There is an insane amount of talent in the NBA. Anybody that watched the games with any regularity knows this, but take a step back and think about where things were 10, 20 years ago, and the difference is stark. Not to take away anything from the great players back then, because there were some truly great ones, but the talent pool now has never been deeper.
It’s so deep, in fact, that the league is reportedly set for its first vote on expansion. That vote will take place next week, with the goal of bringing the league up to 32 teams by adding franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas.
All this talent has made for some impossible choices when it comes to NBA awards season. Last year’s battle for the MVP between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic was an all-timer, for example, and even more names have inserted themselves into the race this year.
First Team All-NBA is going to be a bloodbath. There are only five spots to go around, which means voters are going to have to make some difficult choices. On this morning’s First Take, Kendrick Perkins shared his current list, and it didn’t include Luka Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer who has been especially red-hot lately.
“You have SGA, I have Jokic, I have Jaylen Brown, I have Cade Cunningham because [the Pistons] have the best record in the Eastern Conference, and I have Wemby,” he said.
“[The Spurs] are second in the West. So Luka doesn’t make my First Team All-NBA. I would have him on my Second Team,” Perkins claimed.
Luka won Rookie of the Year back in 2019, and then rolled off five straight First Team All-NBA selections. That streak ended last year because injuries kept him from meeting the 65-game threshold to be eligible. He’s currently averaging 32.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.5 assists for a team that’s third in the West. Could he really be left off First Team?
With the names Perkins rolled off, it’s feasible. SGA, Jokic and Wemby seem like locks, which then leaves two spots for Luka, Cade and Brown. He didn’t even mention Anthony Edwards, who has an exceptionally strong case, too! So five guys for two spots. That means three will be snubbed no matter what happens.
It’s possible that’s why Big Perk composed his list the way he did to rage-bait Lakers fans. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Luka could lead the league in scoring and still not make the cut, though, because the talent pool is so deep and getting deeper every year.