Ranking Most Important Duke Players Remaining in NBA Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs are in full swing and as the first-round series are about to wrap up, there are still plenty of former Duke Blue Devils putting on a show on the big stage. Some are chasing their first title, while others are making a name for themselves in the national media in their first postseason appearance.

Let's take a look at who the most important Duke alumni are for their teams in the playoffs.

5. Wendell Carter Jr, Orlando Magic

The 25-year-old big man is in his first postseason in his sixth season in the NBA. In his fourth season with the Orlando Magic, Carter Jr, helped lead the young team to the fifth-seed in the Eastern Conference, to everyone's surprise.

Carter Jr. plays a huge role for the Magic team. He possesses a rare skillset as a three-and-D center. There simply aren't too many big men in the league who can protect the rim, and provide interior presence, while spacing the floor and hitting threes on the other end.

The Orlando Magic are a very limited offensive team. They don't have much shooting, so Carter Jr.'s ability to space the floor is a game-changer for Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero.

It's not a coincidence that when Orlando began the series with Carter Jr. on the bench, they fell to a 2-0 deficit. When coach Jamahl Mosley moved WCJ back to the starting lineup, the Magic won two in a row to tie the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He needs to play as many minutes as he can handle going forward.