Halftime Heroes: Picking All-NBA Teams At The Season’s Halfway Point
Third Team All-NBA
G – Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
By the end of the season, Chris Paul’s injury – a torn ligament to his left thumb – may sideline him long enough to miss out on the All-NBA teams. But at the halfway point, the discussion with Paul is not whether he should make a team, but whether the Third Team is too low.
The 6’0” guard leads the league in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus, including a fifth-place ranking in defensive RPM; no other guard ranks in the top-20. Paul is fourth in the league in assists, second in steals, and is the primary offensive piece on the sixth-best team in the NBA based on record.
Where Paul loses out is that of the four players ahead of him, three have better records, and the fourth is averaging a triple-double for the season. Paul has never filled up the scoreboard, only dropping in 17.5 points per game (every other All-NBA guard is scoring at least 22).
G – Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics
Isaiah Thomas is a difficult player to rank amongst his peers. On the one hand, he is a sports marvel, an All-Star basketball player at 5’9”. Drafted with the last pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, Thomas has been proving doubters wrong ever since taking his first NBA dribble.
On the other hand, Thomas is too small to play effective NBA defense. In fact, he ranks dead last in defensive RPM. How can the worst defensive player in the league be on an All-NBA team? It comes down to the final frame.
Isaiah Thomas is scoring 28.7 points per game, fourth in the league and first among Eastern Conference players. Of that 28.7, a stunning 10.1 points comes from the fourth quarter alone, which not only leads the league but would be the best-such number in at least 20 years.
Boston has been the second-best offense in the league since Jan 1, and ranks seventh overall on the season. Thomas is by far their best offensive player, and his defensive shortcomings haven’t stopped the Celtics from ranking third in the East, just 2.0 games behind the Toronto Raptors and 4.5 behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.
F – Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
The 2016-17 season will most likely end with the Golden State Warriors playing the Cleveland Cavaliers for the trophy. But until that point, it will be defined as the year of the high-usage superstar. In Houston, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Sacramento, Charlotte and Boston, dynamic offensive stars are putting their teams on their back and putting up incredible statistics.
Add Chicago to the mix, as Jimmy Butler has been fighting and clawing his way to All-NBA numbers and dragging an offensive anemic Bulls team with him. Despite playing the fewest minutes in five seasons, Butler is getting to the foul line for 9.6 attempts per game and pouring in 24.7 points per game, by far a career high in both categories.
Where Butler falls behind his competition is in record, as the Bulls are just 21-23 with a -0.2 point differential. And while Butler is scoring in multifaceted ways, his contributions in other areas — playmaking, rebounding, and blocking shots — drops him below the competition as well, making Third Team All-NBA the proper place for him.
F – Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Draymond Green has been the runner-up for Defensive Player Of The Year Award the last two seasons, but this year may be the time he actually wins it. Antics and controversies aside, Green has been an elite defender for the league’s top-ranked defense.
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Draymond Green ranks third in the league in steals with an even 2.0 per game, and is among the top-20 in blocks with 1.4. He leads all big men in assists, his 7.7 more than 50 percent better than Al Horford’s 5.0. By RPM he is eighth in the association, including fourth in defensive RPM.
Those are the raw numbers, and they leave out the fact that the Golden State Warriors have one of the best point differentials in NBA history, are the top-ranked team in both offense and defense, and are on track to win 70 games. Green may not be the best player on his team, but his contributions are both unique and elite.
C – DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
The tale of Cousins’ All-NBA case occurs almost entirely in the box score, as the Sacramento Kings’ 16 wins mark the lowest total of any player making the All-NBA teams. If the Kings continue to sputter by season’s end, it’s possible if not likely that Cousins finds himself left out.
For now, his raw offensive totals keep him on the roster, as they again show his dominance in the half-court. He pours in 27.8 points per game, including 1.8 three-pointers at 37.8 percent accuracy. Cousins is ninth in the league in PER, eighth in WARP, and 10th in RPM.
While his defensive shortcomings — most likely stemming from a habitual lack of effort — keep Sacramento from truly competing for a playoff berth, his offensive talent shines through whenever he touches the ball. If the Kings do surprise the league and move their one star at the trade deadline, it will be fascinating to watch if his effort level changes in a new location. For now, Cousins makes the Third Team.