2022 midseason NBA awards ballot: All-NBA first team
G — Stephen Curry, Warriors
G — Chris Paul, Suns
F — LeBron James, Lakers
F — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
C — Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Not much of quibble with here, I’d imagine. The big debate is probably Chris Paul vs. Ja Morant, and guess what — there’s a strong case either way! A lot of awards voting is personal preference and splitting hairs. The Suns are the best team in the NBA and Paul elevates his teammates like few players in league history. That said, Morant’s sheer production is hard to ignore. His numbers pop off the page more than Paul’s. You could also bump Curry down to second team and I wouldn’t blink.
2022 midseason NBA awards ballot: All-NBA second team
G — Ja Morant, Grizzlies
G — Zach LaVine, Bulls
F — DeMar DeRozan, Bulls
F — Kevin Durant, Nets
C — Joel Embiid, Sixers
The rules of All-NBA voting are antiquated and should probably be changed. As a society, haven’t we moved beyond position labels? Why can’t Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic both share first team honors? In this era of restored big man dominance, we should probably let the No. 2 finisher in MVP voting make first team All-NBA.
2022 midseason NBA awards ballot: All-NBA third team
G — Trae Young, Hawks
G — Luka Doncic, Mavericks
F — Jimmy Butler, Heat
F — Draymond Green, Warriors
C — Rudy Gobert, Jazz
There’s something of a guard glut here. It hurts to leave Fred VanVleet, Donovan Mitchell, and most notably Devin Booker on the outside looking in, but such is the state of modern basketball. There’s a lot of talent on the perimeter these days. Someone will argue that Draymond doesn’t score enough, and to that I say one simple word: Sorry!