Being selected to any of the three All-NBA Teams is an honor for the 15 players voted to make those teams. It means they are the elite of the elite in the league and they are viewed as such.
However, there was a bit of controversy for the 2022 teams as Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was voted to the All-NBA Second Team despite finishing as the runner-up for MVP for the second consecutive season and averaging 30.6 points per game as a big man.
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was voted to the All-NBA First Team which makes sense considering he did win MVP, but it caused some controversy for Embiid.
What compounded the result was that the NBA gave both Embiid and Jokic eligibility for both the center and forward positions. That means both players could have made the First Team and be recognized for their work. However, the voters didn’t vote that way.
At his annual NBA Finals press conference on Thursday, commissioner Adam Silver addressed the All-NBA Team controversy as he told reporters:
In terms of determinations for All-NBA, I think a fair amount of consideration is going into whether we should just — really, you, the way it works now, the media — should just be picking top players than be picking by position. I think we are a league that has moved increasingly toward positionless basketball, and the current system may result in some inequities based on the happenstance of what your position is.
Silver possibly leaves the door open for a change in the voting process and that means Embiid could get a better chance to be named to the First Team in the future. It is a bit weird that the big fella couldn’t get First Team honors despite the terrific season and impact on the Sixers he had out on the floor.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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