2024 All-NBA picks: Jalen Brunson beats out Giannis Antetokounmpo for All-NBA First Team

The race for the final two spots on the All-NBA First Team comes down to Brunson, Tatum, and Antetokounmpo. While all three players are deserving of being on this list, only two of them will make it. This is due to the fact that there’s no way Jokic, Doncic, or Gilgeous-Alexander get bumped down to the All-NBA Second Team. Brunson has had a marvelous season for the Knicks. Due to the fact that he finished fourth in scoring and carried New York to the 2-seed in the East, he gets the nod over Giannis, a two-time MVP.

Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets

Once again, the Denver Nuggets are title favorites because of Jokic. Missing only three games the entire year, Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game while shooting 58.3 percent from the floor. He also finished the season ranking 10th in scoring, third in total rebounds, and second in total assists. As far as advanced metrics go, Jokic comes in at the top of virtually every single statistic that is used to measure who wins the MVP award every season. This will mark the fourth time in Jokic’s career that he has made the All-NBA First Team.

Luka Doncic – Dallas Mavericks

What Doncic did over the final two months of the regular season is why he is right next to Jokic in the MVP discussion. The Dallas Mavericks were one of the best teams in the league after the All-Star break thanks to Doncic, and he captured his first scoring title by averaging 33.9 points per game this season. Doncic ranked third in the league in triple-doubles, sixth in double-doubles, and he joined Jokic as the only player in the league to finish inside the top 15 in points, assists, and rebounds. At 25 years old, this will be Doncic’s fifth straight All-NBA selection.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder

Receiving All-NBA First Team honors for the second straight year has suddenly put Gilgeous-Alexander in the conversation with Doncic, Anthony Edwards, and Victor Wembanyama as being one of the next faces of the league when LeBron James and Stephen Curry retire. Gilgeous-Alexander had a remarkable season, leading the Thunder to the 1-seed in the West. Oklahoma City became the youngest team in league history to capture the best record in a conference under SGA’s leadership.

Jalen Brunson – New York Knicks

Brunson not making the All-NBA First Team would be a travesty because what more could he have done this season? Not only did he finish the regular season averaging a career-high 28.7 points per game, the fourth-most in the league, but Brunson was the only star on the Knicks to finish the season due to Julius Randle’s shoulder injury. The 27-year-old point guard kept New York afloat, and he is responsible for allowing the Knicks to grab the 2-seed over Giannis and the Bucks. That, right there, should separate him from Antetokounmpo.

Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics

It would be pretty hard to leave the best player from the best team in the league off of the All-NBA First Team. Could it happen? Absolutely. But Tatum made up for his decline in scoring and offensive production this season by becoming a more well-versed defender. Tatum is the leader of the 64-win Boston Celtics, and a third straight appearance on the All-NBA First Team list should be coming his way.

All-NBA Second Team

Whichever player is left off the All-NBA First Team will be the player with the most votes for the All-NBA Second Team. Here, that player is Giannis Antetokounmpo, due to Jalen Brunson and Jayson Tatum beating him out. However, the rest of the All-NBA Second Team is up for interpretation. Should players from teams with records that put them in the play-in region of their conference standings be honored? How much does winning impact an individual player’s chances for NBA awards?

Anthony Edwards is certainly a player who should be on the All-NBA Second Team, as he led the Minnesota Timberwolves to their second-best record in franchise history. The 22-year-old is beginning to ascend to superstar status in this league, and this will mark his first All-NBA appearance. Behind Edwards, three All-Stars round out the All-NBA Second Team list.

Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks

This was a historic season for Giannis. He became the first player in league history to average at least 30 points and 10 rebounds while shooting at least 60 percent from the floor, and Antetokounmpo recorded his second consecutive season with at least 30 points per game. He trailed only Doncic for the league lead in scoring. Giannis continues to become a more efficient offensive player, and he recorded 10 total triple-doubles this season, the fourth-most in the league.

Anthony Edwards – Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards finished the regular season averaging 25.9 points per game (12th in the NBA) and shooting a career-high 46.1 percent from the floor. As good as he was offensively this season, especially when he dropped 51 points against the Washington Wizards near the end of the year, Edwards made his mark on both ends of the court. The Timberwolves were the best defensive team in the league this season, and Edwards is suddenly being talked about as a potential All-Defensive candidate for the work he did out on the wing. With all the confidence in the world, the sky’s the limit for what this kid can achieve moving forward.

