This NBA season has gotten off to a crazy start. Some players were expected to have career-best seasons yet have failed to meet expectations. On the other hand, some players have destroyed the expectations set for them in the preseason. Every year, the all-NBA team selections are heavily contested votes. Too often, these are the toughest decisions to make, often involving a debate between statistics and narrative. But just 5 weeks into the season, we will try and predict the 15 players whose legacies will be altered by their selection, or lack thereof, to the 2022 all-NBA teams.
All-NBA First Team
Guard: Stephan Curry
Guard: Zach Lavine
Frontcourt: Kevin Durant
Frontcourt: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Frontcourt: Nikola Jokić
The majority of these picks are rather obvious. Curry and Durant are currently competing for the scoring title, and both Jokic andAntetokounmpo are averaging over 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. The odd one out here is Lavine. The final guard spot came down to a debate between him and his teammate DeMar DeRozan, who will be mentioned on the all-NBA second team. Lavine is having a phenomenal season, averaging 26 points, and he is leading the Bulls to the 2nd seed in the eastern conference.
All-NBA Second Team
Guard: Ja Morant
Guard: Bradley Beal
Frontcourt: DeMar DeRozan
Frontcourt: Paul George
Frontcourt: Rudy Gobert
The second team is headlined mostly by players who are having an incredible season or are having great seasons on a winning team. The player that falls into both of these categories is DeMar DeRozan, who is putting up 26 points nightly and helping the Bulls to the 2nd seed in the east. Bradley Beal is having a rather normal season, but the Wizards have surprised everyone and are now the 4th seed in the east. Morant, Gobert, and George are all having great seasons, but their teams have not yet met the expectations set in the preseason.
All-NBA Third Team
Guard: Trae Young
Guard: Luka Doncic
Frontcourt: Jason Tatum
Frontcourt: Jimmy Butler
Frontcourt: Draymond Green
The third team has a mix of different players. The backcourt maintains a pair of players who are having amazing seasons, but as of now, their teams have struggled and currently sit outside of the playoff picture. Butler and Tatum are having solid seasons in comparison to their preseason expectations, and their teams are sitting exactly where they were expected to be. For the final frontcourt spot, I thought about a lot of players including Joel Embiid, and Bam Adebayo, but ultimately, I went with Green. He is having a huge impact on the Warriors, who are the best in the league, and, as usual, Green is in contention for defensive player of the year.