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With the 2018 NBA Playoffs tipping off today, here are my picks for this season's All-NBA Teams.
All-NBA First Team:
G: James Harden
Harden’s talent and production are undeniable, as he has proven himself to be the best combo guard in the game. What can be called into question, however, is his compete level. Will he finally rise to the challenge during this playoff season?
G: Russell Westbrook
The guy averaged a triple double for the second straight season; nobody has ever done that before. Whether you think he’s inefficient or not, he deserves to be First Team All-NBA.
F: LeBron James
The King will be awarded one of the highest honors in the game for the 10th straight time and the 12th time in his career when the NBA announces it’s official All-NBA roster. Even Scott Crosby must admit that LeBron’s consistency is remarkable.
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Greek Freak is exactly that: a freak. He dominated the NBA this season, living up to the MVP expectations that were bestowed upon him by the media heading into the season.
C: Anthony Davis
Davis is quickly rising the ranks of elite NBA players, leading the Pelicans to the fifth seed in the West after losing fellow big man Demarcus Cousins.
All-NBA Second Team:
G: Damian Lillard
Lillard has been flirting with elite status since he broke into the Association, but he seems to have finally proven himself a top-tier guard after another All-Star season with the Trail Blazers.
G: Kyrie Irving
Unfortunately, Irving only played 60 games for the Celtics this season, but he proved to be capable of leading a championship-caliber team, as the Celtics were able to compete with anyone when Irving was healthy.
F: Kevin Durant
Durant came just 1.1 percentage points away from becoming the first player since teammate Steph Curry (in 2016) to shoot 50% from the floor, 40% from three-point land, and 90% from the stripe.
F: Jimmy Butler
Whose mans is the Minnesota Timberwolves? After scoring 22 points per game on 47% shooting, Jimmy Butler staked a pretty convincing claim to be leader of the T-Wolves.
C: Karl Anthony-Towns
The Kentucky product has lived up to every bit of the hype that he received after becoming the first pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. The expectation was that Towns would be a double-double guy, and that’s exactly what he was in 2018, averaging 22 points and 13 rebounds.
All-NBA Third Team:
G: Steph Curry
Curry is a victim of the classic “only one ball” conundrum, but regardless, he is one of the best players in the NBA and probably the greatest shooter of all time.
G: Demar DeRozan
In my opinion, DeRozan is one of the most underrated players in the league. How many other players can score at the rate he does on a top-tier team and still go largely unrecognized?
F: LaMarcus Aldridge
With Kawhi Leonard sidelined for most of the season, Aldridge shined, averaging 24 points per game and leading a crippled Spurs team to the playoffs.
F: Blake Griffin
Griffin had a super weird season, as he signed a 5-year max contract, playing with the Clippers before they dealt him to the Detroit Pistons. Nonetheless, his performance remained consistent, and he and Drummond should be a legitimate frontcourt presence next season.
C: Joel Embiid
A healthy Joel Embiid is a scary-talented basketball player. A healthy Joel Embiid is also extremely rare to come by. This year, we were blessed enough to see what Embiid is really capable of on the court.
(Stats via Basketball Reference)
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