With most of the 30 NBA teams at the midway point of their 2023-24 season, it is time to hand out some accolades to players who have excelled on the court in the first half. In September, we predicted what the three All-NBA Teams would look like come season’s end. Four months into the 2023-24 season, we have an update on those selections based on each player’s first-half performance.
With All-NBA Teams and All-Defensive Teams moving to a positionless format in 2023-24, it had made the race much more interesting. Who will make the cut? Who will be left out? Who has stood out to rise to the level of All-NBA First Team? All of those answers and more have become much clearer as the 2023-24 NBA season rages on.
2023-24 Midseason All-NBA First Team
Guard - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Guard - Luka Doncic
Forward - Giannis Antetokounmpo
Center - Nikola Jokic
Center - Joel Embiid
There is no doubt that the All-NBA First Team at this point in the season are the five best players in the world listed above. No two guards are playing better basketball right now than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic. For Gilgeous-Alexander, his superstar-level play has carried over to 2023-24 so far. Through 39 games played, he is currently fourth in the NBA with 31.0 points per game and leads the NBA in steals with 2.3 per game. He has been even more efficient overall, shooting 55.2% from the field, and has led the Thunder to a 27-13 record which is second in the West.
Luka Doncic is having yet another MVP-caliber season for the Dallas Mavericks as well, earning midseason First Team honors with ease. Doncic is currently second in the NBA in scoring with 33.6 points per game and third in the NBA with 9.2 assists per game. He is shooting a solid 48.5% overall from the field and a career-high 37.5% from three on 10.4 attempts. Doncic’s play has elevated the Mavericks to a 24-18 record and in seventh place in the West through 42 games.
The remainder of the midseason All-NBA First Team are the usual suspects to round out this incredible lineup. Giannis Antetokounmpo finds himself among the top players being considered for MVP once again, averaging 31.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. His two-way impact has helped the Bucks go 28-13 over their first 41 games and sit just three games behind Boston for the best record in the NBA.
The race and so-called “rivalry” between the reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic and reigning MVP Joel Embiid has never been hotter. Jokic is currently averaging 25.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game while leading the Nuggets to a 28-14 record for the third spot in the West. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid is cooking toward his second straight MVP, leading the league in scoring for the third season in a row with 35.1 points per game along with 11.6 rebounds, a career-high 6.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game. The 76ers are off to a 26-13 start and sit third in the East.
2023-24 Midseason All-NBA Second Team
Guard - Tyrese Haliburton
Guard - Donovan Mitchell
Forward - Kawhi Leonard
Forward - Jayson Tatum
Forward - Kevin Durant
The 2023-24 Midseason All-NBA Second Team is arguably just as talented and impactful as the five starters who made it to the First Team. Tyrese Haliburton is once again ascending to new heights in 2023-24, averaging a career-high 23.6 points per game while leading the NBA with 12.5 assists per game. He is shooting 49.7% from the field and 40.3% from three as well and has the Pacers in the thick of the playoff race in the East at 23-17.
Donovan Mitchell has propelled himself to Second Team honors quietly this season just as the Cavaliers have jumped to the fourth spot in the East. Mitchell is currently averaging 28.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game on 46/35/87 shooting splits. Mitchell’s play as of late has been quite impressive and the Cavaliers remain a quiet threat in the East with a 24-15 record through 39 contests.
No two small forwards are playing at the level that Kawhi Leonard and Jayson Tatum are at this moment. After a slow start, Kawhi Leonard has remained healthy and led the Clippers to the fourth spot in the West at 26-14 while averaging 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game on 52.0% shooting. Jayson Tatum has been the leader of a Celtics team that is 20-0 on their home court and 32-9 overall. He is currently averaging 27.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists on 47/37/81 shooting splits for the best team in basketball and is in the throws of the MVP race.
The final member of the Midseason All-NBA Second Team is Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant. While Phoenix has been marred by injury through 40 games this year, Durant has been elite, averaging 28.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists on 52/47/88 shooting splits. Durant and Phoenix may still be trying to figure things out at 22-18 but they are well on their way with him leading the charge.
2023-24 Midseason All-NBA Third Team
Guard - De’Aaron Fox
Guard - Devin Booker
Guard - Anthony Edwards
Forward - Anthony Davis
Center - Domantas Sabonis
The group representing our midseason All-NBA Third Team is another collection of elite talent across the league this season. We get this Third Team started with Kings guard De’Aaron Fox who has followed up his outstanding 2022-23 season with an electric start to 2023-24. Fox currently has the Kings sitting 23-17 through 40 games while averaging a career-high 28.0 points per game along with 5.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game on 47.0% shooting and 39.6% shooting from three.
Two shooting guards lighting it up as the best players at their position in 2023-24 are Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards. While the jury is still out on who the best shooting guard in the NBA is, these two have separated themselves from the pack. Booker is currently averaging 26.2 points and 7.8 assists per game for the 22-18 Phoenix Suns. Edwards has been incredible as well, averaging a career-high 26.0 points as well as 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game for the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves at 29-11.
Anthony Davis has had a resurrected 2023-24 season, establishing himself as one of the best defenders in the world and inserting his name into Defensive Player of the Year conversations. Davis and the Lakers are struggling at 21-21 right now but Davis is healthy, playing 40 of those 42 games and averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game.
Domantas Sabonis is seemingly headed for his second straight All-NBA Third Team selection at the halfway point in the 2023-24 season as well. Sabonis has been putting on a show for the Kings this season, averaging 20.1 points, a league-leading 12.7 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game. He is also shooting 61.4% from the floor overall and 42.2% from three but is down to just 67.0% from the foul line. Sabonis and the Kings are in the thick of a tight playoff race in the West at 23-17 through 40 games, just 5.5 games behind the No.1 seed Minnesota Timberwolves.
Post a Comment
0 Comments