Picking the first half All-NBA teams

All-Star Weekend in the NBA is a time for reflection for many reasons. First, the league puts on a big-time show with the festivities each year (2016 is happening in Toronto), and the gathering is a fantastic advertisement for the product in general. However, the extravaganza does focus more on casual fans than anything else (as it probably should), and the diehards are often left wanting more at the conclusion of the weekend.

In order to hold those fanatics over until “real” basketball action commences again next week, it is time to unveil a snapshot of what the All-NBA teams would look like if the 2015-2016 season ended today. Much like All-Star Weekend in general, the selection of the All-Star teams garner a great deal of public interest, but on the flip side, All-NBA selections are (far) more accurate and carry additional weight when it comes to writers and diehards in evaluating the best of the best in the NBA.

With that symmetry as the backdrop, let’s get to the picks, beginning with the third team and progressing through to the top five players in the NBA this season.

Note: Teams are comprised of two guards, two forwards and a center, with no line drawn between point guards/shooting guards and small forwards/power forwards.

THIRD TEAM

Guard – John Wall, Washington Wizards – Because the Wizards are currently out of the playoff picture, the general public is sleeping on just how good John Wall has been this season. Wall entered the year as a consensus elite point guard and has lived up to the mantra by averaging 20.0 points and 9.9 assists per game while attempting to carry this Washington group. Beyond the offensive numbers, Wall remains one of the better defensive point guards in the league (averaging 2.1 steals per game) and his sheer athleticism is jarring to the opposition on a nightly basis.

Guard – Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls – Butler is on the shelf for three to four weeks at the time of this post because of a knee injury, but he has done more than enough to earn inclusion for his first-half performance. The talented swingman “broke out” in a big way last year, but he has arguably been better in 2015-2016, posting a career-best 21.9 PER while averaging 22.4 points per game. Butler is the rare two-way star in this league given his ability to lock down the opponent’s best wing player, and he is easily the best player on the Bulls roster right now.

Forward – Paul George, Indiana Pacers – Much like Butler, this isn’t the first time that George has earned recognition, but this is his best season to date. The Pacers have no business sitting with a 28-25 record on the year, but George has carried this group at times in a highly impressive manner. George is cruising with career highs in scoring (23.3 points per game), true shooting (55.8%) and PER (20.4) and when those numbers come from the best defender on the roster as well, the value is undeniable.

Forward – Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks – While Al Horford is the face of the Atlanta Hawks given his tenure with the organization, Millsap has been the best player on the roster for Mike Budenholzer and company this year. He was selected to his third straight All-Star game and with good reason, as Millsap is putting together his best season at the tender age of 31. His numbers (22.5 PER, 17.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals per game) are quite good, but Millsap is a sneakily awesome defender who provides Atlanta with spacing and shot creation in a unique and interesting way. It won’t be a surprise if a lot of people omit Millsap from the All-NBA discussion because he flies under the radar, but he shouldn’t anymore.

Center – DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers – I can say with confidence that Jordan is the least deserving player among the 15 athletes included in this space (spoiler alert!) but that is what happens when you are focused to pick three centers and, well, DeAndre has been quite good this year. He is scoring at a career-best rate (12.1 points per game), but Jordan’s impact is in his efficiency, where he shoots 70.3% (!) from the floor and generally finishes everything to aid Chris Paul and company. The divide about whether Jordan is an elite defender is real but, at worst, he is a strongly above-average player on that end who is much better on offense than any casual fan realizes. It’s a very nice combination to say the least.

Next: Second Team