NBA Eastern Conference Finals: 5 players who can make the biggest impact

#4 Bismack Biyombo

Bismack Biyombo will be crucial for the Raptors

The Toronto Centre is surely the darkhorse in this list. The 23-year-old 6'9” Centre wasn't expected to be in this conversation. But, ever since Valanciunas went down, Biyombo has been nothing short of spectacular. It did help that Whiteside got sidelined due to injury and the Heat had Deng guarding Biyombo.

But, we still need to give credit where credit is due and the former Charlotte man does deserve his fair share of it. The Congolese was exceptional in Game 7 against the Heat and in the series against the Heat he averaged close to 8.5 rpg to go with 1.6 blocks/game. His offensive rebounding and activity in the paint earned the Raptors several second-chance opportunities and when the Cavs do switch to Love at the Center, it is imperative that Biyombo takes advantage.

Valanciunas was a huge loss for the Raptors and is only expected to be back by Game 3. The Lithuanian was the best Raptor in the playoffs before being injured. In the three games he played against the Heat, Valanciunas averaged 18.5 ppg, 12.7 rpg.

While Biyombo might not be able to give that kind of offensive protection, he surely is a better rim protector than Valanciunas and needs to be at his best to keep LeBron and co. off the paint. This is imperative as with the Cavs offensive firepower, the last thing you need is for the Raptors to gift them second-chance points.