NBA: Way-too-early All-NBA team predictions for 2021-22
By Seth Quinn
All-NBA Third Team:
G – Kyrie Irving
G – Zach LaVine
F – Jayson Tatum
F – Jimmy Butler
C – Bam Adebayo
As mentioned before, the depth at forward really comes to light, as I have two guys in Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler on this team who are certainly capable of making the All-NBA Second Team and even challenging for the First Team if things fall their way. I was also tempted to put Anthony Davis at center, but I said I’d follow traditional positions, so I’ll stick to my word and view him as a power forward and best player not on an All-NBA Team.
Kyrie Irving was a lock to me for third team, as once again, I think the Nets will have the best record in the NBA as long as everyone stays healthy, and all of Kyrie, Harden, and Durant will play at an All-NBA level.
Bam Adebayo was the best option in my eyes for the Third Team center, as I personally think he will win Defensive Player of the Year, which would make him the favorite for that spot based on Rudy Gobert making an All-NBA team multiple times despite a lack of significant offensive production during the past few years.
Lastly, the most fun pick I have on here by far is Zach LaVine. Considering I feel the Bulls have a great shot at a top-four seed in a loaded Eastern Conference, I think it’s very likely that All-NBA voters will feel like they deserve a player on one of the three teams, and that player would almost certainly be Zach Lavine. I also considered guys like Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, and Jamal Murray, but I feel that Lavine has the highest ceiling this season out of all those guys given the skillsets of the players around him.
While injuries and inconsistent reasoning for how players are voted on will likely make my predictions totally wrong by the end of next season (including possible changes to how positions are handled), I feel that these 15 players have the clearest paths to an All-NBA award given both their skillsets and team situations.