited up for just 12 games this season. For most players, missing that much time completely derails their year, maybe even their career. Instead, the undrafted prodigy virtually picked up where he left off. He put up 11, 5 and 2 right off the bat, shooting over 40% from three. And it's not like they eased him into the rotation or anything like that, they plugged him directly into heavy rotation minutes for their playoff run. His instant impact post-injury proves that his skill set is so vital, coaches will bypass months of zero chemistry to put him on the floor. A catch and shoot nightmare who can fly off screens and punish you with his stroke, Strus is heavy hitter on the offensive end. The guy is no stranger to the NBA Finals, and the deep playoff scar tissue from his Miami Heat days makes him a plug-and-play player you can trust.

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These guys rarely show up in the headlines, but they're all too often the difference between an early playoff exit and a championship run. The All-Stars will always get the spotlight, but these are the players who defend, hustle, sacrifice, and make winning plays when it matters most.

Now it’s your turn. Do these role players deserve more love? Did we get the list right, or is there someone we left off who every contender should be calling about? And with the NBA Finals Semifinals heating up, who are you rooting for to make it all the way? Let us know who you believe has what it takes to survive these playoffs and chase a title.

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Thanks for reading!

-Joel Piton

(@jpiton7)