NBA Playoffs Sneaker Power Rankings: Kyrie Irving, DeMar DeRozan rock new heat, but Montrezl Harrell takes top spot
Time to check in and see which players channeled their playoff sneaker mode
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6 min read
While the regular season is long over, the sneaker watch must go on with the NBA playoffs in full swing. The stage only gets bigger from here and, for the players still hooping, this is their shot to show off their shoe game with all eyes on them.
It's win or go home in the postseason, but around these parts it's lace up some heat, or you won't make the cut. The stakes are bigger and these guys know it, so let's see whose shoe game also elevated into playoff mode.
10. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is one of the more fashion-forward players in all the NBA, and he didn't leave any of that in the regular season. Westbrook has brought the swag via his shoe game to the playoffs and has been showing off a couple of new colorways from his signature Jordan Why Not Zer0.2 line. The sneaker community selfishly took a massive loss when Westbrook and Co. were eliminated from the playoffs. Sigh.
9. D'Angelo Russell, Brooklyn Nets
During the regular season, we documented that Nets guard D'Angelo Russell was a huge fan of the Paul George Nike line. During his postseason run, Russell kept true to his style and consistently showed off a few Nike PG 2.5 colorways. The most eye-catching pair before the Nets' season was ended was the Nike PG 2.5 "Playstation," which just so happens to blend perfectly with Brooklyn's color scheme. There's always next season, DLo.
“It ain't to play games with you. It's to aim at you, probably maim you. If I owe you I'm blowing you to smithereens.” 🎮 pic.twitter.com/BUurRNiZPP
— SLAM Kicks (@SLAMKicks) April 19, 2019
8. Langston Galloway, Detroit Pistons
Pistons guard Langston Galloway came up big while the bright lights of the playoffs were shining. Galloway broke out this season and made a name for himself by rocking some of the most eye-popping and creative custom kicks in the entire league. In the first round against the Bucks, he kept all that momentum going by breaking out custom versions of his Q4 kicks. Galloway's playoff highlights feature some Disney movie vibes with a pair of "Aladdin" customs, more cartoon energy with some kicks decorated after "The Flintstones," and a special sneaker tribute to the late rapper Nipsey Hussle.
7. Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
Paul George made waves this season when he debuted the latest shoe from his signature line, the Nike PG 3. He made a point to consistently rock new and creative colorways and that earned him the No. 7 spot in our regular-season Sneaker King Power Rankings. It's safe to say that PG-13 kept some of his best PG 3 colorways stashed away with the intentions of rocking a new pair during each playoff game. Keep scrolling to check out the run of exclusive PG 3 kicks we've had the pleasure of seeing in the first round against the Trail Blazers.
Iridescent accents. pic.twitter.com/iNqqn4PCn5
— SLAM Kicks (@SLAMKicks) April 20, 2019
6. Jordan Bell, Golden State Warriors
Jordan Bell is one of those players that every once in a while will rock a pair of kicks that absolutely steals the show. You never quite know when it's coming, but when it does the sneaker community gets to buzzing. Bell has pulled that feat off a couple of times in the Warriors' series against the Clippers. He started his playoff sneaker highlights with a tribute to the late Nipsey Hussle, rocking an amazing pair of custom Nike PG 2.5 kicks by sneaker customizer Cory Bailey (@Sierato on Instagram). Somehow, Bell managed to top the Nipsey custom kicks when he broke out a brand new colorway of the Nike Adapt BB. That's a lot of heat from Bell, and it's the type of stuff he's going to have to bring in order to keep outpacing teammates and sneaker kings Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
5. Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics
Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving, who finished in the No. 5 spot of the regular-season Sneaker King Power Rankings, reached deep into his collection and broke out a number of new colorways from his signature Nike Kyrie 5 for the Celtics' series against the Pacers. It seems like Irving definitely saved the major heat from his collection for the big state, so we'll be keeping tabs on his footwear as the playoffs continue.
4. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Celtics youngin' Jayson Tatum has been rocking heat all season. We've documented how he was one of the few hoopers Nike tabbed to break out the state-of-the-art technology in the self-lacing Nike Adapt BB shoes that debuted this season. Not only was he among that exclusive group, but Tatum has consistently been the guy to break out new colorways of the Adapt BB. The bright lights of the playoffs was the perfect stage for him when he introduced the sneaker world to the first predominantly white colorway of the Adapt BB, this pair also featured a black Nike swoosh and hints of vibrant green making it a perfect blend with the iconic Celtics jersey. The highlights didn't end there -- Tatum also made a huge splash when he broke out the Nike Kyrie 4 "Green Lobster," one of the rarest shoes out of teammate Kyrie Irving's signature line.
3. DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
DeMar DeRozan's NBA résumé is already incredibly impressive. His accolades include being a four-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA stud who's averaged over 20 points per game for six straight seasons. All that said, his sneaker track record is somehow more impressive than all of that. DeRozan could single-handedly keep the Nike Kobe line alive and he does a fantastic job of shifting between retro gems and new-and-improved kicks from the line. His playoff run includes all of the above as he managed to mix in classics like the Kobe 8 "What The Kobe" and the Kobe 10 Elite "Christmas" while also breaking out the new Nike Kobe 1 Protro "Undefeated" and a never-before-seen colorway of the Kobe 4. The Mamba Mentality is undoubtedly strong with DeRozan.
2. P.J. Tucker, Houston Rockets
Whenever there's a NBA sneaker ranking of any sort and P.J. Tucker isn't in the No. 1 spot, you know some historical, Herculean upset took place. That's the case here with the first edition of rankings in the NBA playoffs because Tucker is up to his usual other-worldly sneaker performance. He started the playoffs in some exclusive Nike KD 11 PE kicks that he was able to customize to his liking with the help of his friends over at Nike. When you're the NBA Sneaker King, you get those sorts of perks. Then Tucker kicked off his usual superhero-like sneaker prowess when he broke out the rare -- like, super rare -- Nike KD 4 "Wanda Pratt," a shoe that originated in 2012 as a way for Kevin Durant to honor his mother. He kept the exclusive gems from the Nike KD line coming when he flashed ALL THE WAY back to 2009 and brought out a pair of the Nike KD 1, the very first shoe in Durant's signature line that is now on its 12th model. The cherry on top came when Tucker rocked the Nike Kobe 7 "What The Kobe," as he helped the Rockets close out the Jazz in the first round. The sneaker community anxiously awaits the gems Tucker has set for the showdown against the Warriors.
1. Montrezl Harrell, Los Angeles Clippers
During our regular-season Sneaker King Power Rankings we, at one point, made the argument that purely based off versatility Clippers big man Montrezl Harrell might be the league's premier sneaker guy. His résumé speaks for itself as he ended the year at the No. 2 spot in the year-in-review rankings and we named him the top contender when it comes to challenging Tucker for the crown. Well, Harrell took it up a notch in the playoffs and completely stole the show in the opening round against the Warriors. He literally checked all the boxes. Custom work that paid tribute to a rap legend (check). Retro Nike kicks (check). Switching kicks at halftime and sometimes from quarter to quarter (check). He did it all. And we're obligated to go back to that last point again just to put it into perspective. Harrell shifted between FOUR pairs of kicks in one game, breaking out three different Reebok shoes and finishing in style in the Nike Kyrie 5 in the Clippers' Game 5 win. That's just simply unheard of and part of the reason he took the top spot in these rankings. It's just unfortunate that he's out of the mix moving forward, but remember who the Sneaker King No. 1 contender is for next season.
