One of the most exciting aspects of the NBA is watching young players bloom before our eyes. Throughout their careers, players distiguish themselves by taking various leaps. There of course is the leap from college to pro, where players prove that they're indeed cut out to play in the greatest basketball league in the world. Then there's the All-Star leap, where young up-and-comers become central to their team's success, or at least put up impressive enough numbers and highlights to gain the attention and votes of fans, media members and their fellow players. The toughest leap to make, however, is the jump to All-NBA level. Beyond MVP, it's the highest honor a player can be given, as there are only 15 spots available for a 450+ player pool. It denotes a player who is transcendent, dominating at his position and contributing to winning basketball. Here are three players who could make that final leap in the upcoming season.
Zion Williamson
Williamson just turned 21 earlier this summer, but he's already on the cusp of superstardom. He made his first All-Star team last year, just his sophomore season, and finished eighth in All-NBA voting among forwards. He's a mini-Shaq, dominating in the paint as defenders bounce off of his monstrous physique like an Eldian to a titan. He's also developed into a pseudo point guard, taking on a larger ball-handling role and doing a decent job of finding teammates off of drive-and-kicks when defenses collapse onto him.
The problem is the Pelicans only won 31 of their 72 games last season. The media members who vote on All-NBA historically favor players on winning teams, and rightfully so. If a star player cannot carry his team to at least competency, many would argue they're just putting up empty stats. It's a bit more complex than that, of course; Williamson was surrounded by non-shooters last season and Stan Van Gundy was clearly not a good fit in New Orleans given his quick exit after just one season as head coach. Even so, Williamson deserves some of the blame for the team's poor defensive effort. He'll need to improve on that end and dominate to an even greater degree on offense if he hopes to secure an All-NBA spot. Perhaps an improved three-point shot and more rim protection (potentially as a small-ball center) could put Williamson over the top.
Devin Booker
Booker was a flat-out stud in the playoffs last season, proving that his game translates on the game's biggest stage. Along with an injury-plagued Chris Paul, Booker carried his Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals, where they put up a tough fight against the eventual-Champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Perhaps Booker will take Paul's slot on the 2021-22 All-NBA ballot. Paul was heralded as the Suns' savior after the team jumped from a .466 winning percentage in 2019-20 to a .708 winning percentage in 2020-21 following his arrival in Phoenix, but Booker deserved a large chunk of the credit as well. Who would've thought: good players play well when given adequate talent around them.
Phoenix isn't going anywhere in terms of the Western Conference standings. While Paul is aging, Booker, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges are only going to improve with another season under their belts, and the Suns could dominate the regular season in the West as a result. If their record is solid and Booker takes the torch from Paul as the team's clear-cut best player, he should earn a nod as an All-NBA guard. Who knows? If the Suns blow the doors off and win 55+ games, he and Paul might both be given slots.
Donovan Mitchell
Similar to the Suns, the Utah Jazz have an opportunity to dominate in the regular season as they did last year. Mitchell finished ninth in All-NBA voting among guards, and is far-and-away Utah's best offensive player. Rudy Gobert is of course their defensive anchor and deserves a ton of recognition for the Jazz's success, but Mitchell's potential as an off-the-dribble threat raises their ceiling by quite a few levels. He was a menace last year in the postseason, averaging 34.8 points and knocking down 45% of his 13.3 three-point attempts in the Conference Semifinals against the Clippers. If he can replicate that kind of superstar production in the regular season, he should be a lock for All-NBA.
Who's getting bumped?
It's easy to list players who have the potential for developmental leaps, but the bottom line is there are only 15 spots open. So who will these players replace?
At forward, Williamson could steal Julius Randle's spot. Randle had a breakout year in New York, but much of the Knicks' success last year can be attributed to opponent three-point shooting luck. If his team regresses to the mean somewhat, his spot could be up for grabs. It's also worth noting that Kevin Durant will snag a spot if healthy, but it's a good bet he'll replace the injured Kawhi Leonard.
At guard, Booker could potentially take Paul's spot as previously stated. For Mitchell, he'll have to hope the Wizards are bad enough that Bradley Beal loses his spot, or that the injury-plagued Kyrie Irving misses enough games to not qualify.
Injuries always play a role with these awards, as one man's misfortune could mean another's first All-NBA selection.
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