Every NBA champion has one or two superstars who play a significant role in their team lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but winning 16 games over four playoff rounds doesn’t happen without supporting players stepping up along the way.

There are a couple games every playoff run that require someone to come off the bench and provide a spark offensively.

The Celtics know this fact better than most franchises.

More Celtics coverage

Boston Celtics

3 hours ago

How Celtics can achieve rare NBA feat by repeating as champs

Boston Celtics

17 hours ago

Celtics vs. Magic first-round playoff preview, odds and prediction

Boston Celtics

Apr 15

Holiday reacts to Brown’s knee injury: ‘Nobody’s worried about him’

Don Nelson hit a clutch shot toward the end of Game 7 in the 1969 NBA Finals. Glenn McDonald scored eight points off the bench in the triple-overtime Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals. Cedric Maxwell led the C’s with 24 points in Game 7 of the 1984 NBA Finals. Leon Powe scored 21 points off the bench in Game 2 of the 2008 NBA Finals. Kelly Olynyk scored 26 points off the bench in a Game 7 victory in the 2017 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Which guys will be X-factors for Boston in the 2025 playoffs?

Here’s a list of five candidates, ranging from starters to role players, ahead of Sunday’s Game 1 of the first round against the Orlando Magic.

Kristaps Porzingis

The Celtics are at their best when they hit a lot of 3-pointers. Porzingis is a 7-foot-3 center who can score in the paint and step outside the 3-point line and make shots consistently. There aren’t many players like him.

He scored 34 points on 8-for-13 shooting from beyond the arc in an overtime win against the New York Knicks earlier this month.

Porzingis is also an X-factor defensively because he is so good at protecting the rim. Whether it’s on drives to the basket in the halfcourt or fast breaks, Porzingis consistently blocks shots or forces opponents to alter their shots to evade his long reach. And the Celtics will need this rim protection because three of their potential playoff opponents — Knicks, Cavs, Thunder — ranked top 10 in points in the paint this season.

We saw plenty of examples of Porzingis’ impact — at both ends of the floor — during the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.

This sequence from Game 1 shows how effective Porzingis can be as an outside shooter and a shot blocker:

Of course, the concern with Porzingis is always health-related. He missed most of the 2024 playoffs due to injury. But since returning in March from a battle with an illness, he has consistently stayed healthy and played quite well.

If Porzingis can play a full postseason, the Celtics might be even tougher to beat than they were a year ago.

Payton Pritchard

Pritchard took a huge leap in his development this season, setting career highs with 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He shot 47.2 percent from the field and 40.7 from 3-point range. He’s the favorite to win the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award.

There will be a moment when the C’s need Pritchard to hit shots and give the team a boost of energy at both ends of the floor. Pritchard played OK in the 2024 playoffs. His best series was the second round against the Cavs, but he struggled in the Finals and scored three or fewer points in four of the five games versus the Mavs.

Can Pritchard be more consistent offensively in this year’s playoffs? If yes, the C’s will be very difficult to defend.

Sam Hauser

Hauser is one of the league’s best 3-point shooters and led Boston with a 41.6 3-point percentage this season. His ability to get hot from beyond the arc and hit five, six, or seven 3-pointers can totally change a game.

Hauser was pretty inconsistent from 3-point range in the 2024 playoffs. He hit more than three 3-pointers in just three of Boston’s 16 postseason games. He shot 2-for-9 from beyond the arc in the conference semifinals and 1-for-14 in the conference finals.

Hauser was able to stretch the floor on offense and not get burned defensively in last season’s title run. He was even a good defender at times in those four series, including some matchups against Kyrie Irving in the Finals. If that’s the Hauser the Celtcs get for most of the 2025 playoffs, they’ll be in good shape.

Jrue Holiday

Holiday’s experience — two NBA titles, two Olympic gold medals — is so valuable to the Celtics. He is a steady, calming presence in high-pressure situations.

The veteran point guard made so many clutch plays in the 2024 playoffs, whether it was a momentum-changing 3-pointer, a key offensive rebound or a steal, he consistently made the right decisions at both ends of the court. Whenever the Celtics offense is becoming too iso-heavy or bad shots are being taken, he settles everyone down and gets the team back on track.

Holiday’s ability to knock down 3-pointers and shoot around 90 percent from the foul line will make him a very important player in this Boston playoff run. How much will his finger injury impact him? You could argue he’s played his best basketball of the season the last month-and-a-half despite nursing this injury. He shot 38.6 percent from 3-point range in March and 41.7 percent in April.

The Celtics were 14-2 this season when Holiday scored 15-plus points. His best performances almost always translate into wins.

Luke Kornet

Kornet played just 10.2 minutes per game in the 2024 playoffs. It wouldn’t be surprising if that number goes up this year because the veteran center was highly effective in a lot of games this season.

Kornet scored 10-plus points in nine of his last 14 regular season games. He grabbed eight or more rebounds six times during that stretch, including a 16-rebound performance in a win over the Spurs on March 29. Kornet is very good in the pick-and-roll, too, with his ability to finish on lobs at the basket.

In fact, the Tatum-Kornet pick-and-roll combo was one of the best in the league this season:

The Celtics like playing with two centers on the court, especially in certain matchups. Kornet’s ability to produce at both ends of the floor alongside Porzingis or Al Horford is quite valuable.

He plays his role extremely well, and he might be asked to do it more in this playoff run than in previous years.