Expert picks and predictions for All-NBA, All-Defensive teams

Scott Rafferty

Expert picks and predictions for All-NBA, All-Defensive teams image

Making an All-NBA or All-Defensive team is no easy feat.

Every season, media members vote on the league's best players and defenders. There are only 15 All-NBA spots up for grabs, made up of six guards, six forwards and three centers. There are even fewer All-Defensive spots available, with four guards, four forwards and two centers earning the honor.

This season's All-NBA debate is made all the more difficult by two of the three leading MVP candidates being centers. Both Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are forward and center eligible on the All-NBA ballot despite the fact that they play center exclusively. They were last season as well, but there appears to be more of a conversation among voters this season about making one of them a forward so they can both be on the All-NBA First Team.

Should that happen? Where will Ja Morant, Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker and Chris Paul land? Will LeBron James make the cut? And which guards and forwards are most deserving to be recognized as the league's best defenders?

With the regular season drawing to a close, members of TSN's staff share which players they would select for each All-NBA and All-Defensive team.

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Nikola Jokic Joel Embiid

All-NBA Teams

12 players made every ballot: Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum, Ja Morant, Chris Paul, DeMar DeRozan, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Durant and Trae Young.

Three of the seven voters had Jokic and Embiid on the First Team. Three had Jokic on First Team and Embiid on Second Team, while one had Embiid on First Team and Jokic on Second Team.

LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Pascal Siakam received votes for the other three spots.

First Team

  Scott Rafferty Kyle Irving Steph Noh Nacho Losilla Sergio Rabinal Carlan Gay Benyam Kidane
G Doncic Doncic Curry Doncic Morant Morant Morant
G Booker Booker Booker Booker Booker Booker Booker
F Tatum Tatum Giannis Giannis Giannis Tatum Tatum
F Giannis Giannis Embiid Embiid Embiid Giannis Giannis
C Jokic Jokic Jokic Jokic Jokic Jokic Embiid

Second Team

  Scott Rafferty Kyle Irving Steph Noh Nacho Losilla Sergio Rabinal Carlan Gay

Benyam Kidane

G Morant Morant Young Morant Doncic Curry Young
G Curry Paul Doncic Paul DeRozan Doncic Doncic
F Durant Durant Durant Durant Durant Durant Durant
F LeBron LeBron Tatum Tatum Tatum DeRozan DeRozan
C Embiid Embiid Towns Gobert Towns Embiid Jokic

Third Team

  Scott Rafferty Kyle Irving Steph Noh Nacho Losilla Sergio Rabinal Carlan Gay

Benyam Kidane

G Paul Curry Paul Curry Paul Paul Paul
G Young Young Morant Young Young Young Curry
F DeRozan DeRozan DeRozan DeRozan Butler Butler LeBron
F Siakam Butler LeBron LeBron LeBron Siakam Siakam
C Towns Towns Gobert Towns Adebayo Towns Towns
bridges-suns
nba getty

All-Defensive Teams

Marcus Smart, Mikal Bridges and Giannis Antetokounmpo were unanimous All-Defensive First Team selections. The other spots were split between Bam Adebayo, Matisse Thybulle, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Robert Williams III.

First Team

  Scott Rafferty Kyle Irving Nacho Losilla Sergio Rabinal Carlan Gay

Benyam Kidane

G Smart Smart Smart Smart Smart Smart
G Bridges Bridges Bridges Bridges Bridges Bridges
F Giannis Giannis Giannis Thybulle Giannis Giannis
F Adebayo Adebayo Jackson Jr. Giannis Jackson Jr. Adebayo
C Gobert Gobert Gobert Gobert Williams III Gobert

Second Team

  Scott Rafferty Kyle Irving Nacho Losilla Sergio Rabinal Carlan Gay

Benyam Kidane

G Fred VanVleet Fred VanVleet Jrue Holiday Fred VanVleet Fred VanVleet Fred VanVleet
G Jrue Holiday Jrue Holiday Dejounte Murray Jrue Holiday Dejounte Murray Dejounte Murray
F Thybulle Jackson Jr. Herbert Jones Tatum Thybulle Thybulle
F Jackson Jr. Jarrett Allen Adebayo Jackson Jr. Adebayo Jackson Jr.
C Williams III Williams III Jarrett Allen Williams III Gobert Williams III

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.