Picking the All-NBA, All-Rookie, and All-Defense teams for the 2023-24 season
By Ben Handler
All-Rookie teams
First Team
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets
Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat
Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors
The first team is pretty straightforward. The top 3 were obvious and Jaquez was in that conversation for almost half the season. Wemby and Chet were two of the 25 or so best players in the entire league and Brandon Miller looks like a budding star even with his gruesome surroundings in Charlotte. The fifth spot was the toughest, but Podz contributed to winning in a real way for a team that desperately needed it.
Second Team
Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks
Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
GG Jackson, Memphis Grizzlies
Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City Thunder
Keyonte George, Utah Jazz
The second team was a lot tougher. Most of these guys either played small but important roles on contenders, like Lively and Wallace or played bigger roles on lesser teams. Thompson’s defense and overall activity were a revelation for the Rockets. Jackson’s story in Memphis has been nothing short of incredible. And George looks like a possible point guard of the future for the Jazz.
Other rookies I enjoyed watching this year include Cam Whitmore of the Rockets, Jordan Hawkins for the Pelicans, and Trayce Jackson-Davis of the Warriors; those were my toughest omissions. Scoot Henderson is the obvious missing name, and I liked his play much better down the stretch but overall he had a pretty rough rookie season.