The fifth spot was another tough choice. Jalen Brunson is the beating heart of a Knicks offense that has been a force this season and he could well be No. 5 on my board, but the defensive concerns and credit for that offense also going to Karl-Anthony Towns bumped Brunson down one spot in my book to sixth. By the end of the season, this may flip.

Heading into the second half of the season, we project a handful of major awards and look back on some of the highlights and lowlights of the first 40 games.

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LaMelo Ball and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remain the leaders at guard in the East & West, with Antetokounmpo and Jokić as the top overall voting leaders.