This evening, the three All-NBA teams were announced:
There’s a lot to talk about here, so let’s dive right in.
Honorable Mentions
Before we get started, I’d like to acknowledge some players who didn’t make the All-NBA teams but had great seasons. They aren’t necessarily players who I think should have made an All-NBA team, but their seasons should still be appreciated.
Guards: Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, Russell Westbrook, Trae Young, Zach LaVine (more on him later)
Forwards: Jayson Tatum, DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis
Center: Nikola Vucevic, Bam Adebayo
Biggest Surprises
Looking at these teams, specifically the Third Team, two players stood out to me: Bradley Beal and Jimmy Butler.
Beal had another great scoring season for the Washington Wizards, averaging 31.3 points per game. However, he didn’t contribute much outside of that, only averaging 4.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds while not exactly being a defensive star. He’s a great player, but with the other great guards who had more well-rounded stats and contributed to more wins, did his season really make the cut? Beal’s an outstanding player, but an argument could be made for players like Trae Young, Jayson Tatum (who was on the All-NBA ballot as both a guard and a forward), and Beal’s teammate, Mr. Triple-Double himself, Russell Westbrook.
Jimmy Butler was, once again, the best player on the Miami Heat. He was one of the league’s best defenders (he made the All-Defensive Second Team) but often struggled on the offensive end. Butler’s three-point shooting, which was once a solid part of his game, continued to regress, as he only made 24.5% of his attempts from beyond the arc. This was actually better than his mark last season (24.4%), but it’s still terrible for a small forward.
Despite that ugly three-point shooting percentage, Butler actually produced a career year in both rebounds (6.9) and assists (7.1) per game while leading the league in steals per game (2.1). Honestly, I think Butler deserves to make the team, as he had a very good season if you ignore his three-point shooting. However, Jayson Tatum could have taken his place on the team as he averaged more points and rebounds per game while shooting much better from deep. Tatum also played in 12 more games than Butler, and I personally place a great amount of value on player availability.
Biggest “Snubs”
Before I start naming snubs, let’s get one thing out of the way: the NBA is probably the deepest it’s ever been. There’s stars everywhere, and despite so many players having great seasons this year, only 15 players can make the All-NBA teams. If it were up to me, there’d be four teams to better accommodate the growing amount of stars in the league. Also, the teams wouldn’t be restricted by position. Joel Embiid, for example, had a first-team-caliber season but was demoted to the second team because of MVP winner Nikola Jokic. I’d argue that Embiid was more deserving of first-team honors than Kawhi Leonard, but because the teams require 2 guards, 2 forwards, and 1 center, Embiid was demoted. Anyway, out of all the great players who didn’t make the All-NBA teams, here are the ones I feel had the best seasons. I’ll also make my All-NBA “Fourth Team,” following the position guidelines I outlined earlier.
Jayson Tatum, who I’ve talked about already, had a fantastic season. Despite the disappointing season the Celtics had, Tatum cemented himself as one of the league’s elite players. While he may not have the ceiling of Luka Doncic, he’s a threat to drop 50 points any night and also offers great defense and positional versatility. While the playoffs don’t count toward awards, it’s hard to ignore Tatum’s ability to keep the Celtics in most games against the Nets despite the obvious talent disparity between Brooklyn and Boston. Like Doncic, Tatum is still very young (he’s only 23!), and it’s scary to think that he could still somehow develop into an even better player. If the Celtics decide to blow it up this season, there’s only a select few other players I’d rather restart my team around.
Can we talk about Russell Westbrook’s season? After a rough playoff exit in Houston and a subsequent trade to the Washington Wizards, Russ was mostly an afterthought entering this season. But he managed to average a triple-double over an entire season AGAIN, which I don’t think we give enough credit to. Sure, they’re easier to come by in this era than ever before, but Westbrook’s compiled 184 triple-doubles in his career, whereas only 3 other players in the history of the NBA have even passed the century mark (LeBron James, who currently has 99, will likely join the century club next season). Averaging double-digit rebounds in a season as a 6’3″ guard is extremely impressive. And while Westbrook’s shooting has been the subject of a lot of criticism, his 31.5% three-point shooting this season was a significant upgrade from last season, when he shot 25.8% from deep. 31.5% is also Westbrook’s best second-best mark from deep since the 2014-15 season. Even though his contract is massive, I’d expect several teams looking to make a deep playoff run call Washington’s front office about a possible Westbrook trade.
My All-NBA “Fourth Team”
Guard: Russell Westbrook, Washington Wizards – see above
Guard: Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz – My first thought here was the Suns’ Devin Booker, but Mitchell’s Jazz not only had a better record than the Suns, but Mitchell actually averaged more points, rebounds, and assists per game than Booker while shooting better from deep. Booker also had the benefit of having legendary point guard Chris Paul on his team to help on both offense and defense. Mike Conley, Mitchell’s teammate, is also a great guard, but he’s not at the same level as Paul and played in 19 less games than CP3.
Forward: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics – see above
Forward: Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat – Though Bam didn’t make as big of a leap this year as he did between 2019 and 2020, he still improved his game while contributing on a team most of us thought would contend in the playoffs. Adebayo’s calling card is his elite defensive versatility, but he also set career highs in points per game (18.7) while shooting better from the field and from the free throw line than he did last season. Sure, he’s still not a three-point shooter, but if Miami can surround him and Jimmy Butler with more consistent shooters outside of Duncan Robinson (who’s a free agent this offseason), the Heat could once again be a dangerous team in the East.
Center: Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls – Did I move Bam to the forward slot just to fit Vooch in here? Yes, but with good reason. Vucevic, who was traded by the Orlando Magic at the deadline to the Bulls, had an amazing season. He averaged 24.5 PPG and 11.8 RPG while shooting 40% from deep before being traded. Though all of those numbers declined slightly after coming to Chicago, he was still a fantastic player. After having a full offseason with head coach Billy Donovan and teammates Patrick Williams and Zach LaVine, Vuceivc could put up better numbers for the Bulls next season. LaVine and Vucevic should be a very exciting duo next season.
Zach LaVine’s Place Among the NBA’s Elite
To all the Bulls fans saying LaVine was snubbed: he wasn’t. Although he had a great breakout season for the Bulls, LaVine, like third-team honoree Bradley Beal, primarily offered scoring to his team. And while LaVine was the better shooter of the two, Beal averaged nearly four more points per game while helping his team make the playoffs, something LaVine once again failed to do.
Bulls fans should still appreciate LaVine’s great season. It gives us hope that he, along with Vooch and a hopefully improved Patrick Williams, can lead the team to the playoffs for the first time in what feels like forever.
So, where does LaVine fit among all NBA players? This season cemented him as an All-Star caliber player (since he literally made the All-Star team), but I’m not ready to put him in my top 20 players. If he offered more than scoring, it’d be easier to put him up there, but there’s too many players who can contribute more than LaVine as of now. I love LaVine as a player and, based on the last few seasons, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him once again improve some aspect of his game. LaVine has the potential to make one of these All-NBA teams next season.