The 2023-24 NBA regular season came to a close on Sunday. Most fans’ focus shifts right over to the playoffs, but others shift over to who should win certain awards. More specifically, a lot of people think about who should be on each All-NBA team.
Here are my picks for each All-NBA Team.
Remember, this is the first year the awards are positionless. Some people will still vote in the traditional way.
NBA First Team Honors
Nikola Jokic
We’ll start with a very obvious one, even though most of the first team is quite obvious. He proved his haters wrong when he won his first title last season. Whether people still want to say his fans are “box score merchants” or “advanced stat nerds,” Jokic is the most valuable player in the league and should be the consensus best player in the world.
Luka Dončić
My runner-up for MVP is another easy pick for First Team All-NBA. I left him off last year’s First Team because the Mavericks did not make the play-in tournament. Not only did his team improve, but he did, too. He averaged 34 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists per game on 62 percent True Shooting. The Mavs are playing the Clippers in the playoffs for the third time in five years. It will be interesting to see if they can win this one.
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic working on free throws ahead of Dallas’ series with the LA Clippers that begins Sunday. pic.twitter.com/ZUwlFxrrHo
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) April 16, 2024
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
In the past, I have been more critical of Gilgeous-Alexander than most. However, there is not much more to criticize him for. He averaged over 30 points per game on 64 percent True Shooting while playing very solid defense. Lastly, the Thunder are 11.16 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court than off the court.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Based on what we have heard about the Bucks all season, you would think they are barely a play-in team. Even though 49 wins is nothing special, it was still good enough for No. 3 in the East. Furthermore, Antetokounmpo was more dominant than ever despite the lack of team success. He averaged 30 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists per game on 65 percent True Shooting. Antetokounmpo has a ton of pressure given how disappointing he was in the playoffs last year and how high expectations were this year. Regardless of whether the Bucks make a deep playoff run, I fully expect a dominant stretch of games from Antetokounmpo.
Jayson Tatum
This one should not be too controversial, but there has been a campaign on X the past couple of days to kick Tatum off. I simply cannot quite understand that argument. Tatum averaged 27 points and eight rebounds per game on 60 percent True Shooting with great defense. He was also the best player on the best team in the NBA. People will point to the fact that the Celtics are not much better with him on the court than off the court, but I can guarantee you this team is not finishing higher than the No. 4 seed without Tatum.
The fact this is considered a crap game from Tatum shows that he is able to contribute in other ways when he doesn't have his best stuff- exactly what a superstar does https://t.co/uKReG1wniU
— All American Hooper (@AmericanHooper) December 29, 2023
NBA Second Team Honors
Jalen Brunson
After going on an apology tour for Jalen Brunson last year, I might have to go on another one. In the preseason, I had him ranked just inside the top 30 and had the Knicks finishing as the No. 7 seed. What happened? The Knicks finished as the No. 2 seed and Brunson will likely make Second Team All-NBA. Even though his supporting cast deserves plenty of credit, Brunson was without Julius Randle for 36 games. In addition, after the Knicks traded R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for OG Anunoby, Anunoby missed a large portion of games, too. Brunson was already awesome in the playoffs last year. I am sure looking forward to watching him again this year.
Kawhi Leonard
Despite falling off towards the end of the season, Leonard deserves a spot on this list. He averaged 24 points and six rebounds on 64 percent True Shooting while playing elite defense. I was higher on the Clippers than anyone in the preseason; they were my pick to win the West. Most people had them finishing right about where they are now at the No. 4 seed. Though I do not see them getting past the third round, never count out the playoff version of Kawhi Leonard.
Posting the best playoff performances in Clippers history until Sunday Part 2:
Kawhi Leonard 2021 1st Round G6 down 3-2 vs Mavericks:
45 PTS
6 REB
3 AST
2 STL
18-25 FG
5-9 3PM
4-4 FTOne of the greatest displays of dominance I have ever seen pic.twitter.com/xlBUCOMM6M
— ☔️ (@CookedByMari) April 16, 2024
Anthony Edwards
Many people saw the vision in Edwards making an All-NBA Team in the preseason, but not many people thought he would play this great. He averaged 26 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game with a 19.8 PER. Also, jumping up from the No. 8 seed to the No. 3 seed is extremely impressive. People will push back on his season by saying that he is not the most valuable player on his team. While it may be true that Rudy Gobert’s defense is more valuable than Edwards’ offense, I think any general manager in the league would take Edwards at his best over Gobert.
