It is that time of year where I submit my All-NBA ballot. There are a lot of reasons why players make and miss All-NBA, per game numbers, games played, and team success being the most prevalent. With that let’s jump in.
First Team
G: Luka Doncic
Doncic is having yet another incredible season, even if it is being wasted by a bad Mavericks roster. Yes, the defense has been a big issue lately but that does not take away from the 32.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.1 assists he is averaging per game.
G: Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell is having his best season in the NBA to this point, averaging a career high 27.6 points a night on a career high shooting percentage of 47%. He has Cleveland 4th in the East with a puncher's chance at 3rd and has been everything Cleveland had hoped and more when they acquired him this past summer.
F: Jayson Tatum
Tatum has been the best player on the 2nd best team this season. The pull-up threes are definitely down but he is getting to the line more than ever, converting at the rim really well, and his points, assists, and rebounds are all at career high marks.
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo is having another incredible season averaging 31.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. He has also been the best player on the best team too. Do I need to say more?
C: Nikola Jokic
Jokic is having yet another huge season and has the Nuggets in the first seed in the Western Conference. With his flirting of averaging a triple-double as well, Jokic, along with Giannis, is in the club amongst the top MVP candidates.
Second Team
G: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The Oklahoma City Thunder have had an incredible season and SGA is the main reason why. Averaging 31.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists, Gilgeous-Alexander has the Thunder in a place that was very unexpected at the start of the season.
G: De’Aaron Fox
The De’Aaron Fox breakout should be talked about more. Though his points per game are at a similar clip to where they have been the past few seasons, he is averaging a career high in assists and rebounds while shooting a career high on field goals, threes, and twos this season.
F: Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown should be eligible as a forward and if he is not we riot. That said, Brown is averaging a career high 26.8 points per game while shooting a career high 49% from the field and 58% on twos.
F: Jimmy Butler
The advanced numbers are the main case for Butler’s All-NBA case. He is 4th in the NBA in VORP (value over replacement player), 4th in the NBA in win shares, and 7th in the NBA in PER (player efficiency rating). While I have no idea how these are counted, being that high on these stats is not a bad thing.
C: Joel Embiid
Since Jokic got the first team nod, Embiid got the second team nod. Having an MVP caliber season, Embiid has the Sixers in the third seed in the East averaging 33.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. Yet another huge season for Embiid.
Third Team
G: Damian Lillard
The numbers tell us that Lillard has had an All-NBA season, even if the games played are iffy, and the team record is bad. 32.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds on shooting splits of .46/.37/.91 are huge numbers and All-NBA numbers.
G: Steph Curry
The games played argument against Curry is real and Golden State’s record is not where it should be but the numbers are All-NBA level and he is Steph Curry so he catches the benefit of the doubt.
F: Julius Randle
Randle is having a better season than he did in 2021 when he won Most Improved Player. Averaging a career high 25.1 points a game, Randles huge bounceback season can be attributed to the addition of Jalen Brunson and him taking more threes (a career high 8.3 a game, 2.8 higher than his previous high) and making more threes (2.8 per game).
F: Lauri Markkanen
Markkanen is having his best season to date and is the front runner for Most Improved Player. Averaging 25.7 points on shooting splits of .50/.39/.87 is a monster season and having played in 65 games, he gets the last forward spot.
C: Domantas Sabonis
Sabonis is having, arguably, his best season to date. Averaging 19.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists on the season, shooting career highs across the board, field goals at 61%, threes at 35% (I am not courting 2018-19 when he only took 19 threes all season), twos at 64%, and free throws at 76%.
No LeBron
I can’t believe that I don’t have LeBron James on my All-NBA ballot. LEBRON JAMES. However, his and Markkanen’s numbers are very similar and with LeBron playing in 49 games and Markkanen 65, I gave the edge to Markkanen.
The end of the season is near and with the playoffs approaching, I figured this was a good time to release my All-NBA ballot.
Comments