After weeks of anticipation, the playoff field has been set, and it’s a marvelous one. Just in the first round we’re getting a Spurs-Clippers showdown, while Anthony Davis makes his playoff debut against the 67-15 Warriors – only the 10th team to win 67 games in NBA history and just the second since 2000. There’s also a Hawks-Nets series, but we don’t need to talk about that. While there’s a lot of fun to be had in the NBA Playoffs, there’s also a lot of really great players who didn’t make it. With that in mind, let’s look at five exciting players we wish were in the postseason this year.

5. Hassan Whiteside

Probably the most fascinating story in the NBA this year, Whiteside broke out in a big way with the Heat this season after languishing – both in the NBA and overseas – for the first five years of his professional career. With his rare athleticism and 7’7 wingspan, Whiteside often feels like a cheat code on defense. How do you score on a guy that big? Whiteside finished the year with a defensive rating of 97.0, which is impressive in its own right, but becomes even more shocking when you consider it was six points lower than any other player on the Heat. Whiteside essentially was their defense when he was on the floor. He also threw down some ridiculous dunks on the other side of the ball. Watching him break through this season was absolutely thrilling, and it’s a bummer that we won’t get to watch him in the playoffs.

4. Dwyane Wade

Our second straight Heat player – if only they hadn’t lost Chris Bosh! This is the first time since 2008 that Wade won’t be in the playoffs, and let’s be honest, it feels a bit weird. Wade has struggled to stay healthy, and he lacks the athleticism that defined him at his peak. On his best nights, though, he can still look like one of the best players in the league. It would have been fun to see what he might have done in a first-round series against, say, the LeBron-led Cavaliers.

3. Rudy Gobert

If Gobert had been Utah’s starting center from the beginning of the season, there’s a decent chance they actually would have made the playoffs. After trading Enes Kanter, who didn’t seem too thrilled about being Utah in the first place, the Jazz took off with Gobert in the starting lineup, going 19-10 after the trade deadline. Gobert is a ridiculously fun player to watch, capable of making thrilling plays on either side of the ball (who didn’t love his recent war with Andrew Wiggins?). Gobert’s game evolved in a big way this season, and while Utah’s poor start means he’ll have to sit these playoffs out, it would not be surprising if the Stifle Tower became a presence in the postseason for many years to come.

2. DeMarcus Cousins

Based on skill alone, there’s a fine case to be made that Cousins is the best center in the NBA. Unfortunately, he missed 23 games due to injury, and even when he was healthy, he struggled to carry a weak supporting cast that featured Rudy Gay as its only other consistent contributor. But even though Boogie has yet to appear in the postseason, anyone who’s watched him knows that he is flat-out dominant near the basket. His combination of strength and finesse makes him damn-near impossible to guard. One of these years, Boogie is going to breakthrough, and when he does, the Western Conference establishment had better watch out.

1. Russell Westbrook

Clearly, no one else had any chance of topping this list. What Westbrook did this year – particularly in the second half – was nothing short of amazing. While Westbrook couldn’t quite drag the Thunder to the playoffs, his 11 triple-doubles will be etched into our memories forever. Had the Thunder grabbed the 8-seed, it would not have been surprising if they had been swept by the Warriors with Westbrook getting a trip-dub in all four games. He was brilliant this year, but it just wasn’t enough for a Thunder team that was lacking Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka. Getting to watch Anthony Davis in the playoffs for the first time will be a thrilling experience, but I can’t be the only one who is sorely disappointed that I’ll have to wait until October for my next Westbrook fix.

[Ed. Note: We would have been willing to give even odds Russ challenged Michael Jordan’s NBA Playoff record of 63 points in a game if Stephen Curry’s brilliance had ticked him off enough]

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