NBA Announces 2020/2021 All-NBA Teams
The NBA has officially announced the All-NBA First, Second, and Third Teams for the 2020/21 season, with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way as the lone unanimous selection for the First Team.
Antetokounmpo and Nuggets‘ MVP Nikola Jokic were the two top vote-getters, combining for 998 out of a possible 1,000 points, with Warriors guard Stephen Curry following shortly behind. Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic rounding out the top five.
The full All-NBA teams are listed below, with their vote totals in parentheses. Players received five points for a First Team vote, three points for a Second Team vote, and one point for a Third Team vote, so Giannis scored a perfect 500 — First Team nods from all 100 voters.
All-NBA First Team
- Guard: Stephen Curry, Warriors (496)
- Guard: Luka Doncic, Mavericks (402)
- Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (500)
- Forward: Kawhi Leonard, Clippers (323)
- Center: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (498)
All-NBA Second Team
- Guard: Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers (372)
- Guard: Chris Paul, Suns (311)
- Forward: LeBron James, Lakers (174)
- Forward: Julius Randle, Knicks (253)
- Center: Joel Embiid, Sixers (352)
All-NBA Third Team
- Guard: Kyrie Irving, Nets (61)
- Guard: Bradley Beal, Wizards (71)
- Forward: Paul George, Clippers (89)
- Forward: Jimmy Butler, Heat (131)
- Center: Rudy Gobert, Jazz (148)
Among the players who just missed the cut were Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (69), Wizards guard Russell Westbrook (44), Nets guard James Harden (41), Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (37) and Heat center Bam Adebayo (32). A total of 12 other players received votes. The full results can be found here.
Today’s announcement has major financial implications across the league. Tatum, who received more votes than Kyrie Irving but still fell 20 votes short of a final forward spot, will lose out on a projected $32.6MM on his rookie scale extension, as his next deal will start at 25% of the cap instead of the 30% he would have received if he’d been named to an All-NBA team. Likewise, Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox and Adebayo will all receive starting salaries worth 25% of the cap on their respective extensions as a result of missing out on All-NBA honors.
Doncic, having been named to his second consecutive All-NBA First Team, will be eligible for a 30% extension that would be worth a projected $201MM+ and is almost certain to be offered this summer. Doncic has previously made clear his intentions to sign the extension when offered. It will go into effect for the 2022/23 season.
Embiid is now eligible for a super-max contract extension, which would run for four years, starting in 2023/24, and would be worth a projected $191MM, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. It’s unclear whether the Sixers will immediately put this extension on the table this offseason.
Bradley Beal‘s deal will not change with his first career All-NBA selection, as he is already eligible for a 35% contract extension on his next deal. Jokic, having been named MVP previously this week, also sees no change in his possible future super-max extension, which will be worth approximately $241MM.
Hoops Rumors readers accurately picked 12 of this season’s 15 All-NBA players in our poll. Devin Booker, Adebayo, and Tatum were your picks who didn’t make the official list.
James Harden To Play In Game Five
6:45pm: Harden will play in Game 5, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Nets head coach Steve Nash, when asked about Harden’s condition, had previously said that the decision would come down to Harden himself, tweeted Adam Zagoria of The New York Times.
“I think it is James’ decision,” Nash said. “He’s been pushing, he wants to play but he’s got to go through his pre-game routine and see if he’s able.
12:21pm: Less than 24 hours after being ruled out for Game 5 of the Nets‘ series with the Bucks, star guard James Harden has had his status upgraded again. Having originally been upgraded to “doubtful” earlier today, Harden is now being listed as questionable, the team announced.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Harden, who has been sidelined since Game 1 of the series due to a right hamstring strain, intends to play on Tuesday night, barring a pregame setback. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reported hours ago that the 31-year-old planned to go through today’s shootaround in the hopes of being cleared, says there were no issues during that session (Twitter link).
