The 2023-24 campaign will be the first time we see the NBA In-Season Tournament. For those still confused by its structure, here is how it works. There are six groups consisting of five teams. The team with the best record in group play (a period where teams play the rest of their group mates) in each group qualifies for the quarterfinals and the team in each conference (East and West) with the next best record outside of the group winners. From there, it's March Madness-style: survive and advance. The team who wins the midseason tournament will have each player take home a $500,000 prize.

With the logistics of the tournament out of the way, it's probably important to break down the groups that make up the midseason tournament. The East Group B consists of the following five teams: the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets. The Heat are fresh off a Finals appearance and beat both the Bucks and Knicks in the playoffs to get there. The Wizards and Hornets are rebuilding but getting more reps in semi-important games like this could be beneficial to the development of the young players on their roster. They probably don't have any of the five best players in this group.

Who are the five best players in this group for the NBA In-Season Tournament? Time to rank them.

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5) Jalen Brunson

Currently handling point for Team USA as they prepare for the FIBA World Cup, Brunson was excellent in his first season with the Knicks. He averaged 24 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds on awesome 49.1/51.9/41.6/82.9 shooting splits. Those numbers were even better in the playoffs. His size allows him to get picked on a bit defensively, but he holds up well in the post. The Knicks were lost at sea at the point guard for two decades. They finally found their guy in Brunson.

4) Bam Adebayo

People like to focus a lot on what Bam Adebayo doesn't do. Some of that is fair; the Denver Nuggets exposed his inability to create offense for himself on high volume in the Finals by switching a lot and forcing the ball out of Butler's hands. But Adebayo is already a two-time All-Star and four-time All-Defensive team selection and is one of the most versatile defensive bigs in the NBA. That works.

3) Jrue Holiday

Jrue Holiday got the brunt of the Playoff Jimmy freight train. But not all of that was his fault. Holiday is still arguably (probably?) the best perimeter defender in the NBA, evidenced by his five All-Defensive team selections. He's only made two All-Star teams; he actually set a record for the longest gap between All-Star appearances with his selection a year ago.

He should have more selections in both categories if not for there being so many great perimeter defenders as well as him being in a Western Conference loaded with guards. Injuries haven't helped him either. But he's posted his three-best seasons in effective field goal percentage since landing in Milwaukee and his defense hasn't relented. This is much deserved. Expect him to be important in the NBA In-Season Tournament.

2) Jimmy Butler

Will Playoff Jimmy make an early cameo in the midseason tournament? Unlikely. Jimmy Butler likes to pace himself for the playoffs. But even if he isn't going full Playoff Jimmy, Butler will still be a handful. Butler is a basketball savant and one of a handful of star players who is just as good, if not better, without the ball in his hands as he is with it. A five-time All-NBA selection, a six-time All-Star, and a five-time All-Defensive team, there really isn't anything Butler can't do outside of take and make threes consistently. What he did to the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs was downright historic.

Butler is very much deserving of this number two spot.

1) Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a seven-time All-NBA selection, seven-time All-Star, a five-time All-Defensive team selection, a two-time MVP, and an NBA champion who just so happened to snag a Finals MVP trophy along the way. He averaged 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 55.3% from the field. His playmaking has steadily improved every season. Giannis sneakily posted his worst two-point percentage (59.6%) and effective field goal percentage (57.2%) since the 2017-18 season, but those are still above average. Yes, the Bucks went out sad in the playoffs, but make no mistake about it. Giannis clears this group and almost everyone in the entire NBA except for probably Nikola Jokic.

Honorable Mentions

Khris Middleton, Julius Randle, LaMelo Ball, Brook Lopez, and Mitchell Robinson are all ones to watch in this group for the NBA In-Season Tournament, too.