2024 NBA Awards: All-NBA, All-Defensive and All-Rookie selections

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Having made my picks for the individual hardware, I now drop-step flawlessly into the portion of the ballot that focuses on team awards: All-NBA, All-Defensive and All-Rookie. Let’s bake this ziti:

All-NBA

(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

FIRST TEAM

Nikola Jokić, Nuggets

Luka Dončić, Mavericks

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks

Jayson Tatum, Celtics

It’s funny: The NBA shifted to a positionless ballot structure so that we could get multiple centers on the First Team, better reflecting the all-that-is-old-is-new-again power dynamics of a league once again ruled by kaiju … and then Joel Embiid went on to miss more than half the season. In years past, that would’ve rendered the big fella unofficially ineligible, due to the infrequently discussed Most Voters Won’t Vote For A Guy Who Missed More Than Half The Season Provision. Now, it renders him officially ineligible, because of rules.

As luck would have it, my five-man Most Valuable Player ballot — which I detailed here — qualifies as a First Team … and, come to think of it, a pretty functional basketball team! Jokić as a stretch-5, Giannis as a playmaking 4 providing weak-side rim protection — kind of like Aaron Gordon with one of those mushroom power-ups from Super Mario Bros. — and Tatum at the 3; Luka and SGA sharing ball-handling duties, taking turns cooking defenders on switches and getting downhill in the pick-and-roll.

I am not sure everyone will be stoked at dramatically curbing their touches and shots to make it all work. But greatness requires sacrifice, you know?

(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

SECOND TEAM

Jalen Brunson, Knicks

Anthony Davis, Lakers

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

Kawhi Leonard, Clippers

Kevin Durant, Suns

Jalen friggin’ Brunson, man.

From an emotional perspective, Brunson is New York’s beating heart — the implacable, cinderblock-thick Energizer bunny whose entire game is predicated on the relentless commitment to Just Finding A Way. Through a more nuts-and-bolts lens, Brunson essentially is New York’s offense: Since Julius Randle suffered what would become a season-ending…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/2024-nba-awards-all-nba-all-defensive-and-all-rookie-selections-203119110.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-04-12 20:32:06

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