Who Are the Worst Players Logging Minutes in the NBA Playoffs?

A team's success in the postseason is largely dependent on their superstars. As we saw in last year's Finals, LeBron James simply didn't allow his team to lose and led the Cavs on a historic comeback to win the NBA championship. Yet James couldn't do it all on his own. He had plenty of help, both from other stars like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love and from excellent role players like J.R. Smith.

Not all teams have the roster luxuries that Cleveland does, of course; lower-tier playoff teams are simply not as deep as championship contenders. Add in some injuries to key starters, and players who probably shouldn't be appearing in playoff games are getting minutes.

It's still early, but here's a look at five of the worst players getting minutes so far this postseason.

Playing against the supremely talented Warriors, Portland has an uphill battle in the first round, even more so with center Jusuf Nurkic being injured. So far, the Blazers are coping by going small and starting Noah Vonleh in Nurkic's place, but depth at center isn't one of Portland's strengths, as evidenced by Meyers Leonard playing in Game 1.

Leonard is a fine backup center. He sets solid screens, can shoot threes, and is OK from a team-rebounding perspective. On the other hand, he is not agile, he is prone to fouling, and his frequent hesitation with his own shot makes him virtually unplayable, especially against a fast-paced team like the Warriors.

Leonard played just under seven minutes in Game 1, all in the first half, as the Blazers quickly realized he can't help them, but they have few other options at center, and Leonard will likely continue to play in the series. Whenever he's on the court, however sparingly, Portland will be worse off.

An injury to the tirelessly defensive-minded Tony Allen has forced the Grizzlies to move Selden into their starting lineup against the Spurs. This may be too big a role for the rookie Selden, who spent most of the year in the D-League.

It's hard to imagine a worse situation for Selden to make his playoff debut than in a series against an efficient and eliteSan Antonio team. As Game 1 showed, it's a recipe for disaster. Selden was just no match for Kawhi Leonard, and the Spurs were able to attack him on offense with relative ease. In Game 2, Selden played just under 16 minutes, which seems more appropriate, yet he still started and he didn't score a single point.

Selden has played in only 14 NBA games, and just 11 with the Grizzlies. He was a late-season addition and for him to be starting speaks to how little depth Memphis has at the guard position.

With Al Jefferson dealing with a sprained left ankle, Kevin Seraphin has been getting the bulk of the backup center minutes for the Pacers against the Cavs. The injured Jefferson is likely unplayable in this series due to Cleveland's speed and ability to play small. The same can be said of the healthy Seraphin.

Seraphin has been able to score around the rim for the Pacers (shooting 58.3 percent) but that is really his only positive contribution. His rebounding is almost non-existent, and he is unable to guard the Cavs bigs on the perimeter, which is a problem for Indiana since Cleveland plays small.

Glenn Robinson III returned from injury in Game 2 and he may be the better option off the bench at the five. With Indiana facing an 0-2 deficit, incorporating more of Robinson and less of Seraphin could maybe help the Pacers get a win in the series.

A versatile center that can shoot the three, Olynyk can be great at times. Other times, he can play poorly. It's this inconsistency that earns him a spot on this list.

Olynyk averaged 20.5 minutes during the regular season, and he played 23 minutes in Boston's Game 1 loss to the Bulls. That may be about eight more minutes than he needed to play, especially since Olynyk provided no help to Boston on the boards, an area the Celtics struggled with all season and Chicago exploited. He also missed three three-pointers, a few of which were wide open.

Olynyk is a decent player and is even capable of making a difference in a game for Boston this series. But the Celtics played 11 players in Game 1. They may need to tighten up their lineup, which should include cutting down on Olynyk's minutes.

It is probably a bit harsh to put Kanter on this list. He is a solid low-post scorer, a good rebounder, and a fine pick-and-roll player. Defensively, however, Kanter is just atrocious at times, especially on switches. One of the worst examples came in the third quarter of Game 1 against James Harden's wizardry. The Rockets star is a handful for even the best defenders, and he put Kanter in a blender. Late in the fourth, the Thunder's big man got toasted again by Patrick Beverley and Clint Capela. Even Billy Donovan had to acknowledge Kanter's defense made him unplayable against Houston when he leaned in to tell Mo Cheeks "can't play Kanter."

Kanter will likely continue to play in the playoffs, though. His offense and rebounding are just too important to the Thunder. But his deficiencies on defense means the Thunder will only play him ten or 15 minutes. Any more than that, and the Thunder's defense will falter.