By: Jordan Vitkauskas

The 2020-21 NBA season is by far the most unique in NBA history. It was announced that it would start a 72-game season just two months after the Finals ended (a huge mistake by Silver but I can imagine the pressure put on him by the TV empire to get some money back as soon as possible), and as a result of the uncertainty, players like Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis came in below their usual high levels. In addition, pretty much every team dealt with either real COVID-19 cases or saw players have to miss two weeks due to “COVID-19 protocols”, therefore making it hard to get in any groove consistently with guys in and out of the lineup. It’s no coincidence that all four conference finals teams from the bubble (Lakers, Nuggets, Heat, Celtics) have all struggled mightily at some point or another, and not one of them is higher than a fourth seed as we near the regular-season finish line.

With all that said, a ton of guys had seasons ranging from “breakout”, to “really really good” to “excellent” and all in-between. Over 40 players are averaging 20+ points per game this year, while guys from the 2015-17 draft classes are starting to find their way into stardom; not to mention the “old guard” of LeBron, CP3, Curry, and others are still performing at elite levels. This was by far the hardest All-NBA list I have ever come up with, and I’m sure mine looks different from yours and any media member with an actual vote. I doubt very few lists are exactly the same and that’s okay. Parity is good for basketball whether it is in the standings, MVP voting, or All-NBA selections. You may not agree with all of my picks but I can promise you this – I looked at a bevy of statistics, team records, and notes, as well as watched more basketball this year than I probably ever have. As they say, I left it all out there on the court tonight. Before we get to my teams, here’s what I valued as I made my selections.

 – How complete of a season did the player have from start to finish? This is a huge reason why Jokic is winning MVP over Embiid (a separate article/discussion I know). He was simply there and excellent almost every single night.

– Was the player available as much as possible given the circumstances this year? The best ability is availability, and most guys on this list didn’t miss a ton of time. I gave more relief in this category than normal because well, COVID. The lowest amount of games played for any of my selections was 43, with the average being around the low-60s.

– Is the player at least a solid two-way player? Defense does matter with how easy it is to score in today’s game. If not, are they truly exceptional on end to make up for it?

– How has the player’s team done this year? While not the complete deciding factor due to various circumstances (see: the crap Steph Curry has alongside him besides Draymond Green), I have a hard time putting most guys on an All-NBA team if you’re not at least in the play-in tournament at the bare minimum (sorry KAT, Zion, and Zach LaVine).

– How do all of their stats look, whether it’s the basic ones, as well as advanced numbers? This one affects a guy like Bradley Beal a lot once you take a look in the advanced section.

– The eye test. I’ve seen every team and pretty much every big-name player multiple times this year. Are they showing up when it matters most or are they only filling in the box score when games are out of hand? Do they give effort the whole game or take possessions off at a time when things aren’t going well? 

Okay, I think that’s about it for the breakdown of how I did this. Below are 15 names for three All-NBA teams in descending order. It was a struggle at times and I had a headache for most of it. I tried to give some type of explanation at the end, but feel free to comment or tweet yours to me @jordan_v24. I also put my toughest cuts in order too so you can see who just missed out. Happy reading…

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First Team

G – Steph Curry (63 gp, 32.0 ppg, 5.8 apg, 5.5 apg, 42.1% 3pt)

G – Luka Doncic (66 gp, 27.7 ppg, 8.6 apg, 8.0 rpg, 47.9% fg)

F – Giannis Antetokounmpo (61 gp, 28.1 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 5.9 apg, 56.9% fg)

F – Kawhi Leonard (52 gp, 24.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.2 apg, 39.8 3pt)

C – Nikola Jokic (72 gp, 26.4 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 8.3 apg, 38.8% 3pt)

– Curry and Luka were easy choices at the guard spots. They’ve carried their teams all season (I forgive Luka for not thinking the season would start when it did and thus, coming in a tad out of shape. The NBA messed that one up badly.), and both teams wouldn’t be near the playoffs without them. Giannis has quietly had another MVP-worthy season (even with the voter fatigue), and Kawhi gets the close nod over Randle because he’s been better on defense and the Clippers are a top-5 team in the league. As for Jokic, he’s been the best player for the longest period of time this year. The entire Denver offense flows through him and he can pick you apart in so many ways. Give him space? He’ll drain anything inside of 25 feet, including the always-awkward-but-effective one-legged fade shot that he’s perfected. Double team him? Jokic is the best in the league (outside of maybe LeBron) in passing to open guys out of the post. He makes the right decision 99% of the time sees guys open before they even know they’re going to be open, He’s the best passer for a big man I’ve ever seen. Period.

– The NBA announced that Embiid and Jokic were eligible for the forward and center positions this year, despite the two playing 99.9% of their minutes at center. At first, I was all for putting Embiid over Kawhi on the first team. He’s been one of the three-best players this season. However, by doing that it takes away a spot at the forward position that has so many worthy candidates this year. With the center position being light on choices, Embiid is going to have to settle for the second team,  but that doesn’t take away from his incredible season.

