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Hello. I hope everything is going well, as always.
With the All-Star Reserves announced Thursday night, if I ruled the world (and didn’t have to follow NBA guidelines), it would make sense to decide who would slot into the final seven spots in each conference. I thought it was suitable.
Western Conference Reserve
Required items: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Lauri Markkanen, De’Aaron Fox
It would be difficult, if not impossible, to sue SGA or Lillard. Both are the best players in their respective play-in contenders, averaging over 30 points with very efficient shooting. Shai leads his NBA in free throws so far he has a slashline of 51/36.8/90.8. Lillard boasts a career-best True His Shoot Percentage of 63.7% and ranks fourth in the league offensively in his boxes plus his minuses.
Petre Thomas/USA TODAY Sports
Morant’s efficiency has dropped somewhat from a year ago, but his scoring has leveled off and he’s making assists at a much higher clip than ever before. On the other hand, while maintaining propulsion — sometimes levitation feels more appropriate? — Memphis came in second to him behind West. In my opinion, with almost 25 points on 52/43/87 and almost 9 boards, Lauri Markkanen had a solid case to start the game. (I chose him as the starter in the official poll, alongside Nikola Jokic and LeBron James.)
De’Aaron Fox might be a borderline case for some, but not for me. Not when he’s leading the team with his 119 points in clutch and making a ridiculous 60% of his attempts in those scenarios. By far the best in the NBA when it comes to players with 50+ attempts. A pacing engine for the third team in the conference. He’s more efficient than ever, and he’s turning it at a lower speed than ever before. And while his defense is certainly not elite (few, if any, when it comes to Sacramento), his improved efforts in that regard are noteworthy. he belongs
Final spot: Anthony Edwards, Domantas Sabonis
As Fox is, so is his star forward/center, Domantas Sabonis.
He’s not the Kings’ ignition switch like Fox, but he’s as important a role as anyone else who can play in the most efficient Sacramento offense in the NBA. His screenings, positioning, and handovers with Kevin Harter and Keegan Murray, among others, open things up.He also leads his NBA in total rebounds, ranks 9th in the league in total assists, and ranks 9th in the league in total assists. His shooting percentage from 60% is over. That’s largely why Kings holds him in third place.
Perhaps some will discuss former All-Star Game MVP Anthony Davis. When he’s on the floor this season, he’s been dominant. Certainly the best and most efficient version of him the Lakers have ever seen. At least as far as the regular season is concerned.
But that’s it. He hasn’t been on the court much. If he can keep his health up in the second half, he’ll have a good chance of making an All-NBA appearance. Still, considering Sabonis has played in 47 of his 49 games, it’s hard to overlook that he’s missed 24 of his 51 games so far.
Brace Hemelgarn/USA TODAY Sports
Also, what about Anthony Edwards? Many of us expected and believed in making the leap from him this year, and the heater Karl-Anthony Towns has been wearing since shortly after his injury is a sign that he’s here and the big deal that’s been imposed on him. Efficient 30-point and 40-point nights are now a semi-regular visitor. Since Towns left the lineup, he’s shown improved playmaking skills, averaging more than five assists per night, so have certain leads and passes. For the season, he has a career-best efficiency of 24.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.5 dimes.
The best part: Minnesota was a team that wasn’t fun to watch early on, and many speculated that they might make a panic trade after a lackluster start with Towns and Rudy Gobert. Before losing on Monday, the Wolves were tied 11-4, a league best record for 2023.
Aside from Davis, a few others were worth considering these last few spots. Among them is Paul George, who is having a season on par with any other he has spent with the Clippers. CJ McCallum has been very impressive despite having to transform into the number one option multiple times in New Orleans. Aaron Gordon is playing the best basketball of his life in No. 1 Denver this season. And Devin Booker, if it weren’t for the number of games he missed, he certainly would have had his spot.
Eastern Conference Reserve
Required items: Bam Adebayo, Jalen Brown, Joel Embiid, James Harden, Julius Randle
Embiid had the biggest MVP debate possible over the weekend against the two-time defending MVP (and this time the frontrunner?), so his claim as an All-Star was cut short. If it weren’t for the league’s ridiculous position requirements, he would have started.
