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All-NBA

First team

G: LeBron James
G: James Harden
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo
F: Kawhi Leonard
C: Anthony Davis

Second team

G: Chris Paul
G: Damian Lillard
F: Luka Doncic
F: Jimmy Butler
C: Nikola Jokic

Third team

G: Ben Simmons
G: Jayson Tatum
F: Pascal Siakam
F: Khris Middleton
C: Rudy Gobert


All-Defensive

First team

G: Kawhi Leonard
G: Ben Simmons
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo
F: Anthony Davis
C: Rudy Gobert

Second team

G: Kris Dunn
G: Marcus Smart
F: Jimmy Butler
F: Bam Adebayo
C: Brook Lopez

Per Lowe:

Lowry, Westbrook, and Booker were my three toughest guard omissions. Lowry's raw numbers don't stand out, but he does winning things every second he is on the floor. The Raptors in the wake of Leonard's departure took on Lowry's on-court personality: fast, unselfish, hyper-alert.

Link to the article:
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29541185/2020-nba-awards-ballot-zach-lowe-picks-all-nba-all-defensive-all-rookie

Zach deserves the clicks, even if it is on ESPN.

I mean... If the NBA accepts flexing guys like Luka from Guard into a Forward slot (also AD getting into the 1st team through the Center spot, but then being selected into the All-defensive team as a Forward) it seems pretty pointless having position-based voting...

What's the point, just pick the 15 best players/defenders and call it a day... If LeBron is now considered a PG, why isn't Jokic?

Not exactly how I'd have it but I don't see anything in any of the teams that looks wildly out of place. You can see he definitely put thought into his choices.

Lowry should be all defense team #2.

Limp wristed nerds think everyone can average 31ppg on 58ts% so I'm not shocked.

limbo wrote:I mean... If the NBA accepts flexing guys like Luka from Guard into a Forward slot (also AD getting into the 1st team through the Center spot, but then being selected into the All-defensive team as a Forward) it seems pretty pointless having position-based voting...

What's the point, just pick the 15 best players/defenders and call it a day... If LeBron is now considered a PG, why isn't Jokic?

I totally agree

And by and1 your post you reach 1000 and1's

Dutchball97 wrote:Not exactly how I'd have it but I don't see anything in any of the teams that looks wildly out of place. You can see he definitely put thought into his choices.

Lowe famously calls and consults everyone before making these In his words he wants to be sure he is not ''crazy'' about one guy or another.

I agree with this ballot

limbo wrote:I mean... If the NBA accepts flexing guys like Luka from Guard into a Forward slot (also AD getting into the 1st team through the Center spot, but then being selected into the All-defensive team as a Forward) it seems pretty pointless having position-based voting...

What's the point, just pick the 15 best players/defenders and call it a day... If LeBron is now considered a PG, why isn't Jokic?

Yeah, changing Davis' position looks really weird, just like the 2nd team All-NBA with 4 guys that could well be considered guards (Luka being a PF in that team line-up) and the 3rd team with 4 guys that could be considered forwards. If those teams don't have to make sense then, like you said, just pick the 5 best players and stop trying to fit them into a position.

But there's nothing problematic with his choices.

Not really any way you can put Davis as a Center this year. He's played 62% of his minutes with Howard or McGee on the floor with him.

LeBron has played the majority of his minutes at Point Guard, where Jokic played all of his minutes next to Jamal Murray or Monte Morris. You can lead the team in assists and not be the point guard.

Duffman100 wrote:Lowry should be all defense team #2.

OG feels like an even bigger omission.

Also all those people losing their minds over Dame being ahead of Luka on his ballots because he was going to vote Luka ahead of Dame for all-NBA must be feeling at least a little silly right now.

Duffman100 wrote:Lowry should be all defense team #2.

Take Dunn out and shift everyone to include OG tbh

I don't understand how he could put Ben Simmons on there. The Sixers haven't even had a very good season and Embiid is the #1 anyways.

Metallikid wrote:I don't understand how he could put Ben Simmons on there. The Sixers haven't even had a very good season and Embiid is the #1 anyways.

Ben was the best and most consistent Sixer this year imo.

I've brought this up before so I hope I'm not coming off as a Jimmy Butler hater because I really do like the guy. But I continue to not understand how he had a better season than Tatum or Siakam.

Anunoby might have been even better, but it feels a year early for him.

So basically it translates to 'OG you're too young to be on an all defense team'. Some solid logic there Lowe.

Texas Chuck wrote:
Also all those people losing their minds over Dame being ahead of Luka on his ballots because he was going to vote Luka ahead of Dame for all-NBA must be feeling at least a little silly right now.

I guess you are talking in part about me, and why would I feel silly considering that's what he said and considering that he puts them both 2nd team, and probably think they are in the same tier like he should. He decided on Kawhi above both.

Once again : same tier, winning matters, even if a little, in MVP voting. I'm not sure how anyone can argue against those two things and how people should feel silly about it. Putting Lillard in front of Luka on the All-NBA teams actually made sense like me and many other people have said in the other thread. But thanks for bringing this discussion in this thread.

Your definition of "losing their mind" is pretty weird, considering the logic behind not having Lillard 4th in the MVP race, but I guess that's just a way to belittle what other people thinks without needing to argue.

leolozon wrote:

Texas Chuck wrote:
Also all those people losing their minds over Dame being ahead of Luka on his ballots because he was going to vote Luka ahead of Dame for all-NBA must be feeling at least a little silly right now.

I guess you are talking in part about me, and why would I feel silly considering that's what he said and considering that he puts them both 2nd team, and probably think they are in the same tier like he should. He decided on Kawhi above both.

Once again : same tier, winning matters, even if a little, in MVP voting. I'm not sure how anyone can argue against those two things and how people like me should feel silly about it. But thanks for bringing this discussion in this thread.

Winning does matter. But if Dame takes a 25 win team and takes them to a 40 win team that's still impacting winning. Did KG just totally suck all of a sudden from 05-07 then magically become an impact player again in 08? That's not how it works.

I mean I don't have a problem with you or anyone voting Luka ahead of Dame for MVP, he absolutely has a case. But it was never the travesty you guys turned it into that the most respected basketball writer on the planet picked Dame over Luka and explained why he did it.