There are now less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, which means it's really time to start digging into the season-long awards conversation. But because things are so closely-contested in a number of races, I'm not yet ready to reveal my officially unofficial votes for many of those awards.
What I am ready to do, though, is reveal this year's three All-Dubin Teams.
As a reminder, there are two criteria, and two criteria only: The first is that I really, really enjoyed watching these guys play this season. The second is that they were not All-Stars and they more than likely won’t be in the mix for any of the individual season-long awards. The latter criteria eliminates a lot of really fun players, but that's just the way it goes.
(For those that are curious, here’s last year's version, and here's the one from the year before.)
Unlike is the case for the NBA's season-long awards, there is no strict games or minutes played minimum required to be considered for an All-Dubin Team — but I do weigh minutes played as part of my calculation. So someone like Steven Adams, who was among the most enjoyable players in the league to watch when he was on the floor this season, gets left off the list because there were a number of players that I had the pleasure of watching considerably more often.
Just as we did last year, we are going positionless for the All-Dubin Teams, to match the way the league now does things for All-NBA. I would probably prefer that the league go back to positional designations (or use something like guards-wings-bigs), but it's not up to me.
Without further ado, and with team members listed in alphabetical order...
First Team
- Alex Caruso (🥈 All-Dubin)
- Stephon Castle (captain)
- Brandon Miller
- Neemias Queta
- Mitchell Robinson
I know that there are a lot of people out there that hate watching Caruso play, and likely for the exact same reasons that I absolutely love it. He lives inside the jersey of opposing offensive players and does not relent or give a single inch, ever. He can and does defend players of all shapes and sizes, from jitterbug point guards to apex predator wings to lumbering centers — and they all come away from the experience absolutely miserable. (Everybody watching it comes away from the experience absolutely miserable, really.) He hasn't shot it well this season, but I don't care. He contributes offensively in his own way, with screens and rebounds and cuts and timely passes and he seemingly knocks down the big three when it needs to be knocked down. I know he's divisive, but he's for me.
Castle moves around the floor in a way that just speaks to me. There's a combination of violence and acrobatics to his movements that together makes him look like he is slicing his way up and down the floor, like a ninja. He is perhaps the most audacious defender in the league at the moment. He's empowered to be as aggressive as he wants to be because of who plays behind him, and he takes full advantage of the freedom that brings him. He bumps and rides and sticks his nose and his hands in at every opportunity. He's also become a marvelous offensive player despite having one of the most well-defined weaknesses any guard can have given his lack of a jump shot. He eats up the space defenders afford him with decisive drives and gets to the cup with relative ease. He takes advantage of the passing lanes the space creates for him with regularity — and he creates plenty of passing lanes himself through his physicality and creativity. He is a joy in every possible way.
Miller is well on his way to becoming the Paul George Type that he was meant to be from the moment he was drafted. He's working on career highs in usage and efficiency, as well as rebound and assist rates. (And they're all up significantly from his rookie season. The sample from last year is small given that he only played 27 games.) He is silky smooth out there on the floor, gliding his way around defenders for catch-and-shoots and pull-ups alike. He fits right in alongside LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel (who would be on this team if he wasn't in the mix for Rookie of the Year), with a skill set that allows him to split the difference between the two players and work alongside either one, or both, in perfect harmony. His size and length make him a capable defender of all kinds of wings, and he's worked well within Charlotte's system all year. He's a high-level connective piece on both ends, with room to be even more than that as he grows into his frame and skill set.
Queta is just delightful. He's one of the best screen-setters in the NBA. He does this crazy thing where he actually makes contact with the defender when he's setting a pick, and he creates a ton of space for Boston's ball-handlers when he does. He's also a terrific rebounder. He protects the basket. He finishes well around the rim. He makes his free-throws at a respectable rate. He does the dirty work without asking questions, because that's his role. There is something to be said for knowing what you're good at, and then doing those things — and only those things — at a high enough level that you become a quality starter. That's what Queta's done this year.
Robinson has played just 1,100 minutes this season, but they have been some of the most enjoyable 1,100 minutes in the league. He is an absolute monster on the glass, devouring offensive rebounds at a rate heretofore unseen. His 24.2% offensive rebound rate (pending Sunday's game against the Thunder) is the highest of all time by more than 2 full percentage points. As my friend Fred Katz explored earlier this season, Robinson has also become incredibly adept at turning those offensive boards into threes by hunting shooters on the perimeter once he comes away with the ball. That's been huge for New York's offense. His work in this area alone would probably be enough to earn him a spot on this roster, but his defense has also been excellent for much of the year and he's of course a nearly endless source of comedy when he heads to the charity stripe. That type of thing does contribute to netting an All-Dubin nod.
Second Team
- Anthony Black
- Julian Champagnie
- Moussa Diabate
- Jaden McDaniels
- Isaiah Stewart
I'm a sucker for a tall point guard, and that's what Black has had to be for a lot of the year with Jalen Suggs in and out of the lineup, as per his usual. He's actually driving less often per 100 possessions than he did a year ago, but those drives have been more fruitful this year. He's a good finisher (72.4% within three feet of the rim) and a smart passer, including when he's on the move. And he's a really good defender, both on and off the ball. He's one of just 24 players averaging 3-plus deflections per game, and the Magic allow fewer drives and points per drive when he's in the game and defending at or near the point of attack.
