Predicting All-NBA Teams: Where does Anthony Edwards land?
By Austin McGee
All-NBA Snubs
Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Haliburton, De'Aaron Fox, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Williams, Paolo Banchero, Paul George, Bam Adebayo, Zion Williamson
Now, the notable omissions. These players will certainly make other's ballots but were left off this hypothetical ballot. Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics is 1B to Jayson Tatum's 1A on the best team in the league. He's a fantastic player, yet the analytics weren't so kind to Brown. He ranked outside the top 50 in win shares, box plus/minus, value of replacement player, and player efficiency rating.
Up next, are three young guards who have performed at an elite level this season. The biggest snub of them all—Tyrese Haliburton—was an All-NBA lock at the All-Star break. However, he's averaged just 17.5 points and 9.5 assists in the 25 games since the break.
De'Aaron Fox started strong, hit a cold spell in January, then turned it up a notch to finish the season. 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey will win the Most Improved Player Award, but his inclusion on an All-NBA team is a bit premature.
Similar to Maxey, the Oklahoma City Thunder's Jalen Williams has made the most of an increased role. This season won't be the one he makes an All-NBA team but watch out for "J-Dub" in the future. Another youngster, Paolo Banchero, is the best player on a playoff team in the Eastern Conference. But like his predecessors, he's more than likely to make an All-NBA team in future seasons.
LA Clippers wing Paul George is and has been one of the best two-way players in the NBA for some time now. Like Brown, his peeking order on his own team hurts him when it comes to All-NBA consideration.
Finally, two big men who are extremely valuable to their teams—Bam Adebayo and Zion Williamson. Adebayo is a key cog on the Miami Heat, but Miami's mediocrity combined with a lack of of standout statistics (besides advanced defensive metrics) hurt the Heat big man's case.
Despite Williamson's fifth-year statistics rivaling his rookie season's stats, he accomplished more this season than ever before. The oft-injured former first-overall pick has managed to appear in 70 games for the first time in his young career. Watch for the Pelicans forward to make All-NBA squads for years to come.