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Tim Bontemps
nba all star voting Tips will tip off at 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, with five starters from each conference to be announced on Monday and reserves to be selected by the league’s coaches on February 1.
As soon as fans submit their last minute ballotswhich players Needed come in? Who are the contenders on the bubble? Which stars might miss the cut? (And which group should include Lebron James?)
The goal, as will be in next month’s revised All-Star Game structure, is to roster 16 American and eight international players for a round-robin-style US vs. World format. (If any numbers are off, we’ll add to the player pool, as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will do for actual results.)
Let’s map out the starters and reserves for the Eastern and Western conferences, filled with elite All-Star locks, young first-time picks and plenty of agonizing decisions.
Go to a section:
East: Starters | reserve locks | bubble
West: Starters | reserve locks | bubble
Why does our roster get a bonus 25th player?
eastern conference
Starters
Four of these options are simple, especially given the NBA’s new rules allowing a positionless starting five. Antetokounmpo is in danger of missing the 65-game rule, which would knock him off the All-NBA First Team and out of the top five in the MVP race. But he has been the best player in the East so far this season and will appear in his 10th consecutive All-Star Game. Antetokounmpo will become the 45th player in league history with double-digit NBA All-Star selections.
Cunningham has taken another leap forward after last season’s All-Star and All-NBA debuts, moving into the MVP conversation as the leader of the conference-best Pistons. Brunson has once again been a strong force for New York and should easily make his fourth consecutive All-Star team. Maxi, which connects luka doncic And Shai Gilgeous-Alexander As the league’s leading 30 point-per-game scorer, the 76ers have returned to playoff position after last season’s injury-filled disaster.
This then begins the fifth, a debate in which two players are vying for a spot in fan voting: Brown and cleveland cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell has arguably had his best individual season behind his career-high 29.5 points per game. Cleveland needs that offensive surge to keep from falling further than the 7-seed, as the Cavaliers have a rotating cast of players due to injuries. starter max strusFor example, he has not yet made his season debut due to a fractured left foot.
Brown has been the face of Boston’s surprising first half, setting career highs in points (29.5) and assists (5.0) per game while maintaining strong efficiency numbers despite carrying a far heavier workload than in the past. jayson tatumHis absence with a torn Achilles.
Thanks to the Celtics’ success, the nearly coin-flip battle for the East’s fifth starter leans in Brown’s direction.
reserve locks
After Mitchell, Johnson was the easiest to include in the East Reserve. A leading contender for the NBA’s Most Improved Player, the 6-foot-8 forward was making major strides last season, but it was cut short due to injuries. Johnson has become a triple-double producer this season (second in the league with seven, including four in a row last month) and is at career highs in points and shooting percentage on increased usage.
Barnes has continued to develop his strong two-way game for Toronto, which has established itself as a contender for home-court advantage in the playoffs after a poor start to the season.
And while Duren may not have the same counting stats as some of the players behind him on this list, his two-man chemistry with Cunningham and improvement as a defender have been massive in Detroit’s rapid rise to the top spot. The franchise deserves a second All-Star this season.
bubble clock
This is where the fun begins.
If the Knicks get another player, it would be Towns. (no disrespect mikal bridges And OG AnunobyWho are having great seasons for the East’s 2-seed.) But while Towns is still putting up impressive averages of 21.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists, those figures are on par with the worst shooting season of his career during an inconsistent sophomore campaign in New York.
Bane has become a staple on “best players never to be an All-Star” teams, but has been plagued by injuries to teammates in the early season. paolo banchero And franz wagnerThe Magic’s top offseason pickup is the only realistic option. Like Towns, Benn has seen a decline in performance compared to his numbers last season in Memphis, although he has often been Orlando’s preferred option in the clutch.
The numbers alone make Siakam the strongest case on this list, but the Pacers’ bottom spot in the standings can’t be ignored. The same can be said for Porter, who is having his best season yet as the No. 1 option on a Nets team playing for lottery odds.
Powell continues the best season of his career LA Clippers With even better start in his first season for Miami, kept the Heat’s offense going despite All-Star tyler herro Playing only nine games due to various injuries.
In this ballot, powell Due to Miami’s heavy reliance on him, especially due to Herro’s injury issues, he got the first of three spots. And, despite this season falling short of its previous standards, towns Makes it inside.
