The starters for the NBA All-Star game will be announced tonight with the reserves being announced a week from today. Starters will be chosen by the fans, media, and players. Fans will make up 50% of the vote with the players and media splitting the other 50%.
The leading vote getter in each conference will be serve as captain and pick their teams accordingly from the remaining 22 players.
Since the starters will be released tonight, these are the guys who I think SHOULD be All-Stars this year and the guys who just missed the cut.
Just a reminder, each conference gets 12 All-Stars with 5 guards, 5 front court players, and 2 guys who can be either a guard or front court.
WESTERN CONFERENCE STARTERS:
•Guard 1 – Luka Doncic
Averaging 29.1p 9.7r and 9, Luka has possibly been the best guard in the NBA, has the most triple doubles in the NBA, and the Mavs are 5th in the West which is much better than anyone thought. He’s a no brainer as a starter.
•Guard 2 – James Harden
Averaging 36.6p 6.2r and 7.4a, there’s no denying Harden’s talent. He’s a bit polarizing but with those numbers and the Rockets being tied for 5th in the West, Harden unquestionably deserves to a starter.
•Front Court 1 – Kawhi Leonard
Averaging 27.1p 7.4r and 5a, Kawhi has probably been the best player in the NBA considering how well he plays on both ends of the floor. He load manages but that doesn’t really matter because when he plays, he dominant.
•Front Court 2 – Lebron James
Averaging 25.1p 7.6r and 10.8a, Lebron has the Lakers first in the West and he’s leading the NBA in assists in his 17th season which is crazy.
•Front Court 3 – Anthony Davis
Averaging 26.6p 9.1r and 2.5b, AD along with Lebron has the Lakers as the best team in the West and he also might be the frontrunner for DPOY. No other big man has been better.
This is where it gets tricky.
RESERVES:
•Guard 3 – Damian Lillard
Averaging 27.9p 4.1r and 7.6r, Dame has been spectacular this season. The Blazers haven’t had the success they’ve normally had due to injuries but there’s no denying Dame as an All-Star.
•Guard 4 -Donovan Mitchell
Averaging 24.7p 4.2r and 4.2a, Mitchell has the Jazz 2nd in the West and has been pretty special. He will soon be in MVP discussions if he continues his play and the Jazz continue to play this well.
•Guard 5 – Russell Westbrook
Averaging 25.3p 8.1r and 7.3a, another polarizing player, Russ’ numbers speak for themselves. His season got of to a rocky start but he’s been great recently.
•Front Court 4 – Nikola Jokic
Averaging 19.4p 10r 6.4a, Jokic doesn’t exactly scream All-Star but he definitely is. The Nuggets are 4th in the West and he’s the reason why.
•Front Court 5 – Rudy Gobert
Averaging 15.6p 14.5r and 2b, Gobert, like Jokic, doesn’t really scream All-Star, but with the numbers, Jazz being 2nd in the West, being one of the best defenders in the league, and so many injuries to players in the West, he deserves it this year.
•Other 1 – Brandon Ingram
Averaging 25.5p 6.6r and 4.3a, Ingram has All-Star numbers but the Pelicans have been a huge disappointment so far this season. If there weren’t so many injuries in the West this year the lack of team success would keep him out. However, he definitely deserves to be All-Star.
•Other 2 – Devin Booker
Averaging 26.5p 4.1r and 6.3a, just like Ingram, Booker has All-Star numbers but the team isn’t a good. Booker has been a guy that has put up great numbers but hasn’t been able to make an All-Star game. This year is the year for him.
JUST MISSED THE CUT:
•Karl Anthony-Towns – KAT is averaging 26.5p and 10.9r but has only played 27 games and the Wolves aren’t a good team. If he played more games he’d once again be an All-Star.
•Chris Paul – CP3 is only averaging 17p 5r and 6.4a but the Thunder are much much better than expected and its due to his leadership. Also, can’t separate him from teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
•Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – SGA is averaging 19.8p and 6r and is part of the reason the Thunder are as good as they are. But, CP3 is his teammate and can’t separate the two.
•Demar Derozan – Derozan is averaging 22.4p 5.6r and 5.2a so the numbers are decent but not good enough and the Spurs aren’t good enough to where the team success pushes him over the top.
•Ja Morant – Ja is averaging 17.5p and 7a and is the front runner for ROY but he is a rookie and rookies typically don’t make the All-Star game. His numbers would have to be better for him to be considered more.
•Paul George – PG is averaging 23.5p and 6r but has only played 26 games and there’s no telling when he’ll be back. If he played more, he’d be a lock.
Flip the page to see the east.