Stephen Curry and LeBron James headline the 2015-16 All-NBA Team
Golden State guard Stephen Curry and Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, will headline the NBA’s 2015-16 All-NBA Team.
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The reigning two-time NBA MVP, in yet another unanimous vote, and the two-time NBA champion join Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook and San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard at their respective guard and forward slots, alongside the lone surprise in the starting five: Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan.
Warrior Draymond Green received the most first-place votes of anyone on the Second Team, he stands with current combatant Kevin Durant at the forward position next to Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. Clipper guard Chris Paul and Portland Trail Blazer franchise player Damian Lillard man the Second Team backcourt.
Detroit center Andre Drummond took in 13 first-place votes, most on the Third Team, and San Antonio Spurs power forward and fellow Third Team member LaMarcus Aldridge also received three top-tier votes. They’ll join Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, Warriors guard Klay Thompson, and Indiana’s comeback kid in Paul George in rounding out the final crew.
The lone bit of intrigue has to do with DeAndre Jordan’s placement.
Jordan contributed stellar statistics in 2015-16 for a very good Clipper team, stats (12.7 points, 13.8, 2.3 blocks) that would typically leave him in the running for a nod as the starting pivot on an All-NBA team.
The 2015-16 version of the NBA, however, is ruled by a different realm of “big” man. Warriors forward Draymond Green, who barely outweighs the NBA’s average player while standing at about the same height, started at power forward in each of the 81 regular season games he took part in this season.
This would seemingly disqualify him for a role as All-NBA First Team center, yet his presence in Golden State’s famed small mid-game lineup helped push the Warriors to 73 regular season wins, and 37 out of his 40 first-place votes ranked him as a center rather than a forward.
The NBA doesn’t now allow for (nearly) position-less voting, as it does for the All-Star Game, which is why Green fell just short. It’s been a rough week for the guy.
LeBron James, currently on the verge of what would be his sixth consecutive NBA Finals appearance, also received four second-place votes. This would seem curious until one is reminded of the MVP-level talent that the NBA boasts – not just including Green, who finished fifth in MVP voting – at the forward position.
FOX Sports Oklahoma City’s Brian Davis, the Indianapolis Star’s Candace Buckner, Atlanta Hawks voice Steve Holman and the San Antonio Express-News’ Jeff McDonald all chose Durant and Kawhi Leonard as forwards ahead of LeBron. All were completely reasonable choices for an elevator that only fits two.
The leading vote-getters that failed to make any of the three squads were topped off by Houston’s James Harden. The Rockets guard’s 29 points per game helped push Houston into the playoffs, but he was seen as one of the leading dimmed lights behind a disastrous Rocket season. All-around Atlanta wonder Paul Millsap and hoped-for MVP candidate Anthony Davis, out of New Orleans, ranked just behind Harden (in a vote that will cost Davis around $24 million). Rookie Karl-Anthony Towns, in a deserved honor, finished sixth amongst those who fell short of making an All-NBA squad.
Curious votes went to Marc Gasol and Blake Griffin – two fantastic players that missed about half the season due to injury – and fading Rockets center Dwight Howard (clearly from a fan of advanced statistics). Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group also gave a Third Team vote to Andrew Bogut, a fantastic team player that nevertheless still averaged 5.4 points and seven rebounds in the 70 regular season games he worked this year.
Unsurprisingly, seven of the 15 players on the NBA’s three 2015-16 All-NBA Teams are still currently active in the postseason.
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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops
