It’s that time again!
Midway through the playoffs, the NBA treated fans to revealing the All-NBA teams last night. With a league packed with the world’s best players, the picks are always debatable, but let’s take a look at the overall consensus.
Holding it down on the First team, the highest honor, we have an unsurprising list of five. There’s, of course, this year’s MVP, Nikola “The Joker” Jokic, holding the starting center position. Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo at forward, rounded off by the world’s greatest shooter, Steph Curry, and Luka Doncic as the guards. At age 22, this is Doncic’s second consecutive season making the first team, truly a prodigy of the game.
The second team is centered by Joel Embiid, the runner-up for the MVP award. Julius Randle and LeBron James are selected for forward, with LeBron setting a record at 17 career selections. The guards are very deservingly Chris Paul and Damian Lillard, though many feel that Dame deserves the first team.
Finally, in the honorable third team, we see defensive beast Rudy Gobert at center. Paul George edges his way onto the list as a forward with Jimmy Butler. Bradley Beal represents the Wizards with his guard selection alongside Kyrie Irving, surprisingly the only Brooklyn Net on the list.
The Snubs
With so many brilliant players in the league, there are, of course, some upsets. Young stars Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, Trae Young, and even Zion Williamson all had great looks to make a list but just missed it. The youngest player with the biggest snub is easily Donovan Mitchell, the lovable leader of the Jazz. In terms of veterans, Russell Westbrook also makes the snubs list.
However, the biggest snub has to be Kevin Durant not making any team, despite being arguably the best player in the world. KD responded to the rankings by singlehandedly coming back on the Bucks, dropping 49 points within his triple-double. KD is living proof that the lists remain arbitrary.
What do you think of the selections, agree or disagree? Check out some of our other NBA content here!
Written by Jason Heilbronner