Last Thursday, the NBA announced the All-Star Game captains and starters for each conference. On Tuesday, the league revealed the seven All-Star reserves for each conference as selected by the coaches within those conferences. The seven slots were divided amongst two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild card slots to get squads up to 12, including the five starters.
Reserves for the Western Conference:
Guard – Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
Guard – Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns)
Frontcourt – Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
Frontcourt – Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)
Frontcourt – Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)
Guard – Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
Frontcourt – Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers)
Reserves for the Eastern Conference:
Guard – James Harden (Brooklyn Nets)
Guard – Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
Frontcourt – Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
Frontcourt – Julius Randle (New York Knicks)
Frontcourt – Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic)
Guard – Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)
Guard – Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls)
In the West, Lillard and Doncic tied for a starting spot, but Doncic’s lead in fan voting gave him the go. Mitchell is averaging career-best numbers in scoring (24.5 points per game), assists, and true shooting percentage. For years, Gobert has been one of the top defensive players in the league, but his 2.8 blocks per game are a career-high. Davis is out with a calf strain and might miss the game. Commissioner Adam Silver will name a replacement for him.
On the Eastern side, Brown has levelled up as a scorer and is averaging a career-best 25.5 points per game and nearly four assists per game, marking a new career-high. Harden is the only player in the league who is currently averaging double-figures in assists (11.1 per game), and still managing an average of 25 points on ridiculous 66.2 percent true shooting since joining the Nets. LaVine seems to have improved his passing and defense this season to become a more complete all-around player. Simmons is becoming one of the better defensive players in the East while also providing excellent playmaking and about 16 points per game.
This will be the first All-Star Game appearance for Williamson, Randle, Brown and LaVine. Notable names that were left off the roster include Trae Young and Devin Booker. Even though Mike Conley is currently averaging 16.4 points, 5.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 41.2 percent from deep he will have to wait for the first All-Star Game of his career.
The 70th All-Star Game is set to take place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 7. The league has also announced that the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest and Dunk Contest will all be held on the same day. The Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest will be prior to the game, while the Dunk Contest will take place at halftime.
