No days off: NBA's anti-load-management All-Stars
The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement features major changes to All-NBA teams. Players will have to play at least 65 regular-season games to qualify for the roster, in part to dissuade players and teams from extensive load management and rest days. The CBA will also do away with positions for All-NBA teams; each squad can feature any five-player combination rather than the current standard of two guards, two forwards, and a center.
Though the CBA doesn’t take effect until next season, it’s not too early to recognize some of the ironmen who have performed at a high level throughout the 2022-23 campaign. The anti-load-management All-Stars have all played at least 72 of their respective teams’ 82 regular-season games, making them the league’s most durable and consistently excellent players.
First team
Domantas Sabonis
Not only is Sabonis durable, but he’s a safe bet to be the center for the All-NBA third team behind MVP candidates Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. He was the engine of the Sacramento Kings’ top-ranked offense, notching career bests with 7.3 assists per game, 14 triple-doubles, and 61.5% field-goal shooting. The three-time All-Star also led the league by averaging 12.4 rebounds per game. Sabonis missed just two contests before the Kings rested him in the final week, and they did so after locking up the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed – an accomplishment well beyond even the most optimistic fans’ expectations.
Jayson Tatum
Tatum quietly put together his best statistical season yet while powering the Boston Celtics to the NBA’s second-best record. He did generate some early MVP buzz but will likely miss the podium thanks to otherworldly seasons by Jokic and Embiid, as well as the strong play of Giannis Antetokounmpo. He did, however, produce the first 30-8-4 season in Celtics history – while missing just eight games and never sitting out consecutive contests.
De’Aaron Fox
Another key cog for the NBA’s most surprising team deserves some recognition. Fox makes the cutoff with 72 games played, his most since the 2018-19 campaign. Buoyed by a rise to 58.3% on shots inside the arc – outstanding 2-point efficiency for a guard – the All-Star matched his career-high average of 25.2 points while working in tandem with Sabonis to keep the Kings’ offense humming. Fox excelled in big moments all season, leading the league in clutch points by a significant margin.
Julius Randle
Randle missed the New York Knicks’ final five contests due to an ankle sprain, and it’s unclear how the injury will affect his postseason availability. Despite the untimely injury, the nine-year veteran deserves credit for his toughness. Randle played in each of New York’s first 77 contests this season and finished fifth in total minutes. He averaged 25.1 points, leading the Knicks to the league’s fourth-best offensive rating alongside Jalen Brunson. Randle shows up every night, plays heavy minutes, and handles a major workload at both ends of the floor.
Mikal Bridges
No one can discuss laughing in the face of load management without mentioning Bridges. Not only has he become a legitimate star since joining the Brooklyn Nets, but also he’s the only player to play 83 games this season – a statistical wrinkle made possible thanks to the Nets’ deadline trade with the Phoenix Suns. Bridges could have been the first player since Casey Jacobsen in 2005 to appear in 84 contests in one year, but the deal wasn’t finalized in time for him to play for Brooklyn on Feb. 9. Although Bridges’ 83rd appearance was technically a brief cameo, elevating his overall game while staying healthy with two squads deserves plaudits nonetheless.
Second team
Bam Adebayo
Adebayo isn’t in the running for Defensive Player of the Year, but he’s always one of the league’s most impactful defenders and was the backbone of a top-10 unit this season. On the other end of the floor, Adebayo improved his scoring again – just as he’s done every year of his NBA career. The big man averaged 20.6 points for a Miami Heat team that desperately needed him to create shots due to a lack of weapons beyond Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro. Adebayo was one of only three Heat players to play in at least 70 contests, providing a steady presence every night.
Trae Young
It was a relatively down year for Trae Young, who will have to lead the Atlanta Hawks through the perilous play-in tournament to return to the first round of the playoffs. But even a step back for Young is a step up for most everyone else; he averaged a career-high 10.2 assists per game to rank second in the league behind only James Harden. And though his 3-point efficiency tumbled this year, he still scored 26.2 points per game with a new backcourt partner in Dejounte Murray. The 24-year-old was the only NBA player to average at least 25 points and 10 assists this season. In fact, LeBron James (2019-20) is the only other player to do that since Young’s rookie campaign in 2018-19.
Zach LaVine
After undergoing knee surgery last May and missing four of the Chicago Bulls’ first 11 contests, LaVine had valid reason to take nights off this season. Instead, he proceeded to play in 69 straight games and finished third in the league in total minutes. LaVine began the campaign somewhat slowly but picked up the pace after the All-Star break, averaging 27 points and 4.7 assists with a sizzling 64.5 true shooting percentage (53/39/87 splits).
Brook Lopez
Complementing Lopez’s 15.9 points, 6.7 boards, and 2.5 blocks per game is his undeniable defensive impact: The Milwaukee Bucks surrendered 6.4 points per 100 possessions more when he was off the court, the largest on-off swing involving any Bucks player. Opponents shot just 50.2% on attempts Lopez defended this season, a rate that trails only Jaren Jackson Jr. for best among NBA centers with at least 1,000 minutes played.
DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan’s durability is remarkable: He hasn’t missed more than 11 contests in a season since the 2014-15 campaign. The 33-year-old earned his sixth All-Star appearance and would have played 75 games for the second straight year if the Bulls hadn’t been locked into their seeding with two contests left. He also played 36.2 minutes per game, tied for eighth in the league. Though his scoring dropped off from last season’s career high, DeRozan maintained his efficiency and peripheral stats while continuing to get to the free-throw line at a high rate.
Third team
Nic Claxton
For a Nets team that was in flux this season, Claxton was the one constant. Brooklyn’s elite defensive anchor played in 76 contests; no other player featured in more than 53 games for the Nets.
Anthony Edwards
Edwards kept the Minnesota Timberwolves afloat during Karl-Anthony Towns’ four-month injury absence, tallying 25.6 points with 5.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 38.2% from distance.
Evan Mobley
Mobley played a team-high 79 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who finished with the fifth-best record and second-best net rating in the league. He led the NBA in defensive win shares and likely warrants All-Defensive team honors.
Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic called it a goal to play all 82 games this season and finally accomplished the mission in his 12th NBA campaign. Despite a tricky year with the Bulls, the Montenegrin center held his own ahead of free agency this summer.
Derrick White
Not only was White a consistently dependable facilitator alongside Marcus Smart, but he was also crucial to Boston’s overall success: The Celtics posted their worst net rating (1.3) when he sat and their second-best (11) when he played.