Brown’s case for making teams is almost as clear. His stroke off the arc was off target, but actually the worst of his career. .
Darren Yamashita/USA TODAY Sports
Adebayo is all about how and why the Heat got back into business after a sluggish early season. (Opponents have tried to keep him out of the game by deliberately stepping away from his side of the court.) He progressed again on offense, setting a career-best jumper from inside 15 feet. has recorded a shooting percentage. In clutch, he’s 57.6% (19 to 33) on the season. Guys who score 21, 10, 3 at night are downright scary when defense is ultimately their best asset.
A big round of applause for Randall, the person who sparked a frustrating and boogeyman-like reaction from The New Yorker last season. It was a sudden change. Throwback to 2021 and people couldn’t stop talking about how great he was. But going into this season, virtually everyone wanted him.
Statistically, Randle looks a lot like the All-NBA version of himself two seasons ago. No, Three didn’t fall into that clip. But 34% is not dire. He’s 6’8″ tall, but his rebounding tally is his second in the NBA. If the Knicks win an All-Star berth, he’s the one who deserves the most.
As for Harden, many of us would have liked to see enough recovery from last season’s playoff flames in Philly. are still very productive, handing out over 11 dimes per game while drilling triples at their highest rate since the early Oklahoma City days.
So which two players will claim the final two spots?
Final spot: Tyrese Halliburton, Pascal Siakam
Siakam has more minutes per game than anyone in the NBA to date (as he did last season), and it’s likely that a struggling offense will help his numbers come down a bit. It is natural to think.
These days, maybe. His true shooting numbers are down a bit in January. That said, for a player who was named to his All-NBA third on his team last season, he’s averaging more stats than before, averaging 25 points, eight boards and six dimes. Very impressive to see.
With the possible exception of the guy I’m about to mention, no other contender for one of the final East spots can claim that their play has supported the team as much as Siakam.
Of course, it was Halliburton, and the Pacers have lost 10 of their last 11 games, including a game in which they suffered a sprained elbow and a bruised knee bone. It’s a far cry from the 8–2 mark Indiana recorded in the stretch.
Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAYSports
The team is young. But Halliburton’s veteran-like presence helps keep the Pacers looking smart year after year, both as a shooter and as a maestro and playmaker. error is rare because it is His crosscourt his passes can win games in some cases. It wouldn’t be surprising if he achieved 50-40-90 one day. Because, as of his 22-year-old, he’s averaging 20 points and his league-best 10.2 assists per night.
But choosing him and Siakam means a lot of talented stars are missing out.
Lord knows Jalen Brunson deserves a spot, especially considering his ability to execute Knicks offense seems to have such a huge calming effect on Randle’s game. Darius Garland must feel like it deserves it in a year that puts out the same numbers that made the team last year. During the season he plays for the Cavaliers club which is better now than he was then. Trae Young has a pretty brutal shooting efficiency by his standards, but for good reason because of how many points he produces as both a scorer and distributor. (But his shooting, coupled with his defense and Atlanta’s struggles, I think there are better options here. It hasn’t lived up to its potential.
The Bulls’ offensively talented guards DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine are in a similar situation, but DeRozan’s claim is bolstered by the fact that his numbers are better.This point in the season. .
Even Drew Holliday and Jimmy Butler fall into that predicament (with much better defensive chops, obviously): A very worthy player sharing responsibilities with another All-Star teammate. Drew has been great for Milwaukee, both scoring and defending, considering how long he had to play without star forward Khris Middleton in the lineup.
Good luck deciding which player deserves the nod when there are replacements for the injured.
Meat and potatoes: Good reading from SI and elsewhere this week
Josh Morgan/USA TODAY
- Almanac News’ Angela Swartz published an article about Steph and Ayesha Curry. Steph and her Ayesha Curry wrote a letter to town officials in Atherton, California, against plans to develop her 16 townhomes on a 1.5-acre lot. “While I hesitate to add the rhetoric that it is not (literally) our backyard, …the safety and privacy of us and our children continue to be our top priority and we have made Atherton the largest choice of home. “It’s one of the reasons,” Curry wrote.
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