Kevin Durant – Phoenix Suns

For the 11th time in his career, Kevin Durant will be making the All-NBA list. After tearing his Achilles in 2019, Durant ended up having one of the most efficient seasons of his career this past year. In a total of 75 games, the Phoenix Suns forward averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 52.3 percent from the floor and 41.3 percent from three-point range. Still the deadliest mid-range player in the league, Durant continues to dominate every single team he goes up against. This was the healthiest Durant has looked since his Achilles injury.

Anthony Davis – Los Angeles Lakers

Just like Durant, this has been the healthiest we have ever seen Anthony Davis. As a result, he ended up having the best season he’s ever had in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform, averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the floor. Between his defensive abilities and his efficiency around the rim, it is not hard to say Davis has been the second-best big man in the league this season behind Jokic. Davis is one of the best two-way players in the world, and he will also be receiving All-Defensive honors this season.

Devin Booker – Phoenix Suns

Devin Booker came very close to not being eligible for All-NBA honors this season. Nonetheless, he was clearly the leader of a dynamic Suns offense that featured Durant and Bradley Beal. As good of a scorer as he was this year, Booker gets the All-NBA Second Team nod because of the advancements he made as a playmaker. In 68 games, Booker averaged a career-high 6.9 assists per game. He finished sixth in the league in scoring (27.1 points per game), right behind Durant.

All-NBA Third Team

Along with a newcomer to the All-NBA list, the All-NBA Third Team consists of names we have seen dominate this honor year after year. Three Finals MVPs — LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kawhi Leonard — are featured here next to the likes of Tyrese Haliburton and Domantas Sabonis, two players who were traded for one another not too long ago. Who knows how much longer both Curry and James have in their respective careers, but it doesn’t appear as if either legend is slowing down anytime soon. They both still rank among the best of the best in scoring, and another year of being on the All-NBA list next to one another should signal to the rest of the league that Steph and LeBron aren’t going anywhere in the offseason.

Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors

Curry and the Golden State Warriors battled a lot of adversity all season. At times, he was the Warriors only true source of scoring, and he finished the year ranking ninth in points per game at 26.4 points. Curry also led the league with 357 triples, the most anyone has made since James Harden made 378 triples during the 2018-19 season. Another honor Curry should be receiving this year is the Clutch Player of the Year award, as he led all players with 189 total points in clutch time.

LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers

To average 25.7 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game at 39 years old is unheard of. For LeBron, this is just another day in the office. Although James dealt with some injury concerns throughout the year and it seems like Father Time may be knocking on his door, The King still finds his way on the All-NBA list for the 20th time in his career. James also shot 41.0 percent from three-point range this year, which is a new career-high for the legend.

Tyrese Haliburton – Indiana Pacers

Early on in the 2023-24 season, Haliburton was in the running for MVP. This was especially true when he led the Indiana Pacers to the championship game of the NBA In-Season Tournament. Even though he missed a chunk of time due to a hamstring injury and did not perform as well as a result during the second half of the season, Haliburton is still very deserving of this All-NBA honor. He finished the year leading the league with 10.9 assists per game and 752 total assists.

Kawhi Leonard – Los Angeles Clippers

When the Los Angeles Clippers desperately needed to kick things into higher gear in the middle of the season, it was Kawhi Leonard who once again reminded everyone that he is one of the most dangerous two-way players in the league. This was a pretty quiet season for Leonard, yet he still managed to average 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from deep. The Clippers went 44-22 when Kawhi played this year.

Domantas Sabonis – Sacramento Kings

After being snubbed from the All-Star Game, it would be so dumb if media voters kept Domantas Sabonis off of the All-NBA list. Sabonis averaged a league-high 13.7 rebounds per game, he led the league in triple-doubles (26), and he recorded a league-high 77 double-doubles while playing in all 82 games. The Sacramento Kings big man is just the fifth player since the NBA and ABA merger in 1976 to record 70-plus double-doubles in a single season, and he is just the seventh player in league history to reach the 77 plateau. He also finished sixth in assists.

Just missing the cut: Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs), Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic), Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers), Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings), Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers), Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)