Zach Lowe's Latest NBA Award Results Point Out A Severe Flaw In The League's Voting Rules
I'm not sure there is anyone else on the internet that puts as much thought and effort into his All NBA/Rookie/Defense teams than Zach Lowe. It's something I look forward to reading every year because I think we can all agree he's a man that knows what the hell he's talking about. But in looking at his lists today something rubbed the wrong way. The whole subject of positions are a little weird when it comes to these lists and what the NBA classifies a guard/forward, and you'll see what I mean in a second.
Here's what he had for his All NBA's
First Team
G: LeBron James
G: James Harden
F: Giannis Antetorkounmpo
F: Kawhi Leonard
C: Anthony Davis
Hard to really argue with any of these choices. Yes, LeBron is more a point forward, but he's the point guard in LA and leads the NBA in assists. I have no problems calling him a guard.
Second Team
G: Chris Paul
G: Damian Lillard
F: Luka Doncic
F: Jimmy Butler
C: Nikola Jokic
See this is where things get a little wonky. In what world should Luka be allowed to be called a forward? The man plays 81% of his time at PG and 19% at SG. Not sure that's a forward. What that allows Lowe to do is not have to make a tough call between CP3/Dame. In my opinion, that other forward spot should be for Khris Middleton.
Third Team
G: Ben Simmons
G: Jayson Tatum
F: Pascal Siakam
F: Khris Middleton
C: Rudy Gobert
Jayson Tatum is a lot of things, but he is not a guard. He just isn't. In fact, I'd argue he's more of a PF than a G. But since the NBA allows him to be classified as a guard, what this does is prevent another tough call between Siakam/Middleton/Tatum. How are those two forwards but Tatum is a guard? By allowing that it means someone like Westbrook gets bumped and all those wings can stay. That feels wrong.
Things got even more confusing when it came to his All Defensive Team
First Team
G: Kawhi Leonard
G: Ben Simmons
F: Giannis Antetounmpo
F: Anthony Davis
C: Rudy Gobert
As you can see, when it came to All NBA Kawhi was able to be listed as a Foward, but on All Defense he can be classified as a guard. That's my issue with the NBA's rules on classification. Granted this is the 5 best defenders in the league so I don't have an issue with how things shook out, but Kawhi isn't a guard. I'm not sure he even spends more time guarding PGs than wings. This is going to force other legit defensive guards from getting bumped. It's also interesting that Davis could be a C on All NBA but a F here.
Second Team
G: Kris Dunn
G: Marcus Smart
F: Jimmy Butler
F: Bam Adebayo
C: Brook Lopez
As you can see, with Kawhi being classified as a guard that means guys like Patrick Beverley, Eric Bledsoe, Kyle Lowry etc are al out. That's funny because out of all these guards Patrick Beverley gets the most DPOY hype. Even more than Simmons or Smart which is wild.
So you can see, my issue isn't with Zach Lowe's list. In fact I agree with pretty much everything he listed. He did what was allowed within the rules for this stuff. That's where I have my beef. It just feels so inconsistent and allows for too much manipulation. If you're trying to convince me that Luka is a forward but Kawhi/Tatum can be guards, well that doesn't make any goddamn sense. So what's the solution? Just eliminate positions all together. They clearly don't mean anything if you look at the rules now. If First Team All NBA happens to be 4 wings and 1 guard, then so be it. This is about coming up with the best 10-15 guys in the league, you shouldn't miss out on a certain team because that position is already filled and they need to take a lesser player just because he "plays a different position".
Considering these sort of things impact player's contracts and earning potential, it seems shady that voters can manipulate lists due to what the NBA allows players to be classified as. Just get rid of positions and call it a day.