Kevin Durant
Is it just me or has Durant flown under the radar relative to his production level this season? He has averaged 27 points, six assists, and five rebounds per game on 64 percent True Shooting. What holds him back is his lack of defense and team success. However, the fact that Durant finished second in MVP voting in 2010 and should make an All-NBA Team in 2024 is unreal longevity.
LeBron James
Speaking of longevity, The King of Longevity himself will almost definitely make yet another All-NBA Team. Even though everyone realizes what he is doing as his age is insane, what goes unsaid is that he was better this year than the two years prior. The Lakers are the No. 8 seed, so a playoff berth is not guaranteed. However, there is a lot to be optimistic about. The Lakers have been playing awesome the past couple of weeks, James and Anthony Davis are healthier than they have been in a while, and matchups might be on their side. It will be interesting to see how things pan out this week.
LeBron says it doesn’t make sense that he hasn’t won DPOY, comparing it to Beyoncé never winning AOTY
"The year I finished 2nd… the guy who won Defensive Player of the Year didn't even make 1st Team All-Defense"
(@TheShopUN )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 16, 2024
NBA Third Team Honors
Anthony Davis
Speaking of Davis, he should make an All-NBA Team. Many would argue that he should be on the Second Team ahead of James and Durant. While this is not a terrible take, I think those two standouts have slightly better intangibles than Davis. With this all being said, Davis’s phenomenal season should not go unspoken. He has been arguably the best defender in the league while delivering super solid offense. I am very confident the Lakers will make it past the play-in tournament and would not be surprised if they win a playoff series or two.
Domantas Sabonis
Sabonis is another player who will almost definitely make an All-NBA team. There are questions, however, whether he’ll secure Second or Third Team honors. While people talk about how good he has been, he still feels somewhat underrated. He averaged 20 points, 14 rebounds (NBA-best), and eight assists per game on 64 percent True Shooting. Plenty of people argue that his numbers do not translate to wins, but every general manager would take a super efficient guy who rebounds better than anyone in the league while also being an elite passer.
Devin Booker
Booker is probably the only player in the NBA who is a lock for the Third Team. He has no argument for falling off, but there’s also not much of a case for him to make the Second Team. He struggled a bit at the beginning of the season but has been more consistent as of late. He averaged 27 points and six assists per game on 61 percent True Shooting. While many may point to the fact that he is the second option on a sixth-seeded team, I don’t think it should take away from how dominant he has been.
Stephen Curry
Curry has the worst team success out of anyone on this list. However, just like with the Suns and Lakers players on this list, it should not detract from his terrific season. He averaged 26 points and five rebounds per game on 62 percent True Shooting. Even though his on/off numbers are not great, most of that stems from the fact that he was the only Warrior who could reliably get a bucket on offense early in the season. That explains why he was always targeted. The Warriors might not get past the play-in tournament, but it will not be because of Curry.
An NBA player has made 300+ threes 7 times… 5 of those times have been Steph Curry 🤯
His 357 this year are the 3rd-most ever! pic.twitter.com/XrgDUC3Yne
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2024
Jaylen Brown
Despite people always talking about how Tatum is “playing on a superteam,” you rarely hear people give his second option the flowers he deserves. After signing the richest contract in NBA history over the offseason, Brown capitalized on that this season. He averaged 23 points and five rebounds per game on 58 percent True Shooting. Some of these numbers are deflated because he has to share the ball with his great teammates. However, when you factor in his versatility in scoring, his great defense, and what he brings to the table leadership-wise, he deserves consideration for Third Team All-NBA, at the very least.
Conclusion
These 15 guys were the most deserving of All-NBA honors, in my opinion. They all had tremendous regular seasons and should be rewarded for it. Of course, while players do care about accolades, their top priority is playoff success. It will be a treat to watch these guys play over the next few weeks.
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