https://www.nba.com/2018-19-all-defensive-teams-official-release

Gobert, George, Antetokounmpo lead 2018-19 All-Defensive First Team
Finalists for 2018-19 Kia Defensive Player of Year comprise top vote-getters
Official release

May 22, 2019 2:14 PM ET


Utah's Rudy Gobert (right) and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo highlight the All-Defensive First Team.

NEW YORK -- Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo lead the 2018-19 NBA All-Defensive First Team.

The three finalists for the 2018-19 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award finished with nearly identical point totals as the top vote-getters for the NBA All-Defensive Teams.

Gobert earned 196 points, including 97 First Team votes, to make the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the third consecutive year. George received 195 points (96 First Team votes) for his second All-Defensive First Team honor. With 193 points (94 First Team votes), Antetokounmpo is a First Team selection for the first time.

The 2018-19 NBA All-Defensive First Team also features Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (145 points; 63 First Team votes) and Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe (100 points; 36 First Team votes). Smart and Bledsoe are both first-time selections to an NBA All-Defensive Team.

The 2018-19 NBA All-Defensive Second Team consists of New Orleans guard Jrue Holiday (90 points), Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (82), Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (80), Warriors forward Draymond Green (61) and Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (39). This is the first NBA All-Defensive Team selection for Thompson, a five-time NBA All-Star.

* NBA History: Year-by-year All-Defensive teams

The winner of the 2018-19 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award will be revealed at the 2019 NBA Awards presented by Kia on Monday, June 24 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT. The third annual NBA Awards, honoring this season’s top performers, will take place at Barker Hangar in Los Angeles.

Gobert is seeking to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award for the second straight season. In addition to vying with Gobert for Defensive Player of the Year, George and Antetokounmpo join Houston Rockets guard James Harden as the finalists for the 2018-19 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award.

The NBA All-Defensive Teams were selected by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Players were awarded two points for each First Team vote and one point for each Second Team vote. Voters selected two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, choosing players at the position they play regularly. Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position where they received the most votes.

Complete voting results by media members will be posted at pr.nba.com the night of the 2019 NBA Awards presented by Kia. Click here for the list of 100 media voters for the 2018-19 NBA All-Defensive Teams.

Below are the voting results for the 2018-19 NBA All-Defensive Teams. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP.

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2018-19 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM

Position | Player, Team | 1st Team (2 pts) | 2nd Team (1 pt) | Total points | All-Defensive Selections

C | Rudy Gobert, Utah | 97 | 2 | 196 | 3 (three 1st)
F | Paul George, Oklahoma City | 96 | 3 | 195 | 4 (two 1st, two 2nd)
F | Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee | 94 | 5 | 193 | 2 (one 1st, one 2nd)
G | Marcus Smart, Boston | 63 | 19 | 145 | 1
G | Eric Bledsoe, Milwaukee | 36 | 28 | 100 | 1

2018-19 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE SECOND TEAM

Position | Player, Team | 1st Team (2 pts) | 2nd Team (1 pt) | Total points | All-Defensive Selections

G | Jrue Holiday, New Orleans | 31 | 28 | 90 | 2 (one 1st, one 2nd)
G | Klay Thompson, Golden State | 23 | 36 | 82 | 1
C | Joel Embiid, Philadelphia | 4 | 72 | 80 | 2 (two 2nd)
F | Draymond Green, Golden State | 2 | 57 | 61 | 5 (three 1st, two 2nd)
F | Kawhi Leonard, Toronto | 5 | 29 | 39 | 5 (three 1st, two 2nd)

Below are the other players who received votes for the 2018-19 NBA All-Defensive Teams, listed by the position at which they received the most votes.

OTHER PLAYERS RECEIVING VOTES: GUARDS

Position, Player | 1st Team (2 pts) | 2nd Team (1 pt) | Total points

Danny Green, Toronto | 19 | 28 | 66
Patrick Beverley, LA Clippers | 14 | 20 | 48
Derrick White, San Antonio | 4 | 7 | 15
Jimmy Butler, Philadelphia | 2 | 5 | 9
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City | 2 | 5 | 9
Chris Paul, Houston | 1 | 5 | 7
James Harden, Houston | 2 | -- | 4
Malcolm Brogdon, Milwaukee | 1 | 1 | 3
Kyle Lowry, Toronto | -- | 3 | 3
Josh Richardson, Miami | -- | 3 | 3
Stephen Curry, Golden State | 1 | -- | 2
Donovan Mitchell, Utah | -- | 2 | 2
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia | -- | 2 | 2
Bradley Beal, Washington | -- | 1 | 1
Jaylen Brown, Boston | -- | 1 | 1
Mike Conley, Memphis | -- | 1 | 1
Terrance Ferguson, Oklahoma City | -- | 1 | 1
De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento | -- | 1 | 1
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LA Clippers | -- | 1 | 1
Gary Harris, Denver | -- | 1 | 1
Andre Iguodala, Golden State | -- | 1 | 1
Kyrie Irving, Boston | -- | 1 | 1
Damian Lillard, Portland | -- | 1 | 1
Ricky Rubio, Utah | -- | 1 | 1

OTHER PLAYERS RECEIVING VOTES: FORWARDS

Position, Player | 1st Team (2 pts) | 2nd Team (1 pt) | Total points

P.J. Tucker, Houston | 1 | 36 | 38
Pascal Siakam Toronto | -- | 24 | 24
Robert Covington, Minnesota | 1 | 3 | 5
Paul Millsap, Denver | -- | 5 | 5
Kevin Durant, Golden State | -- | 4 | 4
Al Horford, Boston | -- | 4 | 4
Anthony Davis, New Orleans | -- | 2 | 2
Derrick Favors, Utah | -- | 2 | 2
Joe Ingles, Utah | -- | 2 | 2
Thaddeus Young, Indiana | -- | 2 | 2
Kyle Anderson, Memphis | -- | 1 | 1
Jordan Bell, Golden State | -- | 1 | 1
Ed Davis, Brooklyn | -- | 1 | 1
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee | -- | 1 | 1

OTHER PLAYERS RECEIVING VOTES: CENTERS

Position, Player | 1st Team (2 pts) | 2nd Team (1 pt) | Total points

Myles Turner, Indiana | 1 | 37 | 39
Bam Adebayo, Miami | -- | 1 | 1
Andre Drummond, Detroit | -- | 1 | 1
Nikola Jokić, Denver | -- | 1 | 1
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee | -- | 1 | 1

I'm asking out of complete ignorance because I don't watch the Bucks with regularity. My eyebrow is raised that he'd make first team over Klay, but I suppose the sports writers and journalists that decide on this know more than me.

I'm genuinely curious. The crux of my query is because while watching the Bucks/Raptors series, I'm not wowed by this dude's defensive abilities. I realize that is a very small sample size, hence when I ask for others to post their opinions on the matter.

I was surprised they took enough notice for him to make 1st Team. Typically the voting is a couple of seasons behind reality.

Now shoot the ball like you have some sense in this series and get to the Finals.

Overall pretty good, I mean you can't expect the three finalists not to be first team. They *nailed* the second team. I dunno if Bledsoe and Smart would have been my first-team guys but they played very good defense this year so I can't complain about it either. Gobert is a beast, can't take anything away from him, but personally I'd have had Joel as a finalist and first-teamer. Look at the difference in Philly's defense and overall differential when he's not on the floor. I get that Gobert has more steals/blocks and a big impact of his own though.

down the stretch