#16Ballot 2016–17: All-NBA Selections — Has It Ever Been Harder?
Sometimes we talk about All-NBA snubs, All-Star snubs and the like. There simply isn’t enough spots for every deserving player.
NBA fans wish they could vote for awards. Whenever an award is handed out to one of the league’s stars, fans cry out that they would have voted differently if it were there decision. How they would have done it. Don’t envy those decisions though; voting might never be more difficult than it is right now.
Sure, Giannis Antetokounmpo is running away with Most Improved Player and Mike D’Antoni and Daryl Morey are the runaway leaders of Coach and Executive of the Year respectively, but elsewhere it is a complete dog fight The greatest Most Valuable Player race in modern memory, with four candidates that are more than worthy winners in other years. A Defensive Player of the Year dogfight where two transcendent defenders in Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert battle it out alongside the winner of the previous two titles, Kawhi Leonard.
A wealth of candidates make up the Sixth Man of the Year Ballot, with Houston’s hired guns Lou Williams and Eric Gordon fighting for the award with Andre Iguodala, Zach Randolph, Enes Kanter and countless others trailing them.
This is thanks to a wealth of talent around the league. Critics say that the talent is gathered too much in certain areas, such as the Bay or Ohio, but nevertheless the point stands. It’s a golden era of talent for the National Basketball Association. In a league of 30 teams, 484 players (this season) and counting, claims of a watered down league are absolutely and unequivocally false.
It’s already been displayed in All Star Games. Every single year there are “snubs”, but in reality it isn’t a case of being left out. There just isn’t the room to accommodate all the deserving star talent. Thirty years ago there used to be the same amount of spots for half as many players, now the NBA hosts twice as many teams. Imagine the bottleneck that causes in selections.
What do Damian Lillard, Mike Conley, Nikola Jokic, CJ McCollum, Rudy Gobert, Bradley Beal, Karl-Anthony Towns, Chris Paul, Hassan Whiteside, Blake Griffin, Al Horford, Eric Bledsoe, Andre Drummond, Dwight Howard and the likes all have in common? All did not make this year’s All Star Rosters. Many would have felt they were bonafide selections, others thought they were at least in the mix.
With that in the rear view mirror and looking ahead to Award Ballots however, something of greater value in terms of legacy and prestige remains; All-NBA selection.
Without further ado, we present the 2016–17 All-NBA Team, selected by the staff at 16 Wins A Ring:
Four unanimous selections in the first team, and their brilliance goes without saying. Whether it’s Westbrook’s utter destruction reminiscent of the Punisher, Harden’s slicing and dicing like an assassin, LeBron James’ sheer unrelenting power or Kawhi Leonard’s terminator impression, they are all guaranteed selections in the first team. If they are not on your ballot in those spots, perhaps you should not have a ballot.
Kevin Durant’s untimely knee injury made Leonard and James’ selection all but guaranteed, whilst Harden and Westbrook’s outrageous individual statistical campaign’s meant Steph Curry’s quietly superb regular season would only be worthy of a second team spot.
Anthony Davis is a lock, it’s just a matter of where he is placed. That was the first speed bump in this process. He’s played 64 percent of his minutes at Center this season and the remaining 36 percent at Power Forward, but since DeMarcus Cousins’ arrival that ratio is more or less reversed.
Rudy Gobert’s explosion meant it was between him and Davis for the first team spot at the five, but Davis won out by the sheer volume of votes he received compared to the Frenchman. Gobert actually had more first team votes, but slotted in to the second team Center spot and deservedly so.
It’s probably fair on Davis to be in the first team too, considering he is downright unstoppable on offense. Gobert might be the best defensive lynchpin, but Davis’ is a better defender than Gobert is an offensive player. So the voters made the right call here.
Durant’s injury ended what could have been a potential MVP season. A PER (27.6) second only to his former teammate Westbrook, a True Shooting Percentage (.651) easily the best amongst players who don’t spend their time finishing put backs and catching lobs. He finished 11th in Win Shares (12.0) despite missing twenty games, but the key thing here — Durant led the NBA in Win Shares per 48 minutes (.278). His season might have judged very differently if he doesn’t take that stumble in Washington which derailed his season.
The rise of Giannis Antetokounmpo was something expected by the league, but perhaps not to his magnitude. The first player in NBA history to finish in the top 20 in Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals and Blocks, and only the fifth player to lead his team in every category. If his trajectory still continues to this extent, could this be the last time for a while he’s anywhere but the first team? The Greek forward might be the next true transcendent NBA talent.
A point of intrigue in the voting process was whether Isaiah Thomas or John Wall would take the second team guard spot alongside Curry, and it was Wall’s defense that perhaps pushed him over the line. Wall’s increase in overall scoring and efficiency from the field combined with his rock solid performance at the other end meant something of a stand out year. Not to mention having a healthy backcourt partner in Bradley Beal and a breakout from Otto Porter, and all of a sudden Washington have become a very good team under Scott Brooks.
