43 active players have made an All-NBA team. That includes players like John Wall and Kemba Walker who likely won’t get back to that plateau, as well as a number of one-off performers (Victor Oladipo, Goran Dragic). Yet it includes most of the major MVP candidates as well, and the players expected to make an All-NBA team will mostly come from that group.
The NBA is a league filled with stars and driven by stars. In the NFL or MLB the best players each season are a mix of recurring stars (think Mike Trout or Aaron Donald) but also plenty of one-hit wonders who have a great season and fade back into the mist.
The NBA is a league absolutely loaded with stars. Donovan Mitchell leads a group of five players with a chance at making their first All-NBA team.
That happens occasionally, as with Dragic and Oladipo above, but it isn’t a mainstay. Last season 13 of the 15 players to make an All-NBA team were repeat selections. The two newcomers, Devin Booker and Ja Morant, were MVP candidates and will likely be multi-time selections. The best players in the NBA tend to be the best players year after year. Guys like Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum look like All-NBA mainstays who will fill much of the team again this year.
With that in mind, who is breaking in this season? Which players are having all-league seasons, and could not only make an All-NBA team, but make several over the course of their careers? Let’s take a look at one player looking like a lock before expanding our list to five potential first-timers have remarkable seasons.
First All-NBA Team: Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell is lining up records and mowing them down this season, from franchise scoring records with the Cleveland Cavaliers to career 3-pointer benchmarks. Mitchell now has 1,004 career 3-pointers in just 355 games, the second-fastest pace in NBA history (Buddy Hield made it in 350). He’s fifth in the league with 46 3-pointers (in only 11 games) and is shooting 43.4 percent from deep.
Mitchell is positively breaking defenses from deep, then slashing inside to keep them honest and finish at the rim. He is scoring 31.6 points per game, fourth in the league and among a whopping eight players all putting up 30 or more points per game. That average would have led the league last season by a full point.
The Cavs are right at the top of the league in large part because of Mitchell’s sparkling play. He was the engine behind their 8-game win streak, mostly without Darius Garland, averaging a career-best 6.1 assists per game thus far. He’s been attacking the glass, locking in on defense and all-around been one of the very best players in the league.
The advanced stats support his case as well. He is eighth in the league in Estimated Plus-Minus, behind a host of players who have made at least two All-NBA teams before (and won seven of the last nine MVPs). He is fifth in Box Plus-Minus, fourth in RAPTOR and is putting up a scorching-hot 64.9 percent true-shooting percentage, which is fifth among All-Star candidates.
Status: Near Lock
First All-NBA Team: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Quite a few people likely picked Donovan Mitchell as a dark horse candidate to make an All-NBA team this season. How many had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? The Oklahoma City Thunder looked like candidates to tank after Chet Holmgren went down for the year, but instead “SGA” is carry the offense and the defense has been stout.
Gilgeous-Alexander is putting up 31.1 points per game, has a bonkers PER of 28.8 and is helping across the board to help his team win. He leads the league in drives per game by a country mile, forcing defenses into rotation and then praying the ball to open shooters. If he had even an average shooting team around him his 5.8 assists per game would be at 8 or 9.
Status: On Track
First All-NBA Team: Desmond Bane
A few other guards are putting up strong seasons and belong to be in this conversation. De’Aaron Fox is breaking out for the frisky Sacramento Kings and Tyrese Haliburton has been a pick-and-roll maestro for the Indiana Pacers. At the end of the day, however, to sneak onto the All-NBA teams you either have to be MVP-level good, or you need to be on a dominant team.
That’s why Desmond Bane gets the nod here. He has taken yet another step forward, a wild development for a player taken 30th overall just three years ago. Bane is averaging 24.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, expanding his on-ball game and continuing to play solid defense. He is 20th in the league in EPM and is a part of many of the Grizzlies’ best lineups. Out for a couple of weeks with an injury, Bane will need to pick things back up where he left off when he returns and hope Memphis comes away with the best record in the league.
Status: Work to Do
First All-NBA Team: Kristaps Porzingis
This is probably the most surprising name on the list, but there’s a method to the madness. First, Kristaps Porzingis is having his best season in years, if not ever. He is pouring in 20.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, shooting a career-best 48.9 percent from the field and hitting 38.7 of his 3-pointers. On a Washington Wizards team struggling to figure out who on the roster it can trust, Porzingis has been the clear shining star.
The versatile center has been the centerpiece for the Wizards on offense and defense. His EPM ranks 10th in the league and he is eighth in RAPTOR. With only two centers distinguishing themselves in the early going there is a third-team center spot open for the taking. The Minnesota Timberwolves are scuffling, Anthony Davis is fragile and Bam Adebayo / Jarrett Allen haven’t grabbed the bull by the horns yet. If Porzingis is ever going to make it, this is the year.
Verdict: Work to Do
First All-NBA Team: Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson is the biggest star on this list, a charismatic and exciting player who attacks a basketball court in unique ways for a player with his size and weight. He can run the point, sky high on the roll for lobs, or destroy players of all sizes in the post. He is pouring in 23.5 points per game while shooting 56.6 percent from the field and integrating on a stacked New Orleans Pelicans team.
If the Pelicans end up among the best teams in the Western Conference, someone on the roster will be in strong consideration to earn their first All-NBA berth. The most likely candidate is Williamson, but Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum are important to their success as well. If Williamson stays healthy, he could become the latest perennial fixture on the All-NBA teams.
Verdict: On Track