Kurt Helin
First team
G: James Harden, Rockets
G: Stephen Curry, Warriors
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
F: Paul George, Thunder
C: Joel Embiid, 76ers
Second team
G: Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers
G: Kyrie Irving, Celtics
F: Kevin Durant, Warriors
F: Kawhi Leonard, Raptors
C: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Third team
G: Russell Westbrook, Thunder
G: Kemba Walker, Hornets
F: LeBron James, Lakers
F: Blake Griffin, Pistons
C: Rudy Gobert, Jazz
At center, it was tough to leave Karl-Anthony Towns off the list, but his early-season struggles — even if Jimmy Butler deserves blame for that — set him just behind Gobert. The final guard spot on the third team was the other hard choice, leaving Bradley Beal and Klay Thompson off was difficult, all three were deserving, but to me Kemba had to carry the heaviest burden for his team the longest last season.
Dan Feldman
First team
G: James Harden, Rockets
G: Stephen Curry, Warriors
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
F: Paul George, Thunder
C: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Second team
G: Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers
G: Kyrie Irving, Celtics
F: Kevin Durant, Warriors
F: Kawhi Leonard, Raptors
C: Joel Embiid, 76ers
Third team
G: Bradley Beal, Wizards
G: Jrue Holiday, Pelicans
F: LeBron James, Lakers
F: Blake Griffin, Pistons
C: Rudy Gobert, Jazz
After filling out my MVP ballot, the first team and most of the second team came together easily. Considering his big advantage in minutes, Nikola Jokic landed solidly ahead of Joel Embiid for first-team center. Pascal Siakam drew consideration for third-team forward, but Blake Griffin and LeBron James got the nod for carrying far bigger loads.
The real drama came with third-team guards and center.
The two guard spots came down to Bradley Beal, Jrue Holiday, Russell Westbrook, Kemba Walker and Mike Conley. Beal took everything on his plate for Washington after John Wall got hurt and did so well in that lone-star role. Holiday was by far the best defender of the group, and he was also darn good running New Orleans’ offense. As many all-around contributions as Westbrook made, I just couldn’t overlook his terrible shooting.
At center, I valued Rudy Gobert helping to make this season meaningful for the Jazz over Karl-Anthony Towns failing to set a tone then later dazzling offensively. I also gave real consideration to Anthony Davis. His trade request torpedoed the Pelicans’ season, and that should count against him. But he was also absolutely awesome before that, and he continued to show up to play afterward. New Orleans’ response to the trade request wasn’t all on him.
Dane Delgado
First team
G: Stephen Curry, Warriors
G: James Harden, Rockets
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
F: Paul George, Thunder
C: Joel Embiid, 76ers
Second team
G: Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers
G: Kyrie Irving, Celtics
F: Kevin Durant, Warriors
F: Kawhi Leonard, Raptors
C: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Third team
G: Ben Simmons, 76ers
G: Bradley Beal, Wizards
F: Pascal Siakam, Raptors
F: Blake Griffin, Pistons
C: Rudy Gobert, Jazz
It feels like the only squabble on All-NBA is with the center position of the first team. Whether you want to go with Embiid or Jokic is your personal preference — longevity vs. a more well-rounded game. The only real issue I have is with putting Kyrie Irving on second team. His actions this year have been pretty off-putting, but I’m not sure that the All-NBA teams require the same kind of narrative that the MVP award does. I won’t be alone in leaving LeBron James off of the third team, and instead substituting more valuable players who deserve their spots accordingly. It seems like we’ve all argued about who goes on these All-NBA teams, but they’re pretty well-sorted already this year.