Fan Duel Toronto Raptors

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DeMar DeRozan makes All-NBA Second Team

Cool!

Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan has made All-NBA Second Team.

DeRozan joins Vince Carter as just the second player in Raptors history to be named to an All-NBA team twice, and he joins Carter as the only Raptor to earn a Second Team nod, as well. DeRozan had previously been named All-NBA Third Team in 2016-17, at the time putting him alongside Chris Bosh and Kyle Lowry as Raptors with one appearance each.

“Being recognized among an elite group of my peers is always rewarding,” DeRozan said in a release.  “Knowing where I started and the work I’ve put in each year to improve makes this even more humbling. Thanks to my teammates and the Raptors organization for all their support.”

It’s a well-deserved nod for the four-time All-Star, who took major strides as a playmaker and turned in a tremendous regular season. He appeared in 80 of the team’s 82 games, averaging a team-high 23 points – good for 11th in the NBA – as well as 3.9 rebounds, a career-high 5.2 assists, and 1.1 steals, all while pushing his true-shooting percentage to a career-best 55.5 percent. His season was highlighted by a franchise-record 52 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on New Year’s Day, a starting nod in the All-Star Game in his hometown of Los Angeles, as well as the crime he committed against Anthony Tolliver. In the process of another great year, he continued to rewrite the Raptors’ franchise record book in his own image, passing Carter for the most 30-point games in team history, setting a new record for Player of the Week honors in a season (five) and a career (nine) and for Player of the Month honors in a career (a third).

It was DeRozan’s best all-around season yet, by more or less any measure, and it helped lift the Raptors to a franchise-record 59 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. That didn’t turn out as well as anyone had hoped, but this is a regular season award, and while DeRozan earning the Second Team nod is perhaps a bit surprising, it seemed likely he’d at least be on the Third Team. He’s joined by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Russell Westbrook, Joel Embiid, and LaMarcus Aldridge on the Second Team, having finished 10th in total voting points, one ahead of Steph Curry. (It will now be interesting to see how Most Valuable Player voting comes in, as while DeRozan is not a finalist, he has a chance to top Bosh’s 2006-07 for best MVP finish, when Bosh ranked seventh.)

Also receiving votes for the Raptors was Kyle Lowry, who placed 20th with three voting points. Lowry’s season got off to a slow start and was modest in terms of counting stats, but he once again earned an All-Star nod and turned it on once the calendar flipped to 2018 such that most advanced metrics still saw him as a top-20, if not top-15 player.

What’s notable about Lowry missing an All-NBA nod is that he misses out on one of the unlikely bonuses in his contract. He’d previously earned one unlikely bonus for appearing in 65 games and making the All-Star Game and missed bonuses for All-Defense and for appearances in the conference finals, the finals, and for winning a championship. Of the $2.17 million Lowry could have made in unlikely incentives, it appears he’ll only earn $200,000. The Raptors managed the luxury tax bill such that it may not matter, anyway – they had breathing room beneath it – and those incentives will remain classified as “unlikely” for next season. DeRozan, meanwhile, has an estimated $300,000 in unlikely bonuses he may have hit here if they were individual rather than team-based (the details of unlikely bonuses aren’t always revealed publicly).

Here are the full voting results:

2017-18 ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM
PositionPlayer, Team1st Team (5 Pts.)2nd Team (3 Pts.)3rd Team (1 Pt.)TotalAll-NBA Selections
GuardJames Harden, Houston1005005 (four 1st, one 3rd)
ForwardLeBron James, Cleveland10050014 (12 1st, two 2nd)
Center/ForwardAnthony Davis, New Orleans9644923 (three 1st)
GuardDamian Lillard, Portland712454323 (one 1st, 2nd and 3rd)
ForwardKevin Durant, Golden State63374268 (six 1st, two 2nd)
2017-18 ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM
PositionPlayer, Team1st Team (5 Pts.)2nd Team (3 Pts.)3rd Team (1 Pt.)TotalAll-NBA Selections
ForwardGiannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee287113542 (two 2nd)
GuardRussell Westbrook, Oklahoma City2463133227 (two 1st, five 2nd)
CenterJoel Embiid, Philadelphia117852941
Forward/CenterLaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio268222365 (two 2nd, three 3rd)
GuardDeMar DeRozan, Toronto239381652 (one 2nd, one 3rd)
2017-18 ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM
PositionPlayer, Team1st Team (5 Pts.)2nd Team (3 Pts.)3rd Team (1 Pt.)TotalAll-NBA Selections
GuardStephen Curry, Golden State239371645 (two 1st, two 2nd, one 3rd)
GuardVictor Oladipo, Indiana24331051
Center/ForwardKarl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota1845991
Forward/GuardJimmy Butler, Minnesota1852812 (two 3rd)
ForwardPaul George, Oklahoma City442544 (four 3rd)

Other players receiving votes, with point totals: Chris Paul (Houston), 54; Rudy Gobert (Utah), 51; Kyrie Irving (Boston), 42; Ben Simmons (Philadelphia), 36; Al Horford (Boston), 32; Nikola Jokic (Denver), 28; Andre Drummond (Detroit), 7; Clint Capela (Houston), 6; Draymond Green (Golden State), 6; Kyle Lowry (Toronto), 3; Steven Adams (Oklahoma City), 2; Donovan Mitchell (Utah), 2; Klay Thompson (Golden State), 2; Trevor Ariza (Houston), 1; DeMarcus Cousins (New Orleans), 1; Dwight Howard (Charlotte), 1; Kevin Love (Cleveland), 1; Kristaps Porzingis (New York), 1.

Congratulations to DeRozan on a tremendous season.

These weren’t worthy of their own posts, but some award voting notes:

  • OG Anunoby placed 13th in All Rookie Team voting, falling outside of the two teams. He received two first-team votes and 21 second-team votes out of 100 ballots.
    • No Raptor has made an All Rookie Team since Jonas Valanciunas made the Second Team in 2012-13.
  • In All Defensive Team voting, Kyle Lowry received seven voting points, including one First Team vote, finishing 22nd. Fred VanVleet received one Second Team vote, finishing 32nd.
    • No Raptor has ever made an All Defensive Team.
  • As noted earlier, Fred VanVleet is a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year and Dwane Casey is a finalist for Coach of the Year.