East Group C of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament will see the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic each play one another for a spot in the tournament's quarterfinals. There will be plenty of high-quality players running around in this group – as there will for each of them given the way the NBA has selected the groups – and these are the six best of them, ranked down to number one.

6. Mikal Bridges

Mikal Bridges enjoyed an incredible surge in production upon being traded to the Brooklyn Nets midway through last season, going from a role player – albeit a very good one – in Phoenix to the best player on his new team. In the 27 games he played in Brooklyn, he averaged 26.1 points per game – up nearly nine points from what he'd been averaging in Phoenix that year, and at a better efficiency. At just 26 years of age he's still got plenty of room to grow, and in his first full year in Brooklyn may well have climbed past a couple of names ahead of him on this list by the time the NBA In-Season Tournament rolls around.

5. Zach LaVine

Separating the Bulls' two best players isn't an easy task, but LaVine didn't quite have the year he is capable of last season and comes in at number five as a result. Still, that's not a huge knock – LaVine has long had his critics but he's demonstrated over recent years that he's a legitimately good NBA player. A freakish athlete, LaVine is an unstoppable scorer on his day, and is a lot less tunnel-visioned than he was earlier in his career. The two-time All-Star is a player that requires heavy scouting from opposing defenses, and one who will have a big say on the NBA In-Season Tournament.

4. DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan will be 35 years of age by the time the next season rolls around, but he doesn't appear to be losing any of his skills. One of the deadliest mid-range scorers in the league, DeRozan last year made his sixth NBA All-Star appearance – and his second in succession – courtesy of a season which saw him average 24.5 points on over 50% shooting, 4.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists. If only he could shoot the three-ball with any sort of regularity – even without it though, this guy has one of the most lethal offensive games going around.

3. Pascal Siakam

After bursting onto the scene in 2018-19 and winning the NBA's Most Improved Player Award as something of a Giannis Antetokounmpo-lite, Siakam has been a pivotal player for his Raptors. There have, however, been times when it looks like his game has been found out by the league, with his over-reliance on his spin move forcing him to develop a few more strings to his bow. While he's still far from perfect, Siakam is a very dangerous player capable of pulling apart defenses in multiple ways, as evidenced by his last season averages of 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists.

2. Jaylen Brown

Finally, to the dynamic duo in Boston, and the best two players in Group C of the NBA In-Season Tournament. Say what you like about Jaylen Brown's dribbling skills – and it is, admittedly, bizarre how regularly he loses his handle, particularly in playoffs, and particularly on the third dribble, and particularly on the left side. But no one's perfect, and what Brown does well he does very, very well. He had the best season of his career last year, jumping up to nearly 27 points per game, and earned his second NBA All-Star appearance and first All-NBA Second Team appearance as a result. He would be the best player on plenty of teams in the league, and it's only courtesy of the final man on this list that he plays second fiddle in Boston.

1. Jayson Tatum

This one was a no-brainer. Jayson Tatum is arguably a top-five player in the league, a bonafide superstar who, at 25 years of age, still theoretically has plenty of room for improvement. His numbers speak for themselves – last year he averaged over 30 points per game to go with 8.8 boards and 4.6 assists. That season yielded him a fourth consecutive All-Star appearance, second consecutive All-NBA First Team appearance, and he won the All-Star Game MVP. He can do most things he wants out on the floor, and as evidenced by his 51-point game in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semis against the Sixers last year, can snatch a game away from the opposition all on his own. In his own words, he is, humbly of course, one of the best basketball players in the world, and is unequivocally the best in East Group C of the NBA In-Season Tournament.