That leaves Benn, Siakam and Porter in last place. siakam Becomes the obvious choice. When he leaves the court, the Pacers are nearly 10 points worse per 100 possessions — more than 12 points worse offensively — which is enough to secure his fourth All-Star selection.
western conference
Starters
Like East, West’s four starter spots are automatic. Despite the Thunder’s recent “tough” stretch, Gilgeous-Alexander is either first or second on every MVP balloting and remains an easy choice to start. It will be a similar conversation for Jokic, who can continue to put up stellar stats after returning from his knee injury early next month.
The Lakers ultimately lost their first clutch game on Friday against Milwaukee, but Doncic is leading the league in scoring and remains the only offensive center in Los Angeles. And Wembanyama has taken another leap forward in his third season, helping the Spurs reach the NBA Cup title, three wins over the defending champion Thunder and the West’s second seed.
That leaves Edwards or Stephen Curry For last place, a question with no wrong answers. Ultimately, Edwards got the edge due to slightly more consistency over Curry and positioning as a better two-way force than Curry. Golden State Warriors Legend.
reserve locks
Let’s start with Holmgren, whose inclusion may come as a surprise. But the Thunder big man is an easy runner-up to Vembanyama in the Defensive Player of the Year race and has been an incredibly efficient scorer.
Murray should finally graduate from his captaincy of the “best players not to be All-Star” team, as his usual slow start has been replaced by career-high averages in points (25.6), assists (7.5) and 3-point rate (44.8%) during the first few months of the season. His importance to the Nuggets has never been greater as the franchise deals with injuries one after another, including Jokic’s recent left knee problem.
Next comes the Rockets’ tremendous scoring duo of Sengun and Durant. At 37 years old, Durant is flirting with another 50-40-90 season and is everything Houston dreamed of when he achieved future Hall of Fame fame. But the Rockets’ best shot creator has been Sengun, as the 23-year-old big man has made another leap as the team’s offensive focal point.
bubble clock
This list includes incredibly difficult decisions.
How can there be an All-Star Game without LeBron, who has been chosen to start in each of the last 21 seasons? After looking 41 years old earlier this season, James’ numbers have skyrocketed due to a combination of better conditioning and more time on the ball due to Reeves’ injury.
Speaking of Reaves, it’s been a breakout season for the 27-year-old guard, who is going to get paid This summer, either by the Lakers or another team. But Reeves has only played 23 games, and there are several worthy contenders out west.
One of those players is one of the league’s best stories. Avdija has risen to stardom as the clear favorite for Most Improved Player honors for Portland, while also playing a huge playmaking and scoring role. (His 26.1 ppg is about 10 more than last season.)
From a team perspective, the league’s best story may be the Suns, who are now firmly in the top six in the West – much better than anyone expected before this season. Booker is their obvious All-Star choice, although his efficiency has dropped enough to put him in this group of bubble candidates.
Off the court, Leonard has been one of the defining players of the season as the NBA awaits the results of an investigation into possible salary cap manipulation by the Clippers. Hanged up on all that? The All-Star Game is taking place at the Intuit Dome outside Los Angeles.
From a purely production standpoint, Leonard has had a fantastic season, including a career high in points per game, now up to 27.8 after a scorching summer month of play, which coincides with the Clippers’ 10-2 stretch since December 20, as the franchise looks to turn its season around.
Who makes the cut? With the best numbers in the group, Avdija Gets first place. His growth coupled with Portland’s push to clinch a top-eight seed earns him acceptance.
Two Lakers missed. Had Reeves not been injured, he likely would have made his first All-Star team. And it feels strange to leave James out of the team. He has played much better recently, but his production – in just 21 games – doesn’t stack up anywhere near Booker or Leonard.
and between these two Themwe will approve booker For last place. There’s a much better case for Leonard than Booker. But since Booker is the undisputed leader of this Suns team and Phoenix has accomplished this much, that’s enough to work in his favor.
24 players (plus one!)
American Selection (15): Cunningham, Brunson, Maxey, Brown, Mitchell, Johnson, Barnes, Duran, Towns, Powell, Holmgren, Edwards, Curry, Durant, Booker.
International Selection (9): Antetokounmpo, Siakam, Gilgeous-Alexander, Vembanayama, Doncic, Jokic, Murray, Sengun, Avdija
It should be noted that both Towns, who has played internationally for the Dominican Republic, and Powell, who is committed to the Jamaica national team, could potentially fit into either group. In this scenario, we need to add one more American.
An awkward situation would arise, given that state of aspiration Depending on the player, the franchise and All-Star Weekend – as well as picking someone over LeBron – Leonard’s play in the first half of the season secured him the last spot.
