The 2025-26 NBA season has been one for the ages. It looks certain that at least two teams in the Western Conference will be crossing the 50-win threshold, while a host of other squads are actively vying to play spoiler in the postseason.
It has also made the awards race as tight as ever, with genuine debates over who would qualify for the All-NBA First Team. In recent weeks, a spectacular surge from Luka Dončić has helped him gain traction for that spot. But according to Kevin Garnett, names like Cade Cunningham and Jaylen Brown remain more deserving.
The Debate Over Luka Dončić and the All-NBA First Team
For a team projected far from the playoff race in the Western Conference, Dončić has emerged as the biggest reason the Los Angeles Lakers earned the third seed with a 46-26 record.
His numbers for the year have been nothing short of sensational. Averaging 33.0 points per game, he is also averaging 7.9 rebounds and 8.4 assists while shooting 47.4% from the field.
Add in a recent stretch where the Lakers have won 13 of their last 15 games, and the hype for an All-NBA spot is getting louder. However, Garnett, a former MVP and champion, is not convinced of his candidacy just yet.
Speaking on “KG Certified,” he voiced his opinion on why he believes the two guards from the Eastern Conference earn the nod over the Slovenian superstar. “Jaylen Brown and Cade Cunningham are having better years all around basketball than bro.”
He immediately clarified that his position did not come from any negativity toward the five-time All-NBA selection. “I’m not a Luka hater. Hey, listen. He killing, Lord. I’m not ignoring it.” But his problem was the depth of the candidate pool.
“Listen, we got real candidates over here, and he got two other killers on his team. You understand? These men been doing it with just one and a cast. Showing up consistently every night on both sides of the ball. Bro, only play one side of the ball, bro. I love Luka, bro. But yeah, I look at the game from the whole 360.”
As a former Defensive Player of the Year, Garnett understood the value of the defensive side of the ball. While Dončić has certainly made strides on that side of the ball, he is not in the same defensive class as Brown or Cunningham.
Both of them, as Garnett alluded to, have led their squads to the top two seeds in the East (52-19 for the Detroit Pistons and 47-24 for the Boston Celtics).
However, with Cunningham unlikely to meet the 65-game criteria, that has opened the door for Dončić to automatically swoop in, unless the league makes an exception in his case. It remains to be seen how the official teams shape out, but this season’s race is going right down to the wire.
