Another great regular season has concluded with two more teams clinching playoff spots to round out the field. In the BIG3 Playoff Semifinals, one-seed Bivouac will take on four-seed Tri-State while 2-seed 3’s Company takes on the three-seeded Enemies. 2024 was truly one of the best seasons the league has had in their seven-year span. Now we turn our attention to the BIG3 Playoffs, where four of the teams have a real chance to win it all, one of them trying to repeat as champions. The action tips off this Sunday from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and if you thought the regular season was wild, you haven’t seen anything yet.
2 Players to Watch for Each Team in 2024 BIG3 Playoff Semifinals
Bivouac
Corey Brewer
Corey Brewer finished out the regular season with a bang. He nearly tallied a double-double with 21 points and 9 rebounds. He also added two steals and two blocks, earning Player of the Week. This is what Brewer has done all season, showing he’s the best two-way player in the BIG3. He finished fourth in total points with 147 (18.4 PPG) and second in total rebounds with 70 (8.8 RPG) while placing first in total steals with 13 and tied for first in total blocks with nine. Because of Brewer’s outstanding season on both ends of the floor, Bivouac finished the season 7-1 and enters the playoffs as the number one seed. He’s a definitive MVP candidate and will have to use his two-way ability against a tough Tri-State team that can shoot the three, play some defense, and score in bunches.
Garlon Green
The perfect paring to go along with Brewer is Garlon Green. He nearly finished the season with a double-double, averaging 14.0 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, which was first in the league. Green also finished with 24 total assists (5.0 per game), which was third in the league. Garlon also adds some three-point shooting to his arsenal as he’s tied for fourth with 13 threes made on the season. With Brewer’s two-way ability and Green’s all-around offensive game, Bivouac is a dangerous team.
3’s Company
Michael Beasley
Challenging Brewer in the MVP race is none other than Michael Beasley. He’s one of three players averaging over 20 points per game, as he averaged 21.3, which is .1 off from the leading scorer Isaiah Briscoe. All Beasley does is score and at a high clip, as shown by his back-to-back 30-point games in week five and week seven (week six game canceled). In the final game of the regular season, he was the game leader in points with 17 as 3’s Company dominated the Enemies 50-23. These two teams are set to face off in the Semifinals on Sunday. The Enemies are looking for blood and it looks like Beasley will have to have one of his great performances. With his scoring ability, if anyone can step up to the challenge, it’s him.
Mario Chalmers
There are players all over the leaderboards on this team so it’s hard to just pick two players to watch. It’s truly a collective effort and that’s why it’ll be tough to stop this team. Mario Chalmers gets the nod on this list as he’s top 10 in assists, steals, and three-pointers made, shooting 43.3 percent from deep. He also hit a four-pointer this season. Beasley does all the scoring and Chalmers gives you the rest, along with his other teammates. Chalmers has been a winner at the highest level and knows what it takes to get the job done.
Enemies
Elijah Stewart
One half of a deadly duo for the Enemies is Elijah Stewart. He played a big part in winning the BIG3 Championship in 2023 and now is a big reason why they enter the playoffs with only two losses and have a good shot at going back-to-back. He leads the team in almost every category. Stewart is top 10 in the league in total points (113), total rebounds (50), total field goals made (44), and total three-pointers made (12). After going 6-0 to start the season, the Enemies lost their last two games, including that embarrassing loss to 3’s Company last week. Expect Stewart to come out and show why he has been the best player on this team.
Jordan Crawford
The other half of this deadly duo with Stewart is Jordan Crawford. On their way to the championship last season, Crawford put up a historic run when the lights shined brightest. He put the team on his back to get them into the playoffs and then had a great run when he got there, scoring 27 in the semifinals and then 23 to clinch the championship win. While not as sharp this season, Crawford is still putting up respectable numbers. He placed top 10 in total points and field goals made while being top five in assists and three-pointers made. The lights shine the brightest starting on Sunday and we know that’s when he performs at his best. He’s going to need to if they want to go back-to-back.
Tri-State
Kevin Murphy
In leading Tri-State to the playoffs, Kevin Murphy put up one of his best seasons yet. He finished the season third in scoring with 20.4 points per game while being second in total steals and top 10 in total assists. Murphy also has one of the best ranges of anyone in the league. He’s hit 13 three-pointers while making them at a 39 percent clip. Not only does he hit threes but he hits four-pointers as well. Murphy hit six of them out of his 17 attempts. He’s a lethal scorer from anywhere on the court and has the ability to go toe-to-toe with the probable Defensive Player of the Year and MVP-candidate Corey Brewer.
Jason Richardson
Both Ray Nixon and Henry Sims are players to watch as well for Tri-State but when healthy, Jason Richardson is a big game changer for this team. He’s been dealing with knee issues the past few weeks which has limited him. Despite that, he’s played seven of the eight games and has logged the second-most minutes on the team while being a monster on the glass. He might not have the better numbers among some of his teammates but again, if he’s healthy and can turn back the clock for this playoff run, he’ll not only open it up for other players on the floor but be a menace all over the court himself as he showed in week two with his 25-point double-double.
