LeBron and Nash on why role players matter more in the playoffs: "You can't win without their efforts"

Yahoo

22-05-2025

Even though the NBA was built on the backs of the superstars, basketball will always be a team game. This year's playoffs, with dozens of role players stepping up, proved how valuable depth and chemistry are. From timely rebounds to crucial defensive stops and knockdown shooting, the margins often came down to who could count on their supporting cast when it mattered most.
Of all people, LeBron James and Steve Nash should know. With six MVPs between them, the two basketball icons understand what it's like to carry the load and how essential it is to trust the guys around you.
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"You can't win without their efforts," Nash said on the "Mind the Game" podcast. "There's too many pockets in games, too many things happening."
"You need guys to step up"
As "MVSteve" and "The King" pointed out, the 2025 postseason has become a case study of the importance of bench depth. LeBron singled out the Indiana Pacers, a team unafraid to go 10-deep, even under playoff pressure. Beyond their starting unit, another five players are logging at least 10 minutes per game this postseason, a rarity at this stage.
"With Indiana up 3-1 against Cleveland, it has a lot to do with their role players. We've seen big-time shots by Haliburton, by Pascal Siakam, but those role player guys, the Nembhards, the Nesmiths, TJ McConnell, those guys come in and they haven't let the spark go down," the Los Angeles Lakers forward noted. "When those guys come in off the bench, those guys keep it going. That's why the success has been happening."
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Similarly, OKC's bench tilted the series in their favor. The Thunder narrowly won Game 4, 92-87, less than 48 hours away from playing Game 3 in the Mile High City. Oklahoma City's reserves blew their Nuggets counterparts out of the water in multiple departments, including points (35 to 8) and rebounds (17 to 3). Like the Pacers, OKC has 10 guys averaging 9.8 minutes of action.
"There were points (in Game 4) where both benches carried the game, making threes, making plays, getting stops, especially when they played Friday night and Sunday at lunchtime. Legs are tired. You need guys to step up and make plays," Nash added.
That kind of production off the bench gives teams a real edge. In the playoffs, depth is both a need and a luxury, allowing teams to survive the grind and keep the pressure on from start to finish.
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Role players on championship teams
As "The Chosen One" puts it, role players take the weight off the stars' shoulders. With so much responsibility already — leading, setting the tone, managing the flow — superstars can't be expected to go full throttle all game long. This is why past championship teams always have the best role players to make things easy.
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"You could look at the best championship runs; some of the best Finals moments have come from guys being stars in their roles. All the shots 'Big Shot Bob' made, the shots Derek Fisher made, Steve Kerr, John Paxson, Ray Allen… Those guys make big plays," James stated.
The 2025 playoffs have shown that depth is part of a winning formula. While stars still draw double teams and carry the heaviest weight, the role players fill in the gaps, swing quarters, and often decide games. Indiana and OKC trust their benches, and it paid off in hustle plays, fresh legs, and big plays that swung momentum. A star might set the tone, but the rest of the cast decides how far the story goes.
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