The 2017-18 All-NBA teams were released on Thursday. While all of the members of the first, second, and third teams deserved recognition for their outstanding performances this season, there are always a few players left off of the list who may feel slighted. I'd like to recognize those players by naming them "Fourth Team All-NBA" as the best players who didn't make the official All-NBA teams.
Kyrie Irving
There was some MVP chatter surrounding Kyrie Irving during the beginning of this season, and it was well-deserved, as he led the Celtics to a fantastic start.
Kyrie did end up missing 22 games due to complications with a knee injury, but he played in nine more games than Steph Curry who was named third team All-NBA.
Irving dropped 24.4 points and 5.1 assists per game with a player efficiency rating of 25 and a true shooting percentage of 61 percent, and he ranked 13th in the league in offensive real plus-minus. Kyrie was the go-to guy on one of the best teams in the league this season, which earns him a spot on my Fourth Team All-NBA.
Chris Paul
ESPN's real plus-minus metric is one of my favorite numbers to help determine a player's true value to a team, and Chris Paul led the league in that stat this season. CP3 missed 24 games, which definitely hurt his candidacy, but he was so spectacular when he was on the floor that I wouldn't have had an issue with him making an All-NBA team.
Paul finished the year third in the league in offensive real plus-minus, and he was seventh among point guards in defensive real plus-minus. Chris Paul's contributions on both ends of the floor were extremely important to the Rockets' success this season.
Ben Simmons
It remains to be seen whether Ben Simmons will take home the Rookie of the Year Award, but he definitely deserves to be mentioned alongside some of the best players in the league.
Simmons averaged 15.8 points, 8.2 assists, and 8.1 rebounds per game this season as he showed his ability to get to the rim and facilitate on the offensive end. He was also a strong defender, ranking right behind Chris Paul in defensive real plus-minus and swiping 1.7 steals per game.
Al Horford
Al Horford's box score statistics have never been eye-popping, but his impact on the game is undeniable.
Horford anchored the league's best defense, and he is one of the best passing bigs in the league, averaging 4.7 assists per game. It's really difficult to quantify how great Al Horford is, but anyone who studies the game knows he is one of the NBA's best players.
DeMarcus Cousins
Like a couple of other players on this list, DeMarcus Cousins' season was ended prematurely due to injury. However, he was completely dominant in the 48 games he played in this year. He scored 25.2 points per game with career highs in rebounds (12.9) and assists (5.4). He's not known as an incredible defender, but he did make plays on that end of the floor with 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks. Boogie was one of the best bigs in the NBA this season, and he played just enough to take the final spot on my Fourth Team All-NBA list.
