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On Tuesday, the NBA announced the members of the 2020-21 All-NBA teams, which included usual stars like Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic and LeBron James. The list is almost flawless, with the best of the best in the league getting a spot. However, many fans noticed that a few notable names were missing.
While it’s hard to dispute the All-NBA First Team, which consisted of Curry, Jokic, Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, and most of the Second Team, the Third Team looks like it could use a makeover.
As with the All-NBA team announcements every year, the snubs are just as much of a story as those who made it.
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Members of the All-NBA teams who may have gotten favorable votes
LA Lakers forward LeBron James was an MVP candidate for the first three months of the season, but a late March injury caused him to miss 27 games.
Many could argue that he could have been on the Third Team instead to make room for one of the All-NBA snubs.
Other questionable choices for some fans include the LA Clippers’ Paul George, the Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler and the Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving.
Though it’s easy to see why all three players made it to the All-NBA Third Team, the players who didn’t make it to the list were arguably more deserving of a spot.
Let us now take a look at the 5 most notable snubs from the 2020-21 All-NBA teams:
5. Devin Booker
The leading scorer on the team with the second-best record in the league missed the cut, despite averaging 25.6 points with 4.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
Devin Booker scored 30 or more points 22 times and 40 or more points twice this season.
The 6-foot-5 guard was so good that he was named the Western Conference Player of the Week (Feb. 8–14, 2021) for the first time in his career as he put together a stat line of 32.8 points, 5.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds in an outing.
More importantly, Booker and Chris Paul brought the Phoenix Suns back to the postseason for the first time since 2010.
4. Zion Williamson
One of the most unstoppable forces in the game today, Zion Williamson was a beast in the shaded area and truly deserved an All-NBA team selection.
For much of the season, Williamson was making headlines as he achieved one milestone after another.
At one point, the New Orleans Pelicans forward scored 20 or more points while shooting 50 percent or better in 25 straight games, tying Shaquille O’Neal for the record.
In just his second season in the league, Williamson averaged 27.0 points on 61.1 percent shooting to go along with 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, establishing himself as a dominant force for years to come.
3. Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook had an outstanding 2020-21 season during which he averaged a triple-double for an unprecedented fourth time in his career (22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 11.7 per contest). The assist numbers also gave him his third assists title in the last four seasons.
Moreover, the UCLA product passed Oscar Robertson’s 181 career triple-doubles to become the all-time leader in the category, finishing the season with a total of 184.
How could the voters have missed Westbrook for a spot on an All-NBA Team with these numbers (and more) backing up his case?
2. Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell was one of the biggest snubs of the All-NBA teams after putting together the best season of his young four-year career. He put up career-best nightly numbers of 26.4 points, 4.4 rebounds (tying last season), 5.2 assists and shot 38.6 percent from three.
Mitchell tied Jayson Tatum and Nikola Jokic for 10th in the league in scoring while playing less minutes (33.4) per game than all but three of the top scorers this season.
Financially, this snub affected Mitchell’s financial future, too. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Utah Jazz guard was among at least two players who were eligible to receive an additional $33 million on their rookie max extension if he was selected to an All-NBA team. This is a huge disappointment for Mitchell in more ways than one.
1. Jayson Tatum
The biggest All-NBA team snub this season is arguably Jayson Tatum. The Boston Celtics franchise leader had his best season with career-high numbers of 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He also stole the ball 1.2 times a game and shot 38.6 percent from beyond the arc.
NBA Skills coach Drew Hanlen compared Tatum’s stats with those of Butler’s and George’s numbers. The Duke forward averaged more points, rebounds, steals and blocks than George while committing fewer turnovers. Tatum also averaged more points, rebounds and blocks than Butler while shooting better from three-point range.
What’s more baffling is how Tatum played at least 10 more games than Butler and George, yet they were selected ahead of him.
Aside from these facts, he also lost $33 million on his rookie max extension, just like Mitchell, by not being on an All-NBA team.
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