LeBron, Curry, Durant among Broussard's All-NBA picks
It's palm-sweating season for NBA award voters.
With just a few days remaining in the regular season, writers around the country face the difficult task of arranging the league's brightest stars into All-NBA teams.
Chris Broussard bit the bullet Friday morning, revealing his first, second and third-team selections on "First Things First," often to the chagrin of co-host Nick Wright.
Check out Broussard's complete list below:
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Chris Broussard reveals the first, second, and third teams on his All-NBA ballot. Watch as he makes a case for his placement of LeBron James, Trae Young, Kevin Durant and more!
Broussard's Third-Team All-NBA:
Trae Young, Guard
Stats: 28.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 9.7 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "Trae Young, top five in scoring, top five PER. In fact, he has the highest PER among all guards in the league. [He's] third in assists and the Hawks are 25-13 over last few months, so they're balling."
DeMar DeRozan, Guard
Stats: 28.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.0 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "DeMar DeRozan broke a record held by Wilt Chamberlain. Eight straight games with 35 or more points while shooting 50% from the field, that's incredible for a guard. The other guard that came close to that was Michael Jordan, you might have heard of him."
LeBron James, Forward
Stats: 30.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 6.2 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "Only player to make the All-NBA team, on my ballot, that didn't make at least the play-in. But hey, when you get 30, eight and six on 52% shooting, you can get on that All-NBA team."
Jimmy Butler, Forward
Stats: 21.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 5.6 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "I had to pick a Heat player. They're the No. 1 seed in the East. He's their heart and soul, in my view, and their best player"
Rudy Gobert, Center
Stats: 15.5 PPG, 14.7 RPG, 2.1 BPG
Broussard's thoughts: "I know Nick [Wright], you hate him, but Gobert is 71% from the field, No. 1 in the league. [He] leads the league in rebounding and he's third in blocks. Give him his love."
Broussard's Second-Team All-NBA:
Stephen Curry, Guard
Stats: 25.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 6.3 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "Some people will go, ‘Oh 43%, 38% from 3, Steph’s numbers are down. If you watch the Warriors, you see that this guy is so important to that team, just his presence and the double- and triple-teams he draws opens up everybody else. Oh, and they are having a great season win/loss wise. So Steph definitely deserved this."
Ja Morant, Guard
Stats: 27.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 6.7 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "Maybe would've had a great argument for first-team had he not missed so many games. And obviously, Memphis ran off 20-3 without him."
Jayson Tatum, Forward
Stats: 26.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 4.4 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "Definitely a first-team argument, but couldn't quite go that far."
Kevin Durant, Forward
Stats: 29.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 6.2 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "Kevin Durant just edged LeBron. Their numbers are pretty much the same, but of course Durant is doing it in a winning situation while LeBron is not."
Karl-Anthony Towns, Center
Stats: 24.6 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 3.6 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "Karl-Anthony Towns, welcome back to the All-NBA team. He'll give you his 24 and 10, he does it about every year, but now they're winning, they're in the playoffs for the first time in about four years and the second time in about 18 years. So congrats to KAT. … you deserve it."
Broussard's First-Team All-NBA:
Luka Doncic, Guard
Stats: 28.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 8.8 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "I have to put Luka on there. I mean, come on, he is the Mavericks. With all due respect to Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson, and obviously Jason Kidd who is doing a terrific job, Luka is the Mavericks."
Devin Booker, Guard
Stats: 26.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.9 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "He's the leading scorer on the team with the best record in the league by a mile. D-Book deserves this, congratulations."
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Forward
Stats: 29.9 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 5.8 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "Giannis is likely going to get my MVP vote, but it's still a little up in the air."
Joel Embiid, Forward
Stats: 30.4 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 4.2 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "[Embiid] is fighting Giannis for that vote."
Nikola Jokic, Center
Stats: 27.1 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 7.9 APG
Broussard's thoughts: "You saw it, first-ever [2,000 points], [1,000 assists], [1,000 rebounds]. He is going to have the highest PER in NBA history, better than Wilt ever did, better than Michael and LeBron ever did, you have to give him his props."