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Second Team

G – Chris Paul (70 gp, 16.4 ppg, 8.9 apg, 4.5 rpg, 39.5% 3pt)

G – Dame Lillard (67 gp, 28.8 ppg, 7.5 apg, 4.2 rpg, 39.1% 3pt)

F – Paul George (54 gp, 23.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 5.2 apg, 41.1% 3pt)

F – Julius Randle (71 gp, 24.1 ppg, 10.2 ppg, 6.0 apg, 41.1 3pt%)

C – Joel Embiid (51 gp, 28.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 37.7% 3pt

– Dame and CP3 were relatively easy selections for the second team. Lillard is having another excellent season and Paul almost single-handily turned around the fate of the Suns’ franchise, much like his OKC season a year prior. CP3 has been stellar on both ends of the floor, letting Booker get his touches, helping Mikal Bridges and Jae Crowder shoot high percentages from three-point range, and of course closing games with the killer mentality he’s had since the mid-2000s.

– Meanwhile, Randle is having the best season by a New York Knick since the 1989 Patrick Ewing and has the Big Apple locked and ready for their first playoff appearance since 2013. PG-13 has certainly played better than his showing in the bubble and was one of the 10-best two-way players this year. Time will tell if he can shake his postseason demons (41.0% fg / 33.8% 3pt in his last three playoff seasons) and help the Clippers get to the Finals.

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Third Team

G – Kyrie Irving (54 gp, 26.9 ppg, 6.0 apg, 4.8 rpg, 40.2% 3pt)

G – Jimmy Butler (52 gp, 21.5 ppg, 7.1 apg, 6.9 rpg, 2.1 spg)

F – Jayson Tatum (64 gp, 26.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 4.3 apg, 38.6% 3pt)

F – LeBron James (45 gp, 25.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 7.8 apg, 51.3% fg)

C – Rudy Gobert (71 gp, 14.3 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 2.7 bpg, 67.5% fg)

– Irving is the lone Brooklyn player on this list only due to Kevin Durant and James Harden missing too many games to really qualify. The ball-handling guru had some issues early in the season around leaving the team without notifying literally anyone in the organization, but he’s having his best year since 2016-17 and has pushed the Nets to wins when his other two stars have been out. Butler missed a stretch of games due to COVID-29 protocols early in the year but has come back to lead Miami all the way to a sixth seed, all while being one of the best two-way players in the league. His playmaking seems to get better every year as evidence by his career-high 7.2 apg; oh and he also leads the league in steals per game. Philly, Milwaukee, and Brooklyn do not want to see the Heat in the first or second round of the postseason if Butler keeps this up.

– Tatum and LeBron have each missed stretches this year with COVID-19 and an ankle injury respectively, but in their time on the court, they’ve been very good. James would’ve made the second team if he missed 5-8 fewer games, but I’m sure he and the Lakers only care about repeating as champs. Gobert was once again a top-5 defensive player in the league and his usual anchor self for the Jazz, who have just about locked up the best record in the NBA.

Notes

– Hardest omissions (in order): Russell Westbrook, Bam Adebayo, Bradley Beal, Jaylen Brown, Zion Williamson, Khris Middleton, Ben Simmons, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell.

– It feels weird to see only one player each from the Jazz, Suns, and Sixers on these teams when they have the three-best records in the league respectively. I looked for ways to change that but in all truthfulness, Booker and Mitchell haven’t been any better or worse than their previous 1-2 seasons, in terms of usage, shooting splits, or advanced stats, and Simmons just doesn’t do enough on offense to help his cause. Simmons would’ve been first out of these three but he remains a non-factor outside of 10-feet, was super inconsistent in general this year and even his playmaking was average by his standards at times. With that said, he should win Defensive Player of the Year for the excellent job he does smothering everyone from Curry to Randle and in-between. He was destructive on the defensive end this year in a way that reminds me of 2015-16 Kawhi Leonard.

– Russell Westbrook was my first and toughest cut. He’s been exceptional the last two months of games, and it’s reflected in the Wizards winning games. He passed the Big O for most triple-doubles in history, but Washington and Russ took a little too long to get going, and I can’t put him above Irving and Butler when their teams are much higher in the standings. As for Beal, he just doesn’t do enough besides score, which he is undoubtedly incredible at. But his defense is downright bad every year and he takes too many possessions off when he’s not directly involved in the beginning of the play.

– Adebayo was almost good enough to get on the third team and have me push Embiid to forward on the first team, but in the end, I just couldn’t take away a spot for all of the guards/forwards that had great years. Bam seems to be rounding into form just in time for the playoffs, which is all Miami cares about.

– If the Pelicans could’ve made the play-in tournament and Zion didn’t get hurt late, he would’ve made it on the third team. He semi-quietly had one of the most efficient seasons ever, shooting over 60% from the field, mostly just bullying anyone and everyone for easy shots around the rim. His defense got better. throughout the year but has a long way to go, and his outside jumper needs a ton of work, but I’m sure we’ll see the former #1 overall pick on an All-NBA squad within the next 2-3 years.

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All stats and %’s are as of 5/17/2021

All stats and notes are from Basketball-Reference or ESPN.com unless stated otherwise.

GP= games played

Follow Jordan on Twitter @jordan_v24.