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The NBA has announced the headlines for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game with Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James selected by fans as captains.
The starting lineups can be found below.
2021 #NBAAllStar Game Launchers Revealed!
LeBron James of the Lakers and Kevin Durant of the Nets were featured as team captains for the 70th All-Star Game. https://t.co/O4Wa7Lc7OM pic.twitter.com/0I7bFHf2mc– #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 19, 2021
With the starting lineup picks behind us, that leaves the hardest part: deciding the bookings at each conference.
Choosing reserves always generates a debate, as a handful of deserving players forever left as slights. Which players will make the cut and which won’t?
All statistics are updated to February 20.
Reserve Candidates for the Eastern Conference All-Star Game
Rear track
I personally had James Harden, Nets star as a starter, but when his teammate Irving claimed that spot, Harden became an obvious backup pick. I would also put Boston Celtics point guard Jaylen Brown in that group too.
So who’s left for the backcourt members who deserve consideration for wild-card spots?
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Simmons has been one of the best two-way players in the NBA this season as part of the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. That alone is enough for All-Star consideration, but when you add that the 76ers have the best record in the Eastern Conference, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep Simmons out of the All-Star team. Averaging 15.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game, Simmons should be in line for his third consecutive All-Star try, this time as a wild card.
Trae Young, Atlanta Falcons
Young got off to a slower-than-expected start to this season, but has since improved his level of play to keep the Hawks in the playoff race. His scoring average (26.5 points per game) might be the slightest bit down compared to last season (29.6 PPG), but he’s still dishing out 9.3 assists per game. Ranking in the top 10 in scoring and in the top five in assists makes him worthy of one of the wild-card spots in the East.
Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
LaVine is just as deserving as Simmons and Young, as the Bulls’ star guard is averaging his career highs in points, assists, rebounds, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, free throw percentage and efficiency ratio of player. How can someone who plays so well be left out of the All-Star team? LaVine’s case is complicated when he faces the competition, but if he is named an All-Star, there won’t be many complaints.
Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors
The Raptors have come back in a big way after a bad start to the season and VanVleet bears a lot of responsibility for that. The undrafted shooting guard has built a solid All-Star box by averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists, while leading the league in total steals. Setting Toronto’s single-game franchise record with 54 points is just another line on VanVleet’s All-Star game resume and even if he doesn’t win an offer, his name certainly belongs in this combination.
Front court
The frontcourt was a lot of harder to select because the only lock I had was Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. That left the large group of meritorious players next, and this list even excludes players like Gordon Hayward, Jerami Grant, Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, who are having All-Star-caliber seasons.
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
The Pacers have been one of the best teams in the East all season, and Sabonis has played an integral role in that success. He has literally been a walking double-double, achieving the feat in 23 of the 29 games in which he has played, the second highest in the league, with an average of 21.5 points, the personal record, with 11.6 rebounds. per game. He is also averaging career highs in assists, steals and blocks, making Sabonis worthy of his second consecutive All-Star award.
Julius Randle, New York Knicks
Randle has helped make the Knicks a competitive team this season, averaging 23.2 points, 10.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 40.5% of 3, all of which are career highs. He deserves most of the credit for having New York in the playoff photo for the first time since 2013 and even in a year in which there are many other worthy players who have previously been selected for the All-Star team, Randle has played beyond expectations for his first All-Star Game bid.
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
Middleton has been an All-Star in each of the past two seasons, and the Bucks forward has been even better than ever this season. Averaging 20.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game, Middleton is averaging one of the most balanced stat lines in the league. If that’s not impressive enough, he’s doing it in 50-40-90 shooting divisions, looking like a strong candidate to join that elite club. With Middleton, the question boils down to, “Have the Bucks played well enough to deserve two All-Stars?”
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
The Heat have struggled to start the season, but where would they be without Adebayo? For a roster that has delt with several absences due to injuries and health and safety protocols, Adebayo has been a mainstay in Miami’s lineup with averages of 19.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. He continues to evolve as a player, becoming much more comfortable taking down jumps while still anchoring the Heat’s defense. He was named All-Star for the first time last season; will repeat again?
Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic
Vucevic has been incredible this season, averaging a career-high 23.6 points with 11.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The Magic center forward has also extended his reach this season, coming to the 3-point line much more frequently and converting at 40.7 percent, the best of his career. The former All-Star is worthy of consideration, although his team’s success may hamper his chances.
Reserve Candidates for the Western Conference All-Star Game
Rear track
I also had the wrong West exit backcourt as I placed Damian Lillard, point guard for the Portland Trail Blazers with Stephen Curry instead of Luka Doncic. However, the West backcourt reserve picks were easy, as Lillard and Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell they are undoubtedly deserving.
But who are the other guards that could be considered for a reserve spot? (Side note: a nod to CJ McCollum, who was on his way to the first potential All-Star bid of his career before suffering a foot injury 13 games into the season.)
Chris Paul and Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
Paul and Booker may be fighting each other to decide who gets an All-Star spot in the West. It’s not that both players don’t deserve a spot for the All-Star Game, it’s quite possible that they’ll fill both places with wild cards, it’s just that they are each other’s competition if only one is chosen. Paul is seen as a timeless wonder as a catalyst for Phoenix’s success, while Booker is the team’s leading scorer averaging 24.3 points per game. With the Suns holding one of the best records in the West, one of these players is sure to make it. Who will it be?
DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs missed the playoffs last season, snapping a streak of 22 consecutive playoff appearances, the best streak in the league. It didn’t take long for San Antonio to regain the playoff image and DeRozan’s performance has played a huge role in that, averaging 19.8 points, 6.9 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. If the Spurs are rewarded with an All-Star for their team’s good start to the season, DeRozan is the guy.
Mike Conley Jr., Utah Jazz
In some ways, Conley has never been an All-Star, but that could come to an end this season. With Utah rushing through the first half of the NBA schedule with ease, there is a case for the team to have three All-Stars. Conley’s averages of 16.5 points, 5.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game might not jump off the page, but he’s shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 41.0 percent from 3, both of which are career highs. .
De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
Fox is averaging a career-high 22.8 points and 6.9 assists per game, building a strong case for his first All-Star bid. Although Sacramento has calmed down from the hot streak that Fox caused, that doesn’t take away from the season the 23-year-old is having. If your first All-Star recognition doesn’t happen this season, it will come sooner rather than later.
Front court
The front track of the western reserves was not a great challenge for me personally, Jazz center Rudy Gobert, LA Clippers forward Paul George and Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis for your efforts this season. However, there were a few other names that were worth considering for one of the wildcard points.
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Williamson has been on a rampage in Year 2, averaging 25.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting an unheard of 62.0 percent from the field. The ease with which he’s scoring has been staggering and when it comes to Zion, you know there are a lot of highlights he could bring to an All-Star Game. But highlights aside, his on-court production has been All-Star worthy and he’ll be one of the first players in line for a wild-card spot in the West.
Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
Ingram has been impressive this season too, although his All-Star chances are likely to be dwarfed by Williamson. Averaging 23.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, the 23-year-old has made a strong case for his second consecutive All-Star bid – the field may be too crowded this season.
Christian Wood, Houston Rockets
Wood was enjoying an excellent season before an ankle injury that has led him to miss 11 games, which will likely take him out of All-Star consideration. Still, averaging 22.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 assists per game are All-Star caliber numbers in his first real chance to prove himself in the league, and Wood could have had a good case for making the team. if it had remained healthy.
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