If Harden is indeed able to play, it will be a major boost to a Nets team that has lost two consecutive games and will be missing Kyrie Irving on Tuesday due to an ankle sprain.
Brooklyn has struggled to get its offense going in its last two games. The team scored just 83 points in a Game 3 loss. In Game 4, no one besides Durant and Irving (who played just 17 minutes) scored double-digit points. The series is now tied at two games apiece.
Harden missed over a month of action during the regular season due to an injury to the same hamstring before aggravating the issue during the first quarter of Brooklyn’s second-round series. The fact that he has now been upgraded from out to questionable for Tuesday’s game feels like a sign of the Nets’ desperation. Hopefully, if he does return tonight, Harden won’t tweak that hamstring again, potentially subjecting himself to an even longer absence.
James Harden Doubtful For Game 5
[UPDATE: Harden Upgraded To Questionable For Game 5, Plans To Play]
JUNE 15, 8:49am: Harden has been upgraded from “out” to “doubtful” for Game 5, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The Nets’ star still seems unlikely to play on Tuesday, but the team is now at least leaving the door open to the possibility.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter), Harden intends to test his hamstring during today’s shootaround in the hopes of receiving medical clearance.
JUNE 14, 4:19pm: All-Star Nets guard James Harden will join Kyrie Irving on the sidelines for Game 5 of Brooklyn’s second-round series against the Bucks, writes Malika Andrews of ESPN. Harden has missed all but 43 seconds of the series with a right hamstring strain, which he initially suffered late in the regular season. Head coach Steve Nash had told reporters earlier today that Harden was “working out.”
Irving sprained his right ankle in the Nets’ Game 4 loss on Sunday, and will miss at least Game 5. Though the point guard underwent an MRI today, the club didn’t provide an estimate for his recovery or return.
As Andrews notes, this will leave just forward Kevin Durant available among the Nets’ three All-Stars when the series returns to Brooklyn on Tuesday. The Bucks have rallied back to tie up the series at 2-2.
With both Harden and Irving out to start the second half of Game 4 on Sunday, Nash started point guard Mike James and forward Jeff Green alongside incumbent starters Durant, Joe Harris and Blake Griffin.
Across the six playoff games he was available for Brooklyn this season, Harden averaged 23.2 PPG, 8.8 APG, 6.2 RPG, 1.7 SPG and 0.8 BPG, while sporting a slash line of .556/.475/.909.
Kyrie Irving To Miss Game 5 Due To Ankle Sprain
The Nets will be without point guard Kyrie Irving for Game 5 vs. the Bucks on Tuesday, head coach Steve Nash told reporters today. Irving suffered a sprained right ankle in Brooklyn’s Game 4 loss on Sunday.
Irving underwent an MRI on his injured ankle today, but the Nets aren’t prepared to offer an exact recovery timeline, according to Malika Andrews of ESPN, who tweets that Nash said today he has “no idea” whether Kyrie will be able to return before the end of the series.
The Nets have already been playing since the first quarter of Game 1 without their other All-Star guard, James Harden, who suffered a right hamstring strain. Nash had no concrete update on Harden’s status, telling reporters that he was “working out” today, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
[UPDATE: James Harden ruled out for Game 5]
If Harden remains unavailable for Game 5, the pressure will be on the Nets’ lone remaining star, Kevin Durant, to carry the scoring load, with the help of Joe Harris and Blake Griffin, among others. The club will also lean more heavily on guards Bruce Brown, Mike James, and possibly Landry Shamet.
The series is currently tied at two games apiece. Irving’s absence opens the door for the Bucks to potentially steal Game 5 in Brooklyn and set themselves up for a close-out Game 6 at home.
Nets Notes: Irving, Harden, Durant, Green, More
Although he’s not ruling out the possibility that Nets guard Kyrie Irving will be available for Game 5 vs. the Bucks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (video link) suggested during a KJZ appearance on Monday morning that the team is bracing for Irving to miss at least that game, if not more, after spraining his ankle on Sunday.
