There is no doubt that the Houston Rockets are led by a superstar backcourt pairing of James Harden and Chris Paul. However, there is one voter who feels that Houston may have their own version of a Big 3 on their hands.
The league finally released the lineups for this year’s All-NBA teams. Among the players to receive a vote was small forward Trevor Ariza, via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune:
The All-NBA teams. pic.twitter.com/ZYH2Vpbm0f
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) May 24, 2018
Regardless of how fans felt the results should have shaken out, it is safe to say that Ariza was perhaps the most unlikely candidate to receive a vote. There is no doubt that the veteran has been one of the most reliable options at his position for the last decade. However, it is tough to justify his legitimacy as a member of an All-NBA team based on his performance this season.
Ariza’s numbers this year were almost a mirror image of his production last season after averaging 11.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 67 games. He managed to live up to his role as a quintessential “3-and-D” guy by averaging 1.5 steals per game while shooting 36.8 percent from deep. That said, he enjoyed modest production albeit on a Rockets team that finished with the best record in the NBA.
However, that argument has only seemed to work for Harden’s benefit thus far. Paul was perhaps this year’s most notable snub from the All-NBA teams while center Clint Capela managed to muster up six votes for himself. Fortunately, Houston now finds itself in a position to take home some serious hardware with the series tied at 2-2 and the homecourt advantage.
