Predicting The 2021-22 All-NBA Teams: LeBron James And Kevin Durant Are Surprisingly All-NBA Second Team

The 2021-2022 NBA season is slowly coming to a close, with around 20 games left in the season for most teams. We have already seen which stars made the All-Star Teams in both conferences, and it is probably time to predict the All-NBA Teams at the end of the year. While the All-NBA Team race is tight across the league, this season will yield a ton of snubs more than others.

Here are the predicted All-NBA Teams based on these stars’ production this year, starting with the All-NBA Third Team and ending with the All-NBA First Team. As mentioned, it will be very difficult to choose only 3 centers, 6 guards, and 6 forwards throughout the course of the season when there has been a ton of great production from a ton of All-Star and superstar players.

All-NBA Third Team

Chris Paul

14.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 10.7 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Chris Paul will be making his 11th All-NBA Team selection this year, an incredible feat for one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. CP3 is leading the league in assists, even though he has only played 58 games so far this year.

An incredible leader and playmaker, Chris Paul’s impact with the Suns can only truly be respected when looking at the before and after effect in terms of the point guard’s arrival to Phoenix. Paul makes Phoenix a title contender, and without him, they will fail to make the Finals again.

Devin Booker

25.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Alongside Chris Paul, Devin Booker will likely make his first All-NBA Team selection in his career for the Phoenix Suns. The shooting guard has a chance to become the best shooting guard in the world over the next 3 or 4 years and has playoff experience under his belt already.

Booker has decent shooting splits this season at 44.8%, 36.8%, and 86.4%, and his impact has been terrific for the number one seeded Suns. Other than Chris Paul, Booker has been the most important player in the city of Phoenix and a #1 seed will likely place Devin in the All-NBA Third Team.

Jimmy Butler

21.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Jimmy Butler has been one of the best two-way stars in the league for a while now, and will likely make his 5th All-NBA Team selection. Butler is not only the best player on the Miami Heat but the undisputed leader of the number one seed in the East.

Jimmy is one of the best players in the NBA in terms of coming up with steals and has greatly improved his all-around game including his passing ability since arriving in Miami. The Heat have been consistent all season long, and even if Butler only appeared in 46 games so far, he has done enough to set the tone of the season.

Jayson Tatum

26.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG

Jayson Tatum is one of the best young players in the world, and also one of the top scores in the NBA this year. So far, Tatum ranks 8th in the league in scoring at 26.5 PPG, and he is doing it at a very consistent level. No matter what the Celtics go through during games, Tatum has come through.

Boston started off the season very slowly, but have won enough games to place them in the top-5 in the Eastern Conference with a chance to finish in the top-3. Boston have some nice talent in Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams III, but there is no doubt that Tatum is the best player on the team and deserves an All-NBA selection.

Karl-Anthony Towns

24.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.2 BPG

Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the best centers in the NBA, and it is amazing to see that the big man is only 26 years old. He won a Three-Point Contest as a center, an incredible feat for a sharpshooter averaging 40.4% from beyond. Of course, Towns has also been effective as a scorer and rebounder.

The Minnesota Timberwolves currently have a top-8 seeding in the West, and will likely be in the play-in tournament before earning a playoff spot. Towns will be key for the franchise and has been all season long considering his consistent scoring and paint play.

All-NBA Second Team

Stephen Curry

25.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 6.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Stephen Curry, despite his inconsistent shooting percentages this season, is still the best shooter of all time. The Golden State Warriors got off to a tremendous start to the season, mainly thanks to Curry’s scoring and leadership, and the team currently sits 3rd in the Western Conference.

Curry is only shooting 43.2% from the field and 37.9% from three, subpar numbers for a player of his caliber. Steph has still been a top-2 point guard in the game despite his shooting inefficiencies because his leadership has been far more valuable than his scoring. Steph has made a ton of role players better on the team, and everyone has been following his lead.

James Harden

22.7 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 10.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Still one of the greatest isolation scorers in the game, James Harden has been terrific on paper this season. The way Harden left the Brooklyn Nets left a bad taste in people’s mouths, but he was certainly impactful on the floor averaging 22.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 10.2 APG with the franchise.

Harden has been terrific since arriving in Philadelphia as well, posting 24.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 12.4 APG alongside Joel Embiid. Even if Harden has more critics coming out of the woodwork after he forced another trade, there is no doubt he deserves to be on the All-NBA Second Team at least.

LeBron James

29.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.0 BPG

Nobody could have expected that LeBron James would be averaging 29.4 PPG in 36.8 MPG at age 37, incredible production for a player dominating the game for nearly 20 years. Nobody could have also predicted that the Los Angeles Lakers would be at risk of missing the play-in tournament, let alone the playoffs.

