The 2024-25 All-NBA selections have finally been announced and there weren’t many surprises but there were snubs.
James Harden All-NBA Selection Leads To Alperen Sengun Snub
The three finalists for the 2025 NBA MVP Award (Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo) headlined the First Team. Joining that group were Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, who led the best teams in the conference.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James landed on the Second Team, extending his record to 21 All-NBA selections. His archrival, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, also was a Second Team selection. The iconic duo was bookended by Cavaliers forward-center Evan Mobley, Minnesota Timberwolves wing Anthony Edwards, and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.
The Third Team featured Knicks forward-center Karl-Anthony Towns, Thunder forward Jalen Williams, Los Angeles Clippers point guard James Harden, Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham. Out of this quintet, Cunningham’s selection is the most notable. Not only was he able to lead the Pistons back to playoff contention, his All-NBA selection will trigger a significant salary raise.
Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun barely missed the cut.
Counting The Votes
After receiving six second-place votes and 40 third-place votes, Sengun finished with 58 total points. As result, he was 21 points behind Haliburton, 15 points behind Williams, and 10 points behind Harden. Interestingly, he received more second-place votes than Williams and Harden, who received four each. However, though neither Williams nor Harden received any first-place votes, they both received more third-place votes (Williams, 61; Harden, 56).
A global media panel of 100 voters selected the 2024-25 Kia All-NBA Team.
Voters selected five players for the First Team, five players for the Second Team and five players for the Third Team at any position.
Complete voting results
pic.twitter.com/1UMJIEWiOy
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 23, 2025
With that being said, Harden was arguably ushered in by his popularity more than his play.
Resting On His Laurels?
To be fair, Harden performed admirably in 2024-25. On a mission to reclaim his status as a top-tier player, he helped lead the Clippers to a 50-32 record despite Kawhi Leonard‘s health and Paul George‘s departure. Yet, he was one of the most streaky scorers during the regular season, averaging 22.8 points per game but on 41.0 percent shooting from the field. In fact, his field goal percentage was tied for the second-lowest of his career.
In the 51 games he played prior to the All-Star Break he was particularly inefficient, converting just 39.4 percent of his field goal attempts. Even worse, he struggled against many of the conference’s top teams. For example, he shot 39.4 percent from the field against the Nuggets (4 games), 31.0 percent against the Thunder (3 games), 30.8 percent against the Timberwolves (3 games), and 26.9 percent against the Lakers (4 games).
On the plus side, Harden was producing with great volume and he’s still a savvy playmaker.
Isn’t Consistency Key?
Conversely, Sengun averaged a double-double with 19.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He also contributed 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game, which helps highlight his all-around impact. His 3-ball is still a work in progress, as evidenced by his 23.3 percent mark from deep. Yet, he converted 51.9 percent of his two-point attempts. He also was a bit more consistent than Harden when facing the aforementioned Western Conference teams.
To that point, Sengun shot 44.0 percent from the field against the Nuggets (3 games), 40.9 percent against the Thunder (4 games), 48.8 percent against the Timberwolves and 44.0 percent against the Lakers (4 games).
If both volume and efficiency are part of a scorer’s paradigm, then Sengun was better in that regard. Additionally, Harden was a more prolific facilitator but Sengun was the better defender. In fact, the strides that Sengun’s made at both ends are among the reasons why the Rockets finished the season with the West’s second-best record while the Clippers needed a late-season surge to clinch the fifth-best record. So, in a vacuum, there’s a real argument that Sengun was the better player and more valuable this season.
Of course, there’s no sense in crying over spilled milk. That doesn’t change the fact that the All-NBA voters might have gotten this one wrong though.
© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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