It’s All-NBA SZN in the Association. As the conference finals are commencing, the league is releasing the names of those who made their All-NBA first, second, third, and All-Defensive teams this year. These honors have implications, from contract incentives to legacy-based conversations. All-NBA is important.
This season was the first in which players were required to play a minimum amount of games to qualify for the honor. Adam Silver’s answer to load management means that, if you wanted to garner league honors, you needed to play in at least 65 games. Players like Joel Embiid (39 games played), Jimmy Butler (60 games), and Julius Randle (46 games) — all who were All-NBA players a season ago — would not qualify this season.