The All-NBA teams were announced by the league on Thursday afternoon, but not without some controversy. After all, some superstars are going to miss the roster, since only 15 spots are available for a league of at least 150 starters, not to mention other valuable role players. With the dust cleared and the selections locked in, here are four players that should have been included.
4. SG Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
In the midst of all of the other superfriends on the Golden State Warriors, it's easy to forget about the contributions of Thompson.
He made the All-NBA Third Team in 2015 and 2016 and saw his most important number rise in 2017, as he scored a career-high 22.3 points per game. Voting doesn't happen in a vacuum, however, as the rise of stars around him and across the league trumped his own improvement this season.
3. SF Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz
The fact that Hayward was snubbed isn't as much of a surprise as the fact that, while he didn't make the roster, his teammate Rudy Gobert (who missed the All-Star cut) made the All-NBA Second Team. The 27-year old averaged a career-high in points (21.9 per game), rebounds (5.4), and free throw percentage (.844). More importantly, his exclusion from the All-NBA team makes him ineligible to sign a special and lucrative extension with the Jazz, which could leave him walking this summer.
2. C Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Towns took to Snapchat in the immediate aftermath of the All-NBA announcement, seemingly throwing shade at the disrespect he saw at the hands of the voters. Towns finished as the first runner-up in his sophomore season, averaging 25.1 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. He need not worry, though, as he'll surely make the All-NBA squads next year.
1. SF Paul George, Indiana Pacers
This is the big one, not necessarily because of the snubbing so much as the implications of it all. After making the All-NBA Third Team for the third time last season, George put up career-best numbers in scoring (23.7 per game), free throw percentage (.898), and field goal percentage (.461).
Because he missed out on a selection, though, he currently isn't eligible for the special extension from the Indiana Pacers. That, in turn, has immediately inspired trade rumors sending him to the Los Angeles Lakers as soon as the signing window begins in July, making it the most important All-NBA roster in league history.