I wrote about Champagnie a few weeks ago:
When he gets the ball, he is going to let it fly, and do so with the quickness. Among the 249 players with 1,000 or more frontcourt touches, per tracking data, Champagnie averages the fifth-fewest seconds per touch. Everyone ahead of him is a center.
And because opponents know he's going up with the ball right away, he's able to take advantage of some opportunities to pump-and-drive and keep the line moving so that somebody else can get an open look.
Champagnie has worked his way up from being a bit player during his first year to being a full-time starter, having taken Harrison Barnes' place in the Spurs' opening lineup. He's a high-level shooter (38.3% on 6.3 attempts per game from deep) and a good rebounder and a very solid defender. He's a perfect role player for what the Spurs need.
I've made no secret of my love for watching Diabate over the last couple years. He was even one of the things I highlighted in my Three Things preview this season. He's a madman on the boards, he holds down the fort on defense, and he's got the antlers celebration to boot. He permanently entered the starting lineup in late December and has since averaged 8.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game in 29 minutes a night while the Hornets out-score opponents by 10.0 points per game in those minutes. The Hornets are 27-11 with Diabate on the floor during that stretch. (Pending the result of Sunday's game against the Celtics.)
The only thing I don't like about watching McDaniels is that he still doesn't shoot often enough for my tastes. It's admittedly hard to get him more usage given that he plays with Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, but he should be taking more than just 3.9 threes per 36 minutes, for example. Especially given the rate at which he's hitting them this year. But he's still expanded his game this year: He's taken a career-high 255 shots off three or more dribbles (and 5.4 of them per 100 possessions), and connected on those shots at a 48.6% clip, according to GeniusIQ. That's real, meaningful growth. He of course remains a fantastic perimeter defender, and for the first time he's averaging at least a steal and a block per game.
Stewart is the biggest bully the NBA has going right now, despite his shorter stature. At just 6-8, he has been the best rim protector in the league this year: Of the 64 players challenging 4 or more shots per game at the rim, per NBA Advanced Stats, Stewart's 43.2% conversion rate allowed is the best by nearly 5 full percentage points. That's insane. And he just trucks people all over the floor with his screens and bodies them to get rebounds inside. He is also liable to get into a fracas at a moment's notice (including the one he got into with Diabate and friends), which always makes for a good time.
Third Team
- Bones Hyland
- Jordan Miller
- Payton Pritchard
- Peyton Watson (🥈 All-Dubin)
- Jaylin Williams
I loved watching Bones coming into the league and early in his career before the Nuggets gave up on him and he seemed like he might wash out with the Clippers. He surprisingly emerged as a key rotation player for the Wolves this year, and it's been a joy to watch him do his thing. He's making around 39% of his threes on nearly 9 attempts per 36 minutes, and converting a career-high (by far) 57% of his twos, which has really been the key to making him a viable piece. As a result, he's averaging 18 points, 3.5 rebounds, and almost 6 assists per 36. He's barely played 1,000 minutes, but those minutes have been more than enough to pull me back in.
Hey, it's my list, and Jordan Miller is MY GUY, as long-time readers and social-media followers know. I was absolutely convinced that he was the best player on Miami's Elite Eight and Final Four teams, and I was right. And he really has been an incredibly useful player for the Clippers this year. Since permanently entering the rotation, he's played around 25 minutes a night and posted 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. The biggest thing for the Clippers, though, has been that he has paraded himself to the free-throw line, acting as one of their few downhill drivers when Kawhi Leonard is off the floor. (At least, before Bennedict Mathurin and his charity stripe parade got to the team.) He even played some point guard off the bench because the Clips have been thin at that position all year after Chris Paul washed out. Plus, I love myself a crafty lefty, so even if Miller wasn't already my guy, I would absolutely be into his style of play.
A few years ago, my friend Michael Pina of The Ringer told me at a Nets-Celtics game that Pritchard might be the best backup point guard in the league. I kind of scoffed at him. (This was before Pritchard was really plying all that many minutes.) A few years later, I think we can say that Pina was right, and I was an idiot for scoffing. This guy is SO good. He started for much of the year but began coming off the bench when it looked like Jayson Tatum was getting ready to return, and he has been no worse for the wear coming off the bench. (He's actually shooting better in the reserve role.) He is the best late-clock shotmaker in the NBA at the moment, and it's not that close: He's made FIFTEEN more shots in the final four seconds of the shot clock than the next-closest player. That alone is fun enough to earn a roster spot, and that's before we get into everything else he brings to the table.
Watson missed a large chunk of the season with a hamstring injury, but before that he blossomed into a fantastic player. Filling in for Aaron Gordon in the starting lineup for much of that pre-injury stretch, Watson spiked his usage rate and efficiency to career-high levels. He's knocked down nearly 42% of his threes on a career-high 5.9 attempts per 36 minutes. He's shown more facility with just about every aspect of his offensive game this year, while remaining an excellent defender, especially against smaller perimeter players, whom he can smother with his size and length. And he still gets up higher for blocked shots than almost anybody in the NBA.
How much fun is J-Will? He's by far the best third center in the NBA. I'm not sure anybody else even belongs in the conversation. He trimmed his body down coming into this season but has lost exactly zero of the physicality he brought to the table during his first few NBA seasons, and has taken advantage of his lighter frame to be more nimble around the rim on both offense and defense. He also hasn't missed a three in like two months. After shooting just 32% from deep before the All-Star break, he's at 50% since the intermission. (Pending Sunday's game against the Knicks.) He'll also get in literally anybody's face at any time, as we've seen on several occasions throughout this season. He's wonderful.
