With the NBA All-Star Game steady approaching at about a month away, I figured I would announce my picks for who I believe deserves to take part in the festivities. To set some structure for my partially biased selections, I will say that I am a believer in individual play over team play when making my picks for each team. I will give more detailed reasonings once I get to each player respectively, but I state this now to get rid of the idea that players shouldn’t make the all-star team due to their team not performing well. (cough… cough… Trae Young). So much of a player’s career and resume fall on how their team performs overall, and I like to treat All-Star Weekend as the chance to celebrate the players who are not only just putting up numbers, but are also entertaining to watch. Because that’s what the weekend is all about. Having fun and creating a name for young stars to gain popularity, for both the individual and the NBA itself. If it wasn’t for the 2016 Dunk Contest, who knows how many less people would even know who Aaron Gordon is. Also, since there are still plenty of games to be played from now until All-Star Weekend, I will be giving some names of players I believe to be on the bubble for making each team as there is always time for change to happen. I will also be breaking this up into two pieces, with this being my eastern conference selections. Without further ado, the east representatives.
East Starter – Giannis Antetokounmpo
Reigning MVP. Leading the team with the best record in the league (as of me writing this). Superhuman. Not sure what else I have to say for this one. One of the most unique and entertaining players we have ever seen and he is only getting better. Punch his ticket for this year and the next decade.
East Starter – Joel Embiid
Although the two-time all-star has seen his team struggle at times, and occasionally play better when he is not in the lineup, (can’t help but let my Boston bias come out a little), Embiid has not missed a step. Although his points per game average has dipped slightly, he has continued to improve as a rebounder and defender as he finds his place in the league. Embiid is not only the best player on the Sixers, but one of the best players in the easten conference. Punch his ticket.
East Starter – Kemba Walker
Kemba seems to be enjoying his time in Boston. He has more weapons on his side but it has been the same old Kemba. He’s kept his numbers consistent while also being able to maintain his usage level and minutes so that he isn’t being overworked. The Celtics have been on a slide as of late but overall the Celtics have remained in contention in the eastern conference and after the disaster that was last season, fans have been enjoying Kemba in Boston just as much, if not more. Punch the ticket.
East Starter – Trae Young
For some reason, Trae Young has stirred up a good amount of controversy among NBA fans on whether he should make the all-star game or not. My only thought is, why? He’s averaging 29.8 points to go with 8.6 assists per game. In his second year. The main argument against him is that the Hawks are currently a bottom three team in the league but, as I have already stated, that’s not the point of the all-star game. This game is supposed to be light, fun, and, most importantly, entertaining. And Trae young just might be the most entertaining player in the league, pound for pound. Anyone crazy enough to try this in an actual game should have an automatic spot. Punch his ticket.
East Starter – Ben Simmons
To be honest, this last starter spot was a tough choice for me. I’ll get into my second choice with the next player, but for now Ben Simmons. The guard trapped in a big man’s body is having another great season. He made his first in-game three-pointer, has actually made a couple, but other than that there hasn’t been drastic changes to Simmons’ game. While I am among the many who are confused why he doesn’t extend his range more, he’s still a dominant player and he has been able to showcase that during Sixers’ games in which Embiid doesn’t play. He’s a triple double threat with a unique set of talents. Punch his ticket.
East 6th Man – Pascal (Spicy P) Siakam
Had to throw the nickname in. It’s an all-time great one. If there was one phrase that I could use to describe Siakam, it would be ‘most improved god’. For each of the four years he has been in the league, he has improved his PPG, RPG, APG, and 3FG%. He’s quickly becoming the cornerstone piece for last year’s champs and he’s giving the people of Toronto hope that there isn’t a need for a ‘blow-it-all-up’ style rebuild now that Kawhi is gone. And yes, this was the player who I struggled to choose for the last starter spot. He has been that good. Punch his ticket.
East 7th Man – Jayson Tatum
Much like the last entry in this list, Tatum has taken a leap this year to become a face of his franchise. With Kyrie and Horford leaving the team, there were a lot of points left to be scored by the remaining Celtics. And yes, the addition of Kemba Walker helped that, but Tatum has played beyond expectations so far this season. And, because of that, it’s officially time to punch his ticket for the first time. Many more to come.
East 8th Man – Bradley Beal
I feel that Beal has flown under the radar again so far this year, and the fact that he plays for the Wizards is the main reason for that. Even though they are yet again at the bottom of the league as they wait for John Wall to return from injury, they have actually sported a top offense in the league. Most of that is due to having Beal as the offensive leader. He’s averaging a career high 27.2 points and 6.3 assists per game. To be honest, even I was surprised to see how well Beal has been playing individually so far this season. Punch his ticket.
East 9th Man – Jimmy Butler
A lot of people criticized Jimmy Butler for signing with the Miami Heat this offseason. He was ridiculed for picking a team based on the lifestyle rather than the talent of the team. All these people were proven wrong rather quickly. The heat are a top team in the east and that is in large part due to the leadership of Butler. Not to mention he’s averaging career highs in assists and rebounds. So, after he missed out last year, it’s time for Jimmy Buckets to make his return to the all-star game. Punch his ticket.
East 10th Man – Zach LaVine
While Zach LaVine’s stats haven’t necessarily seen a huge leap from last year, he’s another player who has become the face of their respective franchise. In his case, it helps that the eastern conference has lost some all-star level players, allowing the players like LaVine to become more noticeable as more than just a gimmick dunker. That being said, his dunking talent is a big bonus in the entertainment category which makes his case for the team even stronger. Not to mention, LaVine slyly said how he would be much more inclined to participate in the dunk contest if he were to be an all-star this year. So fingers crossed. Punch his ticket.
East 11th Man – Bam Adebayo
I talked about how well the Heat were performing earlier with Butler, and another big reason for that is Bam Adebayo. He’s slowly becoming a Draymond Green type glue guy for the Heat as he’s able to do everything on the court. He defends multiple positions, rebounds like crazy, and even runs point on select positions. Bam is a rare big that can grab a rebound, dribble up court himself, then drop a dime to one of the Heat’s great young shooters. This is another case where I expect this player to be an all-star for a long time, starting with this year. Punch his ticket.
East 12th Man – Jaylen Brown
Okay, maybe the Celtics bias is more apparent than I thought it was going to be. I understand that having three all-stars may be a bit of a stretch, but Jaylen has played such a big role in Boston’s success in the first half of the season. While he hasn’t had the same level of impact as Tatum or Kemba, you can’t help but give him the final spot over some other players on the bubble because, even as the sometimes third option, Brown has seen ridiculous improvement from last season. A large leap that many fans have taken notice to and has made him serviceable for the all-star game. Punch his ticket.
Players On The Bubble – Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis
I’m sorry to any Pacers fans out there, but don’t blame me. Blame the fact that the NBA only allows for 12 players to be selected from each conference, because I see both of these players as deserving to be in the all-star game. Brogdon left Milwaukee to take on a larger role in Indiana and, although he has missed extended time with injuries, he has everything you want in a floor general. An efficient scorer, willing passer, and great defender. Brogdon is an all-around stud. Sabonis has also been a key factor for the Pacers as they await the return of Victor Oladipo. He has been steady improving every year since being traded from Oklahoma City and he is so close to eclipsing all-star status. The main thing holding him back as of now is the fact that the east is loaded at the frontcourt position. Either way, Sabonis still has plenty of time to become a stud in this league.
That will do for the east. Westen conference representatives is in the works and will be out soon.
(All stats used come from basketball-reference.com)
-Noah Kokkinos
thesplitcutwrites.water.blog 