The third team was always going to be interesting due to the logjam for spots, and mere votes separated some of the players left out compared to those who made it in. Karl-Anthony Towns is a second year player and the youngest to ever average 25 points and 10 rebounds in a season. The Wolves star added a three point shot to his game, pushing his True Shooting Percentage from .590 to .618. From early January he averaged 28.2 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game on 60 percent from the field, 43 percent from the perimeter and 85 percent from the line. He’s twenty one! The league is in good hands.
Draymond Green was unlucky not to make second team in a league where defense is becoming increasingly valued, but against the likes of James, Leonard, Antetokounmpo and Durant it was always going to be difficult to break in. His offense slipped and his production took a hit as well, but his defense has never been better. There are one man offenses, but Green is a truly unique one man defense. He’s the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year and likely so.
Green is joined by Butler, who certainly put together his best season yet. He maintained his elite level of defense, whilst becoming a viable number one option and a more than reliable option down the stretch. Those plays are the reason the Bulls are in the postseason at all. He handled the uptick in usage and actually boosted his efficiency, and despite questions of his leadership nobody else can put together a better case to make the list.
Thomas was unfortunate to make the third team despite a crazily good offensive campaign. The diminutive guard became the “King of the Fourth” (though Westbrook seemingly took that crown), whilst boosting his scoring to otherworldly levels. Defense aside, he was truly sensational. The acid test lies ahead though, when we will see how it holds up in the postseason.
Chris Paul was so close to another All-NBA spot, but his absence throughout the season seemingly cost him a spot. Nevertheless, a very deserving DeMar DeRozan takes his place one vote ahead in the third team backcourt. The midrange gunner started off the season with a level of efficiency never seen from a player of his ilk, and while he cooled off he also took the brunt of the offensive workload when Kyle Lowry went down after the All-Star break. The Raptors started the season as an offensive juggernaut and became a team built around DeRozan and defense when it finished.
Now what about the players who didn’t make it?
Marc Gasol and Mike Conley both had great seasons in Memphis. They are still the heart of soul of that franchise, and if they can’t produce on offense the Grizzlies just don’t go. Their foundation is still built on defense and both players are excellent on that end. But neither have the panache or flash that the players who made the teams do. It’s almost criminal that Conley is yet to make an All-NBA or All-Star team, but that speaks more to the depth of the league and any claimed ignoring of the player.
DeMarcus Cousins’ numbers mean he is a bonafide All-NBA player. 27 points, 11 rebounds and nearly 5 assists per game is a gaudy stat line, but Cousins’ issues off the court are now very much public. The trade sealed, not to mention how the Pelicans thrived in his absence. They might yet find their groove with him in the lineup; but they didn’t this season. Cousins for all of his skills, has a lot of work to do to overcome his increasing amount of detractors.
DeAndre Jordan is just a victim of not having enough of an offensive game. Gobert can do more on that end particularly with the ball in his hands and he’s a better defender; but make no mistake Jordan had a very good season in what was a weird campaign in Clipperland.
Nikola Jokic has nothing to worry about, his flurry of performances wasn’t enough after a slow start to the season after beginning it on the bench. All-NBA is certainly in his future, and as Jokic takes strides defensively he will become even scarier. His passing is pure wizardry, and as a whole on offense he is just a wonder. Kristaps Porzingis hasn’t yet taken the strides expected of a unicorn, so as it stands right now Jokic is the biggest rival to Towns potential dominance among big men. Unless Joel Embiid is granted good health, something we’re all wishing for.
Wing spots were always going to be hard to come by, with the first four selections all but guaranteed. Green was on 25 of 35 ballots, Butler too. Hayward only made 10, Paul George just 7. Nobody else got a look in. Some might be confused by that. Looking deeper though, it makes sense.
As you can see, Butler was a shoo-in. The discrepancy between Draymond and Hayward is enough to make a clear distinction, but George is a distant fourth amongst these candidates. Fans will be angered because of recency bias and a strong finish to the season, but it’s also worth noting that George hasn’t displayed the best leadership and disconnect from the franchise is growing ever clearer; this is likely his last postseason as a Pacer.
Amongst the smaller wings and guards, Kyle Lowry will be frustrated that his injury ended what had been a sensational campaign. He would have made voting very difficult if that wrist never gets hurt. Klay Thompson gets lost amongst the Warriors brilliance and despite maintaining his lofty shooting standards and arguably having one of his better defensive seasons he falls victim to the depth of the positions.
Damian Lillard took a hit too in the voting, and despite a raging end to the season after his annual All-Star snub it wasn’t enough amongst a strange season in Portland. Perhaps he can take his anger out on the Warriors in round one. Kyrie Irving actually had a career year in Cleveland, but his struggles without LeBron James on the court with him are notable and he is still very much a minus defender. He may need to prove he can do it without the King at his side.
Apologies to all the candidates who didn’t make it, and congratulations to those who made it. There’s no such thing as pleasing everyone, but that’s not necessarily what awards are about. It’s about rewarding the most deserving candidates, and that’s what has been done.
How much fun are awards though, right!?
