On Thursday, we learned which 10 players are going to start the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. While there were two fairly obvious snubs, it’s hard to argue that these players don’t deserve the honor.
But because this is always how this works, right after the starters were announced, the conversation immediately moved to which players are going to earn the title of All-Star Game reserves. There are plenty of players who deserve the honor, but we only get two guards, three frontcourt players, and two wild-cards.
Who would we pick? We had one writer take the Eastern Conference and another take the Western Conference. Their selections looked like this …
Eastern Conference – Brad Rowland
Guards: Kyle Lowry and Isaiah Thomas
It would be (very) easy to argue that Lowry and Thomas should be the starting backcourt. In fact, that is exactly what I would argue. Kyrie Irving was always going to be the top choice of the fans and he is a deserving All-Star. However, both Lowry and Thomas have enjoyed better seasons to this point. DeMar DeRozan, who is also having a lights-out season (28.2 points per game), isn’t the best player on his own team, as Lowry is (much) more efficient, a far better defender and more vital to Toronto’s team success.
In terms of other contenders, both John Wall and Kemba Walker would have cases. Wall is a much better defender than Thomas, but his efficiency numbers don’t quite reach to the same level and Washington’s team performance doesn’t sniff that of Toronto. Walker remains wildly underrated and he should be in the mix, but would be No. 4 when evaluating this particular quartet. As for other shooting guards, let’s just say this isn’t the best year for that position in the Eastern Conference.
Frontcourt: Paul George, Kevin Love and Paul Millsap
The combination of fans, players and media nailed the East starters and that makes this decision harder, simply because there are no “easy” choices. Love earns a spot based on the big-time success of the Cavs and the fact that he is quietly having a lights-out season. Averaging 20 and 10 as, effectively, the third option is impressive and he’s the No. 1 guy here.
George garners the nod based on sheer importance to his team. The Pacers would be utterly lost without George in the mix, and while his counting numbers (22.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game) are down, his shooting efficiency is up. Moreover, George is an excellent defender that maintains that performance despite a sizable offensive workload and he has quickly become underrated again.
Millsap is the toughest choice and, given the presence of Joel Embiid and Kristaps Porzingis, a potentially controversial one. If Embiid’s performance was over more minutes and/or more games, he would be the guy and that has to be said. The rookie big man is putting up 28.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per 36 minutes while shooting 35 percent from three and that is a ridiculous combination. At some point, though, playing 25.4 minutes per game and missing more than 10 games has to matter, and this is that point. Millsap’s cumulative value is higher (nearly 600 more on-court minutes will do that), he plays on the No. 4 seed in the East and he’s one of the 15 best defenders in the NBA in addition to his offensive value. It’s not a sexy choice, but it’s the right one on the merits. If you like fun, going the other way isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Wild Card: John Wall and Kemba Walker
Wall is a no-brainer and he absolutely has to be included. Washington’s lead guard is closer to the Thomas/Lowry tier than to missing the team entirely and averaging 20 and 10 while leading the NBA in steals will do that. In the end, the final spot comes down to Embiid and Walker and, again, we’ll go boring here.
Walker has 1,388 minutes of court time under his belt in comparison to 736 for Embiid, and the best player on the Hornets roster is 23 points per game while knocking down more than 40 percent from the three-point line. He’s just been too good to leave off and Embiid will (hopefully) be on this list for another decade. Just not this time.
Western Conference – Bill DiFilippo
Guards: Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul
These are simple. Westbrook is averaging a triple-double and scoring 30.6 points per game. As we outlined, the fact that he is not starting is ludicrous. It’s hard to get outraged at the All-Star game, but if Westbrook is somehow not a reserve, it will be an outrage. The only question with him is how frequently he’ll see the court with Durant, because … well, it’s kinda obvious why we all want to see this, right?
Paul is also a shoe-in, but unfortunately, he won’t get the opportunity to play due to his thumb injury. He’s been fantastic this year – his PER is the highest that it’s been during his time as a Clipper (27.4). Paul also leads the league in real plus-minus this year. Watch the Clippers when he’s on the floor, then watch the team when the keys to the offense are handed to one of his backups (Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers, or Raymond Felton). They look like two completely different teams.
As for who fills in for Paul, it’s likely going to come down to Mike Conley or Damian Lillard. You can’t go wrong with either – Lillard is the more explosive scorer, while Conley’s a better defender and runs the point for a better team. You can flip a coin to make this decision, because both players deserve this honor. Klay Thompson and C.J. McCollum can also get the nod here, as can Gordon Hayward if you want to considered him a guard.
Frontcourt: Rudy Gobert, Marc Gasol and Draymond Green
Green’s scoring has taken a hit this year, but he’s close to or exceeding his career highs in total rebounding percentage, assist percentage, block percentage, and steal percentage. He is the most unique basketball player in the league, and his defense is still on another level. Let’s respect defense and give Green a spot.
Speaking of great defense, Gobert has been great again on that side of the floor this year. He’s still blocking shots and rebounding and doing all the stuff you expect out of the 7’1 Frenchman. But this year, Gobert’s offense has taken a step forward – he’s averaging 12.4 points per game while leading the league in true shooting percentage (68.4 percent). Additionally, he is second in the league in effective field goal percentage (66.2 percent).
Guess what? Marc Gasol is consistently great down in Memphis, leading a Grizzlies team alongside Conley that is probably going to make the Playoffs. What else is new? His 19.6 points per game are a career high (partly because, for the first time in his career, he’s shooting threes, knocking them down at a 38.3 percent clip). His 4.3 assists per games are also a career high, while he’s 11th in the league in defensive win shares. Gasol’s steadiness is perpetually under appreciated. Give him an All-Star spot.
Wild Card: DeMarcus Cousins and Karl-Anthony Towns
Man, the big men out west are something else. If you were to put either of these guys as frontcourt starters instead of Green, Gobert, or Gasol, that’s perfectly fine.
We know how great Cousins is. While the Kings haven’t been great this year (although, in fairness they’re only a game behind the 8-seed out west), Boogie has not. He’s averaging a double-double on the year and is ninth in the league in PER. If anyone is going to be punished for their team’s record, it’s Cousins, which is why he’s a Wild Card player despite a starter-caliber resume.
As for the last spot, it came down to two guys – Towns and Nikola Jokic. I went back and forth on this about 50 times, but ultimately used Brad’s tiebreaker for his final spot and decided on Towns due to the fact that he’s played nearly 600 more minutes. Both players have been outstanding this year, and really, no one will blame you if you cape for Jokic. The future of the center position in the Western Conference is bright, and we’re going to see both of these guys make it to the All-Star Game sooner rather than later. Towns is just going to go a little sooner.
