The coronavirus pandemic and the resulting NBA hiatus have thrown award season into disarray, but it’s probably safe to assume that any remaining regular season games for 2019/20 won’t affect award races too significantly. With that in mind, we asked you to vote last week on the 15 players you feel deserve All-NBA spots for ’19/20.
Last Monday, we opened voting for the All-NBA First Team. We moved on to the Second Team on Wednesday, then opened the polls for the Third Team on Friday. The results of all those polls are in, so let’s check them out.
- Guard: Luka Doncic (Mavericks)
- Guard: James Harden (Rockets)
- Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Forward: LeBron James (Lakers)
- Center: Anthony Davis (Lakers)
- Guard: Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)
- Guard: Bradley Beal (Wizards)
- Forward: Kawhi Leonard (Clippers)
- Forward: Pascal Siakam (Raptors)
- Center: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Guard: Devin Booker (Suns)
- Guard: Chris Paul (Thunder)
- Forward: Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- Forward: Jimmy Butler (Heat)
- Center: Joel Embiid (Sixers)
Your top vote-getters in the final round of polling who didn’t quite earn spots on the Third Team: Trae Young (Hawks), Russell Westbrook (Rockets), and Paul George (Clippers).
My own All-NBA Teams would look somewhat similar to the ones you picked, though the guard position is a tricky one. Booker likely wouldn’t be one of my 15 choices, and Beal would be a Third Team pick at best for me. Both players put up great offensive numbers, but their teams didn’t have great seasons and they’re poor defenders (Booker ranked 132nd out of 137 shooting guards in Defensive Real Plus-Minus, per ESPN; Beal was 137th).
There’s no shortage of candidates who could replace Booker and potentially Beal — Kyle Lowry and Kemba Walker were veteran leaders on two of the league’s best teams, Westbrook had a monster season in Houston, Donovan Mitchell was the leading scorer for a top-four team in the West, and Ben Simmons’ elite defensive ability makes his case stronger than his offensive numbers would suggest.
I might opt for Westbrook and Lowry over Booker and Beal. I’d also be tempted to find room for Khris Middleton at forward and Bam Adebayo or Rudy Gobert at center, though Butler and/or Embiid would be tough cuts. I’d likely bump Tatum up to the Second Team as well, pushing Siakam down to Third Team.
Of course, the official All-NBA teams will hinge in part on what positions are assigned to certain players. Can Davis be considered a center or will he be deemed a forward? Will James be eligible for a guard spot? Will Butler be a guard or a forward? Those positional decisions, particularly for the Lakers’ stars, could have a ripple effect on other selections.
What do you think? Do you disagree strongly with any of these choices? Do you expect major discrepancies when the official All-NBA teams are announced? Let us know in the comment section!
I’m positive that Devin Booker won’t make any actual All-NBA team. Westbrook likely will. Beal and Young are maybe on the third team. If Butler is eligible at guard, he probably deserves a spot over all 4 of those guys.
In that case, with Butler as a guard, there’s no reason Khris Middleton shouldn’t make third team. He’s having as good, or maybe slightly better (per 36 numbers) of a season than PG13 in about 10 more games played.
Harden / Luka / Giannis / AD / KAT
Dame / Kyrie / Kawhi / LBJ / Jokic
Ice Trae / Westbrook / Butler / Collins / Whiteside
Dame shouldn’t be on second team his team is terrible this year…. Kyrie has barely played, Whiteside gets blocks and rebounds but that’s it and Collins? Why would you put Collins on there he’s only getting those numbers because of Trae… and KAT shouldn’t make a team maybe a third team but he’s unable to lead his team anywhere…… my guess is ur a 12 year old who thinks big men who are fed in the paint are top 15 players in the NBA
sorry wrong comment
This is a joke right.
This is a joke right
I think Middleton is being blamed for all the talk about being a max player or not, as well as the durability of the better Giannis (no missed games in 4+ years?). Siakam is still just a baseline player though is certainly excellent.
Maybe Gobert should be credited rather than blamed for being quick & obnoxious with covid19. Meanwhile Embiid is playing like he has that, or something.
Westbrook & Simmons have been dynamic and game-changing at guard, and always winning for a reason; Beal & Booker are just really good.
OKC may need to trade CPaul just so SGA can make it!