3 players ready to break out in the NBA playoffs

Prepare for new faces this postseason.

The playoffs might be missing the game's biggest star this time around, but there are plenty of ascendant talents ready to steal a share of the spotlight.

Here are three players ready for their breakout moment in the postseason:

Jamal Murray

It's still a bit of a shock that the No. 2 seed Denver Nuggets haven't touched the playoffs since 2013. Nikola Jokic's ascent to MVP-caliber levels has been a key to Denver's renaissance, but giving the Serbian center all the plaudits would be a genuine disservice to Jamal Murray's impressive play.

The Canadian point guard's 18.2 points and 4.8 assists per game averages trailed only Jokic in both categories on the Nuggets this season. The third-year guard has the ability to take over a game at will, demonstrated by a 48-point outburst against the Boston Celtics in November and a 46-point showing the following month against the Phoenix Suns. After narrowly missing out on the playoffs last season on the final day of the campaign, Murray will get a chance to prove that he's playoff ready.

Caris LeVert

Caris LeVert was putting together a breakout campaign - averaging 18.4 points through the first 14 games of the season - until he suffered a devastating leg injury in November. Miraculously, he returned just three months later to help the Brooklyn Nets lock down the sixth seed.

Though LeVert's only averaged 13.7 points in the final 40 games of the season since his return, it's fair to expect players to take some time before hitting their stride following a lengthy injury absence. However, LeVert showed glimpses of his old self earlier in April with a pair of 24-point games against the Milwaukee Bucks. At the very least, LeVert has proven on a couple of occasions this season he can deliver with the game on the line - an invaluable quality in the playoffs.

Pascal Siakam

Although Pascal Siakam gained widespread recognition as a leading candidate to win the Most Improved Player award this year, his career postseason numbers sit at a paltry 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. Siakam was still another cog in the Toronto Raptors' bench unit in 2018, cracking double digits just twice during the playoffs on a measly 14.4 percent usage rate. That number could easily double in 2019.

Siakam's meteoric rise provides Toronto with another primary option on offense, and he has the ability to guard nearly every position on the floor. There's little reason to believe he won't be able to prove himself in this year's playoffs. The best opposing defenders will be preoccupied with Kawhi Leonard, making the conditions ripe for Siakam to carry over his regular-season ascent and cement himself as a bona fide postseason performer.