All-NBA Selections: What Went Right, Wrong

The 15 best players in the NBA were revealed yesterday.

Apr 12, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) prepares to drive to the basket while defended by Denver Nuggets forward Christian Braun (0) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports / Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA officially revealed the All-NBA teams on Wednesday afternoon, and the Phoenix Suns were well represented on two of the three teams.

The teams were largely the names that were expected - save for perhaps Sacramento Kings C Domantas Sabonis.

Kevin Durant officially is enjoying the 11th selection of his career, while Devin Booker was chosen to his second - after being first team in 2022.

The teams - sorted first to third - can be found here.

However, not everything was universally agreed upon.

Three changes that could have been made to the finalized team, along with some players who were potentially snubbed:

Change #1 - LeBron James Second Team

It's almost inconceivable to believe that a player approaching 40 years of age can still be so dominant, but James continues to buck trends and suspend disbelief.

While Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers had a quality season, James ultimately was more impactful on the offensive end and likely deserved the nod as one of the 10 best players in 2023-24.

Change #2 - Add Victor Wembanyama

The sentiment of prioritizing players on winning teams when it comes to award voting is generally valid, but Wembanyama is truly a once-in-a-generation player that likely has already worked his way into the top-15 players in the world discussion behind dominant defense and a budding offensive game.

Wembanyama is simply a better player than Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings in our opinion - Sabonis got the record bump and voters couldn't ignore the gaudy triple-double figures.

Change #3 - Add Rudy Gobert

Gobert has further entrenched his true value during the Minnesota Timberwolves' playoff run afer years of negative narratives.

Ultimately, playoffs don't matter in awards voting, but it should reinforce that he won his fourth defensive player of the year and was very much in top-15 discussions throughout the season off of the defense alone.

Tyrese Haliburton is a worthy inclusion, but Gobert's historical impact on Minnesota's defense coupled with an underrated offensive game should have given him an edge.

Snubs

The top-end talent has never been as far-reaching as it is now - and it is very much evidenced by lengthy lists of "snubs" from various publications when All-Star teams and All-NBA teams are revealed.

There are many who have lobbied to expand All-NBA honors in some fashion, and the list of snubs from this season could make a very strong case to support this notion.

A list of our potential snubs, in order.

1. Rudy Gobert

2. Victor Wembanyama

3. Jaylen Brown

4. Tyrese Maxey

5. Zion Williamson

Gobert and Wembanyama have already been covered, but the other three should be defended as well.

Jaylen Brown would be a shoe-in in nearly any other year. A second option that is a positive on both ends for a 64-win team typically fits the billing of an All-NBA player. He arguably should have been included regardless.

But ultimately, Gobert and Wembanyama are currently better players.

Maxey was the recipient of the most improved player award this season, but ultimately didn't display the consistency of others ahead of him. He still very much deserves a mention.

The same for Williamson, who had a phenomenal season relative to the majority of the league, but somewhat disappointing for his standards.