Alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid Named to NBA First Team, & Nikola Jokic Named to the Second Team
Alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid Named to the NBA’s First Team, & Nikola Joki Named to the Second Team
Alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid Named to the NBA's First Team, & Nikola Joki Named to the Second Team
Joel Embiid, the NBA MVP, was the star of the All-NBA first team that was unveiled on Wednesday.
The 76ers center is joined by the following players: Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks, Jayson Tatum of the Celtics, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder, and Luka Doni of the Mavericks.
Nikola Joki, a center with the Nuggets and the MVP runner-up, is not on the first team. Only one center makes the first team for the All-NBA squads, and that distinction belongs to Embiid. Along with Jaylen Brown of the Celtics, Jimmy Butler of the Heat, Stephen Curry of the Warriors, and Donovan Mitchell of the Cavaliers, Joki was selected to the second team.
The third team had Kings center Domantas Sabonis, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, Knicks forward Julius Randle, Lakers forward LeBron James, and Kings guard De’Aaron Fox. James has played in 20 NBA seasons, and this was his 19th All-NBA selection.
Next season will see new All-NBA regulations.
The new CBA removes positions from consideration for the All-NBA squad, enabling voters to choose their top five players from any position for each team.
Under these circumstances, Joki would very certainly make the first team, but the CBA won’t go into effect until the next campaign. To be eligible for any season-long honor, players must play a minimum of 65 games under the new CBA regulations.
Embiid’s First Time
After scoring a league-best 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game, Embiid was named to the first team. He helped Philadelphia earn the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs by shooting 54.8% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc.
His first first-team selection follows four previous All-NBA second-team appearances. Embiid would have likely made a prior first team under the current CBA, similar to Joki this season.
The lone unanimous choice is Antetokounmpo.
For the fifth time, Antetokounmpo was named to the NBA first team. He has twice made the second team.
He is the only player selected to the first team without a tie. Votes for Embiid and fellow MVP finalist Joki were divided. With a 55.3% field goal percentage and a career-high 33.1 points per game average this season.
Antetokounmpo also averaged 11.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.8 steals per game. Prior to their shock in the opening round of the playoffs, he guided the Bucks to the best regular season record in the NBA. He wouldn’t qualify for consideration under the new CBA because of his 63-game season.
After being selected to the third team in 2020, Tatum received his second consecutive first-team distinction. This season, he averaged career-highs of 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. He shot 46.6% from the field and 35% from 3-point range, adding 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
His Celtics are down 3-1 to the 76ers in the Eastern Conference final. Tatum qualified for a five-year, $318 million supermax deal next offseason as a result of his selection. With his participation on the second team, teammate Brown is qualified for a five-year, $295 million contract this summer.
In his sixth NBA season, Gilgeous-Alexander received his first All-Star invitation and went on to make his first All-NBA squad of any sort.
The adaptable Thunder guard shot 51% from the floor and 34.5% from 3-point range, averaging a career-high 31.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds.
In addition, he is a formidable defender who recorded 1.6 steals and 1 block per game, both career highs. A young Thunder team unexpectedly advanced to the NBA play-in round.
In his fifth season, Doni was chosen for his fourth All-NBA squad, all of which were first-team selections.
He shot a career-high 49.6% from the field and 34.2% from 3-point range, averaging a career-high 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Doni’s Mavericks failed to make the playoffs this season for the first time since his 2018–19 rookie season, after making it all the way to the Western Conference finals the previous year.
Mitchell and Ja Morant dissatisfied with NBA All-Star squads
Mitchell, who excelled during his first campaign with the Cavaliers, seemed displeased that he didn’t make the first team.
As Cleveland secured the No. 4 seed in the East, Mitchell averaged a career-high 28.3 points, 4.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while playing in the backcourt with All-Star Darius Garland. He also shot 48.4% from the field and 38.6% from 3-point range.
Guard Ja Morant of the Grizzlies responded after being left off of all the teams.
He shot 46.6% from the floor and 30.7% from outside the arc while averaging 26.2 points, 8.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals.
Prior to falling to the Lakers in the opening round of the playoffs, the Grizzlies earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Thanks in part to an NBA suspension following a string of off-court incidents, he was only able to play in 61 games.