With Irving and James Harden (hamstring) both potentially sidelined, the alarm bells are blaring for the Nets, who now find themselves in a 2-2 tie with Milwaukee, writes Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. As Vaccaro notes, even if Irving and Harden are able to play again in this series, there’s no guarantee they’d be 100%, and ankle and hamstring injuries are easy to tweak.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- If Irving and Harden are out, Kevin Durant will bear the burden of trying to carry the Nets into the next round, as Ian O’Connor of The New York Post and Joe Vardon of The Athletic write in separate stories. Vardon compares the situation to LeBron James having to shoulder the load for the 2015 Cavaliers after Irving and Kevin Love went down with injuries.
- The Nets at least got some good injury news prior to Game 4 on Sunday when forward Jeff Green was cleared to return. However, head coach Steve Nash admitted after the game that he ended up having to play Green more than he anticipated — and more than he would’ve liked. “I think (with) Kyrie going down, we used his versatility to try different things,” Nash said of Green, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I’m proud of him for playing. He wasn’t supposed to play today — a couple days ago. For him to ratchet it up and get out there was great.”
- In a span of days, the Nets went from overwhelming title favorites to being in real danger of elimination in the second round, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, who says that Brooklyn is the latest club to “ram home” the point that winning a title in the NBA is extremely difficult.
- The Nets and Bucks had differing views on P.J. Tucker‘s defense on Durant after Game 4, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes. Nash referred to Tucker’s approach as “borderline non-basketball physical at times,” prompting Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer to respond, “He’s just guarding him. If that’s not basketball, I don’t know what is.”
D’Antoni Interviewing With Blazers On Monday; Billups, Hammon To Follow
The Trail Blazers are interviewing Nets assistant Mike D’Antoni on Monday for their open head coaching position, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
According to Wojnarowski, Portland also has interviews lined up early this week with Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups and Spurs assistant Becky Hammon. All three names were previously identified as candidates to replace Terry Stotts in Portland.
A previous report stated that D’Antoni has “serious interest” in coaching the Blazers, but that it wasn’t clear whether Portland reciprocated that interest. The team appears intrigued enough by D’Antoni to give him an interview, though head of basketball operations Neil Olshey has indicated that the search will be fairly expansive, with upwards of 20-to-25 candidates receiving consideration. As such, we shouldn’t read too much into a single meeting.
Billups has previously been cited as a potential frontrunner for the Blazers’ vacancy. He also received a public endorsement from star point guard Damian Lillard, who is expected to have a say in the team’s hire.
Nets Won't Allow Kyrie Irving's Injury To Impact James Harden's Return
- The Nets won’t allow Kyrie Irving‘s ankle sprain to impact James Harden‘s return from a hamstring injury, head coach Steve Nash said, as relayed by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Harden missed most of Game 1 and hasn’t played since, with Brooklyn now missing two of its top three players due to injuries. “I think it’s an independent case. I don’t want James to be rushed back,” Nash said. “If he’s able to play next game and the game after, that’s fantastic.” As of Sunday night, no return timeline has been issued for either player.
Atlantic Notes: Griffin, Stevens, Williams, Green
Nets big man Blake Griffin has been happy, healthy and productive since signing with the team in March, as NetsDaily.com details.
Griffin, an 11-year veteran, has averaged 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in 24.1 MPG through the team’s first eight playoff games, starting at center in every contest. He’s shot an impressive 52.5% from the floor and 37.5% from deep during those outings.
“Every time I talk to Blake, one of the things that always comes up is how much fun he’s having, playing in meaningful games and making an impact,” said Jeff Capel, Griffin’s college coach.
Griffin is seeking his first NBA championship, earning a starting role on a contending team at 32 years old. The Nets are currently tied with the Bucks 2-2 in the second round of the postseason.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division tonight:
- A. Sherrod Blakely of the Boston Sports Journal ponders whether Celtics fans will be ready to “trust the process” now that Brad Stevens is the team’s lead decision-maker. Boston dealt with numerous injury and COVID-19 issues this season, never getting a fair chance at developing chemistry and competing. The team finished with an underwhelming 36-36 record and lost to the Nets 4-1 in the first round.
- Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston explores the factors that would go into a potential Robert Williams extension this offseason. Williams is eligible for a rookie scale extension after becoming the Celtics‘ top big man in the final stages of the season. He averaged 8.0 points and 6.9 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per game this year.
- The Sixers sent Danny Green home to Philadelphia to get treatment on his right calf strain, but hope to get him back around the team as quickly as possible due to his veteran leadership, head coach Doc Rivers said on Sunday (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com). Of course, the team would love to welcome a healthy Green back on the court too, but he’s expected to miss at least two or three more weeks due to his calf injury.
Kyrie Irving Suffers Right Ankle Sprain
4:57pm: The X-rays on Irving’s ankle came back negative, head coach Steve Nash said, as relayed by ESPN’s Malika Andrews (Twitter link). He will undergo further treatment and testing for the injury. Rachel Nichols of ESPN reported that Irving left the arena in a walking boot and crutches.
3:53pm: Nets All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving severely rolled his right ankle when he landed on the foot of Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo during a floater attempt during the second quarter of Game 4 of their second-round series on Sunday.
Malika Andrews of ESPN tweets that Irving will miss the second half of a crucial contest in Milwaukee. The Nets lead the series 2-1, as of this writing.
Irving joins fellow All-Star ball handler James Harden among the growing list of injured Nets as these playoffs continue. Harden remains sidelined with a right hamstring strain that kept him out of 18 games during the regular season and has kept him out of all but 43 seconds of this Bucks series.
The recovery timelines for Irving and Harden are currently murky, though Nets head coach Steve Nash said ahead of today’s game that Harden was “progressing in the right direction,” per Malika Andrews of ESPN. Nash stated that Harden has moved on to on-court workouts and shooting drills.
“When he’s able to get up to full speed and do it for two or three days without recurrence or setback … then I think that’s kind of the marker,” he said of establishing a recovery timeline.
Reserve point guard Mike James started in the place of Irving during the game’s second half. Another second-half starting adjustment came from head coach Steve Nash in the form of forward Jeff Green getting the nod ahead of shooting guard Bruce Brown, to provide more two-way firepower around incumbent starters Joe Harris (now the nominal starting shooting guard) and Blake Griffin (center), plus lone remaining healthy Nets All-Star Kevin Durant.
Rachel Nichols of ESPN tweets that Nash suggested to his team during the halftime break that the club would need to compensate for Irving’s scoring “by committee.”
Jeff Green Available For Nets
1:32pm: Green will be available to play for the Nets in Game 4 of their second-round matchup against the Bucks this afternoon, tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN. Andrews notes that Green will be suiting up for the first time since the second game in Brooklyn’s first-round contest against the Celtics on May 25.
1:22pm: Nets forward Jeff Green, still dealing with a left plantar fascia strain, will be a game-time decision for this afternoon’s crucial Game 4 contest against the Bucks, tweets Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. The Nets lead the series 2-1.
The 6’8″ tweener forward has been an effective role player for the Nets this season, averaging 11.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 1.6 APG during 27.0 MPG. He boasted a slash line of .492/.412/.776. Across the Nets’ first two games in the postseason, Green averaged 4.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 1.5 APG over 19.3 MPG.
Per Goodwill, Brooklyn head coach Steve Nash indicated that Green would need to successfully complete his pregame warmups and get a green light from team physicians before he’d be able to take the floor.
Brooklyn is of course still missing guards James Harden, out with a right hamstring strain for the third straight game, and Spencer Dinwiddie, recovering from a partially-torn ACL incurred during the first week of the 2020/21 regular season. Word recently surfaced that Dinwiddie still hopes to return to the floor for Brooklyn at some point during the playoffs, possibly during the NBA Finals.