It is award season in the NBA, and while we have a section (that we are in the process of updating) where we look at every award and its impact in Hall of Fame induction, we have felt that post-season All-NBA honors are colossal.
If you can, indulge us as we look at all 15 All-NBA spots, and offer a quick speculation on what it means for a Springfield spot.
First Team:
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers. (Ranked #21 on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). The Sixers superstar won the MVP, and is a First Team All-NBA player this year. No player who won the MVP has ever failed to enter the Hall (though we think Derrick Rose will buck that trend), and he could become a Champion this year. This is the season that should cement his induction, and when we revise the Monitor, he will have a monstrous jump.
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics. (Ranked #33 on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). Tatum is now a back-to-back First Team All-Star, and if you didn’t think he was not among the top five players in basketball last year, don’t you now? This is a future Hall of Fame inductee.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks. (Ranked #6 on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). Giannis has already done enough to enter the Hall, and the two-time MVP now has a five-year streak of First Team All-Pros.
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks. (Ranked #27 on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). Doncic will also see a seismic rise in next year’s pre-season Monitor, and while the Luka/Kyrie experiment flopped, Doncic earned this accolade. He is also on a four-year run of First Team All-Pros.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder. (Unranked on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). Gilgeous-Alexander had his breakthrough, and it is colossal for his Hall of Fame chances. We know that anyone as young as SGA will not enter a Hall on one great year, it is a lot harder for players without a First Team All-NBA to gain induction. He has one now, and isn’t done yet.
Second Team:
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets. (Ranked #8 on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). Jokic did not repeat as MVP, but under next year’s All-NBA format would have added another First Team All-NBA. A two-time MVP will enter the Hall regardless, it is just now whether or not he can be a champion.
Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors. (Ranked #3 on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). Curry is already first ballot, so this doesn’t mean much for Springfield, but notably this is his ninth All-NBA nod.
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Ranked #44 on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). As big as we said that Gilgeous-Alexander’s First Team, we think this Second Team is bigger for Mitchell. While we said it was possible for a player to make the Hall without a First Team, it is next to impossible to enter without an All-NBA of any kind, despite how many All-Stars you have. Mitchell, who is a four-time All-Star, gains his first All-NBA nod, and should have more in him.
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat. (Ranked #17 on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). Right here. For our money, the man helped the most is Butler, whose first half was not good enough to earn an All-Star nod, but had a great second half which propelled him to his fifth All-NBA Selection. Butler never was named a First Team, but anyone with five All-NBAs (and five All-Defensives) should now be on the positive side of the fence.
Jaleyn Brown, Boston Celtics. (Unranked on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). Brown finally achieved an All-NBA Selection, and though this is far from enough to even be considered for a plaque, it is an excellent building block for a future conversation.
Third Team
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers. (Ranked #1 on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). James is the best player of this generation and adding another All-NBA (his 19th) is a drop in his bucket. Holy crap, 19?
Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings. (Ranked #45 on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). Sabonis had an excellent year, taking the Kings to their first playoff in years. It has been a great fit for Sabonis, who should build on this resume if he stays healthy.
De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings. (Unranked on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). Fox lands his first All-NBA Selection, but has a lot more to do. Is this a one-and-done, or the start of something phenomenal?
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers. (Ranked #12 on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). Portland was awful, but Dame wasn’t adding his seventh All-NBA. No player with seven of those and seven All-Stars will not be inducted regardless of whether he played in an NBA Final.
Julius Randle, New York Knicks. (Ranked #41 on Notinhalloffame’s Active HOF Monitor). Randle captured his second All-Star and post-season All-Star, and his slowly rising on the HOF radar. Is he considered one now? No, but if he has five more years just like this, he should be borderline.
Notably, Ja Morant’s failure to make the All-NBA cost him nearly 40 millin dollars. Does this make it the most costly Instagram post of all-time?