James is putting up big numbers all season with the Lakers all year and has been the only positive factor in a horrible season for the Purple and Gold. Without The King, the Lakers would be in the lottery because James has had to carry the load in the absence of Anthony Davis and the poor play of Russell Westbrook.

Kevin Durant

29.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 5.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG

Kevin Durant has only appeared in 38 games this season, putting him out of reach to win his 5th scoring title despite averaging the second-highest scoring average in the league. Durant is putting up 29.5 PPG on 52.0% shooting for the Brooklyn Nets, clearly MVP-caliber numbers.

As in the case with the Lakers, nobody would have predicted that the Nets would be in play-in contention with the amount of talent on the roster. Durant has missed a ton of games, James Harden was unhappy in Brooklyn, and Kyrie Irving is unvaccinated. Still, KD is arguably the best player in the world and deserves an All-NBA Second Team selection at least.

Nikola Jokic

25.9 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 8.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Nikola Jokic will be battling with Joel Embiid for the MVP award this season, and the two big men are probably the runaway favorites so far. Nikola Jokic is putting up video game numbers for the Denver Nuggets, a team still missing the presence of two starters in Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.

Nikola has been carrying Denver on his back all year, scoring the ball at an elite level and also creating for others. The big man ranks 2nd in RPG behind Rudy Gobert, 9th in PPG, and 7th in APG behind 6 guards. Only one center can make the All-NBA First Team, which is why Nikola has to settle for the Second Team.

All-NBA First Team

Ja Morant

27.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Ja Morant has been the most spectacular point guard in the game this season, carrying the Memphis Grizzlies to a surprising 2nd seed in the Western Conference. Morant is playing like a man at least a few years older because he is controlling the pace of games in an alarming manner.

Ja is also in an MVP race this year, posting up monster numbers and giving his team a legitimate chance to make the Western Conference Finals. Like the young MVP Derrick Rose, Ja Morant is simply unstoppable at a physical level and is a superstar offensive player with his scoring and playmaking ability.

Luka Doncic

28.0 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 8.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Luka Doncic is most likely the next face of the NBA because his ability to impact the game in every way is rare. As a result, Luka is a once-in-a-generation talent who can legitimately play multiple positions. Acting as the Dallas Mavericks point guard, Luka has been a triple-double machine all year long.

Doncic has the Mavericks 5th in the Western Conference, and the additions of Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans might have made the team even better. It remains to be seen if Luka can get past the first round of the playoffs, but he deserves an All-NBA First Team selection without a single doubt.

DeMar DeRozan

28.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG

DeMar DeRozan is one of the best feel-good stories of the league because he has bounced back from being underrated to becoming an MVP candidate. The Chicago Bulls have the 4th seed in the East so far, even if the team tends to struggle against the very best teams.

That comes at no fault on DeRozan, because he has been consistent offensively and also the most clutch player in the league. Averaging 28.0 PPG on 50.9% from the field is worthy of praise, and DeMar has been doing it since the very beginning of the season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

29.2 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.4 BPG

After Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo might be 3rd in the MVP race. The Greek Freak ranks 2nd in PPG and 6th in RPG while leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the 3rd best record in the East. A dominant scorer and passer, Giannis has been at his best.

Antetokounmpo absolutely deserves an All-NBA First Team selection, which would mark his 6th total selection. It is also likely that Giannis would make his 5th All-Defensive Team, continuing the list of accolades that The Greek Freak has at the age of 27 years old.

Joel Embiid

29.7 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.4 BPG

What an amazing season Joel Embiid is having for the Philadelphia 76ers. The center ranks 1st in PPG and 8th in RPG, guiding the 76ers to the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference so far. Joel has a chance to finish the season as the league MVP and the scoring leader, an incredible run of production.

The team’s addition of James Harden has greatly boosted the Sixers’ title chances, and Embiid might be able to make the NBA Finals in his best season. The superstar center leads the MVP race at the moment because he has been the most dominant player on both ends of the floor this season. In terms of stats and on-court impact, Embiid is currently the best-performing player in the world.

Next

The Top 25 Players Under 25: Luka Doncic And Ja Morant Are The Best Young Stars Right Now

The 3 Best Superteams The Lakers Can Create By Trading Anthony Davis And Russell Westbrook

Most All-NBA Team Selections By Franchise: Los Angeles Lakers Have Nearly 100 Selections

NBA Small Forward Tiers: 37-Year Old LeBron James Is Still The Best In The League

All-Time Bulls Team vs. All-Time Lakers Team: Does Michael Jordan Have Enough Help To Beat Kobe, LeBron And Shaq?