Both the East and West All-Star reserves for the All-Star game have been announced earlier and here is my honest take for the players chosen. Just to set the record straight, what you will read is completely personal. The views and opinions mentioned by the writer do not reflect the entire Rebanse Media.
The Titans of the West
The West All-Star reserves are composed of: Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, James Harden of the Los Angeles Clippers, Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies, Alperen Sengun of the Houston Rockets, Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
First things first, a lot of centers have been selected. I know most of them aren’t playing the traditional “5” position anymore since we are now in the modern NBA but it just doesn’t feel right when I see a lot of 6’11 players in the Bay Area by February 17. I do understand that the reserves are composed of 3 Guards and 4 Frontcourt but the players selected in the West don’t have enough Forwards. Though yes it’s hard to say names that play the Small Forward and Power Forward position that could replace anyone from Sengun, Wembanyama, Jackson Jr., and AD, it still feels odd to see a lot of great centers in the West. Yes, they will definitely space the floor with their outside shooting,g and with their versatility they can play more agile and not the traditional “Power Forward”.
More surprisingly, Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings, who’s currently leading the league in the rebounding department with 14.5 a game isn’t selected. He is someone who I definitely feel should’ve been picked over JJJ. Aside from the rebounding, Domas is averaging better numbers in terms of Points, Field Goals %, 3 Points %, and Assists. He got 20.9 PPG, 61 FG%, 48.1 3P%, and 6.6 APG compared to JJJ’s 22.8 PPG, 49.9 FG%, 35.5 3P%, and 2.1 APG. But I guess “we have to reward winning” since the Grizzlies are sitting at #3 in the West standings compared to the #10-seeded Kings.
For the guards, it’s hard to say which one should be replaced but both Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns and Norman Powell of the LA Clippers are balling out this season. DBook whose team is currently #9 is averaging 25.5 PPG, 6.7 APG, 4 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 44.4 FG%, and 34.1 3P% are stellar numbers and is clearly All-Star performance. Powell on the other hand is averaging Career High numbers. The jump in his stats is incredible compared to last year since his numbers were 13.9 PPG, 1.1 APG, 2.6 RPG, 0.6 SPG, and 48.6 FG%. While in his 12th year, he averaged 24 PPG, 2.2 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG, and 49.4 FG%.
More than the stats, both the Media and Player votes were a huge factor in determining who should play in the All-Star game, no matter how “deserving” a player is.
Unsung Heroes of the East
The East All-Star reserves are composed of: Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks, Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons, Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat, Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Pascal Siakam of the Indiana Pacers.
I’ll say it immediately, where’s LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets? For a player to lead the three all-star fan voting returns and NOT make the All-Star reserve list is 100% absurd. We fans can forgive if he wasn’t named a starter since the Media and Player votes can be the determining factor of that but completely not being part of the All-Star game? That’s a whole new level in the element of surprise. To think that LaMelo is currently averaging more PPG, APG, and RPG in the entire All-Star reserves, and yet he isn’t selected as an all-star has encapsulated the definition of the word “mind-blowing”. He averages 28.2 PPG, 7.3 APG, 5.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 41.9 FG% and 33.7 3P%. Yes, Charlotte is #14 in the East but numbers don’t lie.
Since we’re on the topic of snubs, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks should’ve been an All-Star this year. Same as Domantas Sabonis, he’s leading the league but this time in the Assist department. Aside from that he has decent numbers with 22.7 PPG, 11.4 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 85.6 FT%, 34.2 3P%, and 40.2 FG%. The Hawks are the #9th in the East but Trae is just one of the biggest “What If All Star” in the East.
What It Really Means
Throughout the years there have been so many players who deserve to play in the All-Star weekend but I can’t help to question, what does it means to play in the All-Star Game? And what does the “All-Star Game” mean in the current generation?
Are we just picking players based on “popularity” and “household names”? Or do we all look at the players and think what they can do during the All-Star game? If we’re talking about must-see alley-oop passes then LaMelo and Trae really should be our guys. Are talking about those players that can shoot the lights out from beyond the arc? Then Luke Kennard of the Grizzlies and Taurean Prince of the Bucks should’ve been candidates since they are #1 and #4 for league-leading three-point percentages this season.
I can go on with all the other factors that contribute to winning but in the end, we should be satisfied with what we have. Besides, most of the players are actually “Superstars” and “Legends” in the NBA.
