Predicting the All-NBA First Team
Finally, the five best players in the NBA this season. Four of these players were unquestionably first-teamers, while the fifth was the best player on the best team in the NBA.
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Substituting Brunson for Jayson Tatum likely wouldn't cause anyone to bat an eye. However, Tatum deserves the first-team nod. The Celtics star forward saw a decrease in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks but an increase in nearly all efficiency metrics.
Being the best player on a 64-win squad also counts for something. Yes, Boston would be good without Tatum, but that does not discredit his contributions. Tatum's offense is consistently great, but he's more than a star on the offensive end. The Duke product is a great perimeter defender. He's extremely versatile on the defensive end and one of a handful of players to average more than a steal and a half a block per game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwuakee Bucks
Arguably the best player in the world is Milwaukee Bucks' forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time MVP is as good as ever. This season, the "Greek Freak" averaged 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks.
While shooting will likely forever remain Antetokounmpo's weakness, he excels in just about every other area. This season, the Bucks were 12.3 points per 100 possessions better with their superstar forward on the court. While his team has disappointed, Antetokounmpo bears no fault as he led in most of the Bucks' statistical categories.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Perhaps it was forgotten, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also made the All-NBA first team a season ago. He's not new here. Possibly the Oklahoma City Thunder's rise to prominence coincided with Gilgeous-Alexander's ascension to superstardom.
The Thunder guard is one of the best players in the association and there's no denying it. Averaging 30.1 points and 2.0 steals while only turning it over 2.2 times per game, Gilgeous-Alexander led a young Thunder squad to 50-plus wins for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
The NBA's leading scorer stuffed the stat sheet chipping in 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists to go along with his career-high 33.9 points per game. Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is beginning to become a permanent resident on the All-NBA first team. Doncic has made the first team for four consecutive seasons—it'll assuredly be his fifth.
After putting up unimaginable stats year after year, Doncic put up his incredible numbers while also having the biggest on/off impact of his young career. The Mavs' offense was 8.4 points per 100 possessions better with Doncic on the court. In addition, the Dallas defense allowed 3.5 points per game less with their superstar on the floor.
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
The previous three players are worthy challengers, but it's the Denver Nuggets center's title to lose as the best player in the world. Nikola Jokic ranked second in CraftedNBA's offensive box/minus. His combination of efficient scoring, brute rebounding, and dynamic passing is non-replicable.
This season, Jokic led the Nuggets to 57 wins while averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game. The Serbian star shot 58.3 percent from the floor and 35.9 percent from downtown. His impact on his team is second to none. Denver is an astonishing 23.7 points per 100 possessions better with Jokic on the floor.