Who Has the Most to Gain From Winning the NBA Finals?

By Anjani Malli Reddi

With both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals taking over most basketball fans’ days, everyone’s looking forward to watching some of the best NBA players fighting for a spot in the Finals. One of the biggest sporting events that takes place every year, the NBA Finals are coming up very soon. With that being said, only one team from each conference will proceed, which brings up some interesting thoughts on how the winner of the Finals will be affected. Let’s take a closer look at some players and how things could change for them after winning an NBA Championship. 

1. Chris Paul

The leader of the Phoenix Suns, Chris Paul has proven that age is just a number with this team. He took a 34-39 team that didn’t even make the playoffs last year to a second-seed 51-21 team that’s now favored to win in the WCF against the Clippers. CP3’s presence itself has made each and every member of the organization be the best version of themselves, pushing them to be the favorites to win the Finals. 

Recently, there was a huge debate on Twitter that took place after Stephen A. Smith stated that “Devin Booker is the next Kobe Bryant”. He’s not. It shouldn’t even be discussed when Booker hasn’t actually won a ring yet. 

Don’t get me wrong. Devin Booker is a great basketball player and is bound to do wonders in the future, but calling him as a future Kobe Bryant when it’s evident that the Suns are not in the WCF because of just him but mostly CP3 is dumb. As stated before, the Phoenix Suns ended with the 10th seed in the west last season, but with the help of Chris Paul, the Sun’s ended up finishing with the 2nd seed and got all the way to the Western Conference Finals. 

With his first NBA Finals, Chris would not only be on the list of the best point guards to date – Magic Johnson, Stephen Curry, Isaiah Thomas, Oscar Robertson – but he will also gain the title of the best player-coach there has ever been. So many of the things that the Suns do are right out of Chris’s playbook, which shows just how much of an impact he had on his teammates (like Deandre Ayton) as a mentor.

All in all, this Suns team has everything they need in order to win the Finals, and once Chris comes back, they’ll be all set for their ring.

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo

With all the other superstars in the league, it’s hard to make a mark in many fans’ hearts, but Giannis is one that stands out. The two-time MVP has been phenomenal in not just the regular season but also the playoffs, leading the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals. 

His Game 7 performance against KD and the Nets will be remembered as what pushed them into the ECF, but to reach the Finals and win the championship, he’s going to have to continue to do what he does best – play basketball – without getting contained by the Hawks’ defense. 

If the Bucks won the Finals, Giannis is no doubt going to be dubbed Finals MVP, joining the list of other legends to have won at least 2 regular-season MVPs and a Finals MVP, such as Micheal Jordan, Magic Johnson, and LeBron James. 

Additionally, Giannis will also steal the title for the best current player in the league, especially with his playoff stats and his continuous excellence when it comes to leading the team to victory.

I’d say that the Bucks are definitely going to win the ECF, but it’s going to be much tougher to get 4 wins against the Phoenix Suns, so Giannis and his team are going to have to put up a marvelous performance if they want to win and get Milwaukee their first title since 1971.

3. Trae Young

One thing to start off with before we talk about Trae Young: the Atlanta Hawks aren’t going to the Finals. Unless some miracle happens, there is absolutely no way that they’re going to beat the Bucks and become Eastern Conference Champions. 

Trae is good, but he’s not THAT good to carry a team to the Finals. I love the underdog team as much as the next person, but right now, it’s not looking too great for the Hawks: Giannis simply has more help from Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and PJ Tucker, something which Trae doesn’t have. John Collins and Clint Capela are good sidekicks, but personally, they’re just not enough to give the Hawks the advantage in the series.

Nevertheless, let’s assume that the Atlanta Hawks somehow win the Finals. Emphasis on somehow. One way that Trae Young would benefit is that he would be named the best young player in the league right now, taking the title from Luka Doncic. I love Luka as a player because he’s so trustable and clutch at the same time, but if you look at it wins-wise, Trae already has the advantage. With a ring on his hand, Trae could solidify that title for himself, especially because he’s getting better and better with each playing minute in the playoffs.