Ohhhh, we’re halfwayyyyyy therrrrrrrre!

All-NSL Teams @ Week 10

League awards always come with a level of subjectivity. For these awards, the following factors were considered when awarding and placing the players into the respective teams: team success, personal impact on team, statistics, eye-test and games played. Most teams have played around 40 games, so players who have played in less than 70% of their team’s games won’t be considered. This rules out a player like Kevin Durant, who puts up All-NSL numbers but doesn’t have the body of work and consistent games played of these selected players.

The NSL is so full of talent and fans are spoiled in just how much they have to marvel at when they attend, or sit down, to watch a game. It was genuinely hard to decipe on the finite amount of team spots, so there will be some hard-luck stories.

Here are the All-NSL teams at the halfway point of the season.

All-NSL First Team:

G – James Harden
G – Stephen Curry

F – Luka Doncic
F – Giannis Antentokoumnpo

C – Joel Embiid

The All-NSL First Team features players from Eastern and Western Conference powerhouses and playoff teams.

James Harden, averaging close to 30 points and 7 assists in just 30 minutes, representing Portland who are on a 35-game winning streak. Harden is the main catalyst for the devastating scoring runs the Blazers go on.

Stephen Curry leads the league in points per game at a truly unbelievable 44.2 points per game, a number we may never see again. The shooting marvel is the greatest sniper the league may ever see.


Luka Doncic is already one of the best players in the league and he is barely an adult. He has the Hornets built around him and since his move to power forward, he routinely puts up 40 point double-doubles with either assists or rebounds and powers Charlotte to victory.

Giannis is the demi-god of the NSL in terms of his physical stature and his unparalleled ability to impact a basketball game. Can be played at all 5 positions, and he has the Clippers contending and he isn’t even breaking a sweat. 35 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists on an average day.


Joel Embiid has powered what looked to be a pretty lowly Pacers outfit into a true contender. This season, he has made a leap to superstardom and increased his consistency. It’s not even a question who the most impactful big in the league is, because Embiid is the only reasonable answer. 30.4 points, a league-leading 17.4 rebounds per game and an almost league-leading 2.7 blocks per game.

All-NSL Second Team:

G – Damian Lillard
G – Kyrie Irving
F – Kawhi Leonard
F – LeBron James
C – Nikola Vucevic

It’s always Dame Time in 2021, and now it belongs in San Antonio after the Spurs pried him away from the Wizards. The second leading scorer in the league at 38 points per game, he is genuinely contending for a title this season and is the best player on any team he plays.

Kyrie Irving is the best player on the Pistons and the Pistons are the best team in the East currently. He is the third leading scorer and is pretty much unguardable for 99% of the league. His stats are just shy of Lillard’s in points and threes.

Leonard is the second Blazer to be anointed to the NSL Teams and he could have an argument to be on the first team with the Blazer’s dominance. Last season, his impact on offense was inconsistent but this season, he has become an elite scorer; in fact, one of the league’s best three-point shooters.


The man who needs no introduction, the most famous and successful player of the this generation, the King LeBron James. The 76ers have had some growing pains relative to how well I thought they would do, but LeBron and the team remain an opponent you don’t ever want to see in a playoff game.

Voochy gets passed around quite often, but with how he is playing now, and the impact he is having for the Knicks, I doubt he moves anywhere. Nikola is putting up elite big man numbers and pretty much has the best field goal percentage in the league considering how many he takes. New York are a playoff lock and it's up to Vuc how far they go.


All- NSL Third Team:

G – Donovan Mitchell
G -  Devin Booker
F – Jaylen Brown
F – Paul George
C – Nikola Jokic

As a testament to the star power we have in the league, each player on the Third Team is a star in their own right and the best player on their respective NSL teams. Donovan Mitchell is scoring over 30 points a game as his Pelicans charge towards a playoff berth. With Lillard traded, there’s no doubt who the Alpha-scorer is for the Wizards – Book. He scores about 35 a game post-trade. Jaylen Brown is a player I tried so hard to get onto my team and for good reason, the offers were rebuffed. Just shy of 30ppg, he can impact both ends of the floor significantly. PG13 has been around a long time and his 2k and real life prowess is well documented. He scores about 35 points a game for the Raptors and is the key to that team. Nikola ‘Big Chungus’ Jokic is one of the most incredible basketball talents to ever grace the court; tall, as skilled as you can be, as smart as you can be, and can do it all – worthy recipient of the place on the team.