The NBA’s usual award season is in flux due to the coronavirus pandemic. Under normal circumstances, the regular season would be over by this point and voting would have taken place on the league’s major awards. This year, however, it’s unclear if or when the season will resume after being suspended last month, creating uncertainty about whether players will get any more regular season games to make their cases for award consideration, and about when voting will take place.
That’s hardly the most pressing concern facing the NBA, but as we remain in a holding pattern waiting for updates on how the league may proceed, we might as well engage in some award speculation.
For now, our assumption is that if the regular season isn’t entirely over, it’s very close to it. Even if the league is able to resume play this summer, there will likely only be a handful of regular season games on an abridged schedule. Those games are unlikely to have a massive impact on players’ cases for awards, so we’re moving forward with our annual vote on our All-NBA teams now.
We want to give you an opportunity to make your own picks, starting today with the First Team. We’ll move onto the Second Team later in the week, and the Third Team after that.
Polls for the guards, forwards, and center are below — you’ll have the opportunity to pick two players apiece in the guard and forward polls. We’ll leave today’s polls open for at least the next 48 hours before naming the players with the most votes to our All-NBA First Team and moving on to voting for the Second Team.
A couple caveats before we move onto the polls:
- If there’s a player you believe deserves All-NBA consideration who isn’t named below, be sure to mention him in the comment section — if I agree, I’ll make sure he’s included in our Second and Third Team polls.
- There are a few players I’ve listed at multiple positions. If there are any other players you believe deserve to be listed at a second position, please make your case in the comments and I’ll consider making adjustments for the Second and Third Team polls.
Vote for your All-NBA First Team below, then take to the comment section to explain your picks!
Guards:
(Choose two)
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Forwards:
(Choose two)
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA First Team forwards.
Center:
(Choose one)
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA First Team center.
Playing alongside McGee and Howard, Anthony Davis is not a center and can’t be considered as such. I think it is safe to say that Jokić will get another All-NBA first team selection this season.
McGee plays 10 minutes. Howard has had a great year bounce back. Place 20 minutes? Who plays center the other 15-20 minutes?
Anthony Davis is my first team all-nba Center. Hands down.
It goes off of starting lineup and he isn’t listed as one. So he doesn’t qualify even if he plays it later in the game.
When considering possible multiple-position guys, one of the things I looked at was their most frequent lineup combinations. Davis’ top two most common lineups included McGee, but AD was the center in 6 of the next 8, so I felt like it was fair to list him at both spots.
Admittedly it was a somewhat subjective decision, and I wouldn’t blame anyone for not considering him a center — especially since he has talked in the past about preferring to play the four.
This season Lakers played 3034 total minutes, and Howard and McGee logged 1193 and 1026 minutes respectively. So not only AD spent majority (62%) of his time playing PF, two other players on his own team played center for way more minutes than him (718).
Admittedly, as a fellow Serbian, I am maybe biased toward Jokić, and AD is certainly well deserving of a spot, but I just don’t think he will be eligible to be selected as a center when time for real votes comes.
Okay I guess I need a new center, even though Davis plays 38 % of his time at Center. By the way is it only the All-Star Game where they have two guards and three forwards voting? Or is that an all League team selection format too? Anyway jokic is the best center in the league and gets my vote then.
No, All Leauge is still 2 guards, 2 forwards and 1 center.
Ok thanks.. Luke, by the way this is all your fault LOL. Just kidding of course. We love you.
Dame-Harden-LBJ-Giannis-Jokic
I consider AD a PF, especially with the amount of time he spent beside Dwight and McGee. He hasn’t had a better year than Giannis.
Luka over Dame, wins matter.
That’s exactly what I put. Sorry Luka
Isnt James a pg this season?
He’s handling the ball more than ever, but all of his most frequent lineups include two other guys who I’d consider guards (some combination of Bradley, Rondo, Caruso, KCP, and Green). Plus, I just don’t think voters will consider him a guard after 15 straight years of listing him as an All-NBA forward.
Jump shot, he plays like one a lot of the time but they still have Avery Bradley and rondo at point guard usually. And if he does play PG it’s in the middle-late game, he doesn’t start as one, no hate just trying to help a brother out
For some reason I thought he was on the All-Star ballot as a guard this season. Maybe not.
The All-NBA first team should just be the five best players in a given season, regardless of position.
Especially considering that a player’s earning potential is largely dependent on whether or not they make All-NBA.
Harden
Doncic
Giannis
AD
KAT
I have never considered AD a center, so he is still the best forward together with Giannis.
Guards is the easiest choice, no argument there.
KAT has been the best center this season that is clear, although I don’t think he will get much love for the games missed, but when he played he delivered as the best, as he usually does.
I must assume you are joking, there is no other sensible explanation for inclusion of KAT. Not only that Minnesota is second to last in West, but they actually have better record in games he missed (9-19, vs. 10-25 when he played). Furthermore, since the end of November Minnesota is 1-18 in games KAT played, withe the sole win coming after 17 consecutive losses. Not only he is not deserving of a spot on ALL-NBA first team (nor second or third), he should not even be in contention for it.
I also think LeBron should be listed as a PG.
Might sound stupid but this is what actually happened, Bron moved from SF to PG, Green moved from SG to SF, and Bradley/KCP was the SG.
If you don’t list Bron as the PG who was? Cause Bradley or KCP wasn’t the starting PG. Dondo
Only started 3 games…
If you watched the games it was also pretty clear Bron defended guards smaller than him most the year, hence why he had good defensive numbers and Bron always was the ball handler.
I’d have all NbA first team looking
Bron Luka Giannas AD and Jokic
This makes sense.
Other all nba second team
Lillard Harden Kawhi (someone) and Embiid
Someone= Siakim/Tatum/Middleton/Butler
Agreed… pg for LJ.
And, as the league trends towards this “position-less” type game, why not, as mentioned above, just pick the 5 best?
If things were positionless, then AD & LJ can in a sense combine their votes and rank higher.
However I never saw AD have very strong games or be that influential.
Doncic Harden Giannis Lebron Jokic
I agree that it should be done this way, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the NBA eventually changes the format.
I’d certainly welcome it for these poll posts alone — creating one poll would be much easier than doing three separate ones! Hah.