Bradley Beal snubbed from All-NBA teams originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
After failing to make an All-Star team, Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal was once again snubbed on Wednesday when the three All-NBA teams were announced.
Beal averaged more points per game (30.5) than everyone not named James Harden among this season's recipients. He became the sixth player in NBA history to average north of 30.0 ppg and not make an All-NBA team.
Among those honorees on the third team were Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook, who missed large chunks of the season due to injury. Though he only played in 57 games, Westbrook's stat line of 27.2 ppg, 7.0 assists per game, 7.9 rebounds per game, and 1.6 steals per game remains impressive. Philadelphia guard Ben Simmons finished as the league's next lowest vote-getter behind Westbrook and played in an identical 57 games while hampered by injuries.
Both the Rockets and 76ers reached the postseason this year, making it further than the inexperienced Wizards, and Beal paid the price in terms of individual recognition.
Beal finished with more votes than any other guard who didn't make an All-NBA roster with 26 (three second-team and 23 third-team), while Bucks forward Khris Middleton earned the most votes of all players to miss out with 62 total.
Still, there were some well-deserving players to make the All-NBA list. Both LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo were selected unanimously to the first team, as James' 16th All-NBA appearance set an NBA record. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic joined Simmons, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, and Raptors forward Pascal Siakam as debutants on the All-NBA list with his appearance on the first team.
Here are the full lists of all three All-NBA team selections, with the number of points received from votes (five for First team, three for Second, one for Third) accompanying each name in parentheses.
First Team: Lakers forward LeBron James, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Houston Rockets guard James Harden (474 points; 89 First Team votes), Lakers forward Anthony Davis (455 points; 79 First Team votes) and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić (416 points; 59 First Team votes)
Second Team: LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (372 points), Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić (311), Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (284), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul (199) and Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (168).
Third Team: Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (153 points), Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (147), Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (110), Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (61) and Rockets guard Russell Westbrook (56).
It's important to note that although after surges in the playoffs from the likes of Miami's Butler or Denver's Jokic, the 100 sportswriters and broadcasters who voted did so based on the regular season games before March 11.
