3 Active players with the most turnovers in an NBA Playoffs game 

Trae Young tied his career-high by recording 9 turnovers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

He is now tied fourth on the list for most turnovers committed in an NBA Playoffs game among active players in the league. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Donovan Mitchell and Carmelo Anthony are the other players who have committed 9 turnovers in a postseason fixture.

Trae Young's 9 turnovers are the most by any player in the 2021 playoffs & they tie a Hawks franchise postseason record (Mookie Blaylock in 1993).

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 26, 2021

Being a primary ball-handler is never easy and the fact that most of the players on this list play that role for their teams comes as no surprise. On that note, let's take a look at the three players who have committed the most turnovers in an NBA Playoffs fame.

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#3 LeBron James - 10 Turnovers (2006/2008 NBA Playoffs)

LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers grabs a rebound as Anderson Varejao #17, Caron Butler #3 and Antawn Jamison #4 of the Washington Wizards defend during the first quarter of game three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2006 NBA Playoffs

LeBron James makes the top ten list in almost every stat category in the NBA. This is one of his unwanted achievements, though. James recorded ten turnovers in a playoff game on two separate occasions in his career. The first time was during the 2006 NBA Playoffs when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavs played against the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of their first-round series. LeBron scored a team-high 26 points but lost the ball 10 times during the match. His team ended up losing the tie 89-84.

The second instance when LeBron James recorded 10 turnovers was during the 2008 NBA Payoffs in a match between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. It was one of the worst playoff performances of his career, as he recorded just 12 points on 2-of-18 field goal shooting.

#2 Luka Doncic - 11 turnovers (2020 NBA Playoffs)

Luka Doncic had a debut NBA Playoffs game to remember. The Slovenian recorded 42 points on 61.9% field goal shooting but ended up on the losing side against the LA Clippers in the Game 1 contest. He broke multiple records that night, becoming just the fourth player, aged 21 or younger, to record 40+ points in an NBA playoffs game.

But Doncic, being the primary ball-handler, also had to register an unwanted record of committing 11 turnovers in an NBA Playoffs game. James Harden was the last player to record 11 or more turnovers, back in the 2015 NBA Playoffs.

Mavericks’ Luka Doncic on how he played during record-setting 42-point NBA playoff debut in Game 1 vs. Clippers: “Terrible. I had 11 turnovers. I should never have that much. I just want to win.” pic.twitter.com/QGbow2777m

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) August 18, 2020

#1 James Harden - 12 Turnovers (2015 NBA Playoffs)

James Harden

James Harden is one of the best dribblers in the league, but it took a while for him to develop into the superstar scorer and distributor he is today. Harden has recorded 10+ turnovers in two separate NBA Playoffs games in his career. He tallied 12 against the Golden State Warriors in 2015, the most in NBA postseason history.

The other occasion was against his former team OKC Thunder in 2013 when Harden was just rising up the ranks as the next superstar in the league.

He struggled in both games overall. Against the Warriors, Harden scored just 14 points on 2-of-11 shooting, while against the Thunder, he recorded 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

Harden has also had two instances where he has recorded nine turnovers in the NBA Playoffs. The most recent instance was against the Warriors in the 2018 NBA Playoffs, when he scored 20 points. The other time was against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2017 NBA Playoffs when he scored 33 points, ten rebounds and ten assists.