Fan voting is a great way to keep fans involved in the game and give their input to the game like analysts, commentators and writers do so often. However, every year there is always one or two players who get snubbed from playing in the midseason spectacle, in large part because many fans view it as a popularity contest. That’s not to say that players such as Kobe Bryant and Kyrie Irving aren’t spectacular players, but the all-star roster should be a reflection of players who have actually played and dominated so far this season.
The Freelancers present to you the list of the most deserving players who should be playing in Toronto for the 2016 All-Star game come February:
WESTERN CONFERENCE
STARTING BACKCOURT:
Stephen Curry
To no surprise Steph Curry is 2nd in All-Star votes behind the great Kobe Bryant, and his offensive marksmanship has been nothing short of fantastic to watch. This gunslinger is the greatest offensive threat in the world and he leads the league in almost every offensive category. He is tops in scoring (29.9), 3 pointers made (186), field goals made (387), PER (31.7), win shares (9.1), and his true shooting, which is off the charts (.674). The reigning MVP is looking like your everyday 2k MyPlayer, and will put on a show in Toronto
Russell Westbrook
What Westbrook has done this season is awe inspiring to say the least. Not only has he passed the ball more, but he is as efficient as he’s ever been. He ranks second in PER with 29.4, and he is second in assists with 405 (9.6 per game). Even with Kevin Durant at his side, Westbrook continues to put up gargantuan numbers all over the board. Did I mention that he also leads the league in steals with over 100? Yea, this freak of nature and MVP candidate will be tough to stop when he’s paired with Steph Curry in February
STARTING FRONTCOURT:
Kawhi Leonard
There is actually a chance that Leonard will not be starting in the actual All-Star game. Wow. The silent assassin should not only be starting, but should be heavily involved in the MVP conversation. The 2014 Finals MVP and 2015 Defensive player of the year has made the necessary strides offensively to surge the San Antonio Spurs to a dominant 36-6 record and 24-0 at home. Leonard is boasting career highs in almost every category, such as points (20.1), field goal percentage (50.6%), 3-point percentage (48%), free throw percentage (87%) and player efficiency rating (25.7). Leonard has quietly emerged as the best two-way player in the league and should absolutely be starting in this year’s all-star game and not on the bench.
Kevin Durant
As Desared Calaku noted, Kevin Durant has come from “MVP to afterthought” when we look at this year’s MVP conversation or when we debate who are the top three players in this league. Not long ago Kevin Durant was taking the world by storm much like Curry is doing today with consecutive scoring titles. With impeccable combinations of size, speed and touch, I still believe Durant is the best offensive player in the game. In the 35 games that he’s played, after missing 55 games last season, Durant is looking like his old self with averages of 26.5 ppg (good for 3rd in the league), 7.7 rpg and 4.4 apg. He is also putting forth the consistent ‘50-40-90’ in field goals, 3-pointers and free throws. Additionally, he ranks 3rd in PER with 28.3. This is the same guy that once averaged 32 points on a nightly basis back in 2014. As Durant continues to get accustomed with his team, we are just ecstatic that we get to witness greatness again.
DeMarcus Cousins
Make no mistake, this is the best big man in the league and certainly in the Western conference. It may not reflect in the King’s overall record but the Kings went 2-9 in the games that he’s missed this season. They are on the verge of the #8 seed in the West which counts as doing something right in my book. Add in the fact that this is only the first year getting accustomed with Rondo and Cauley-Stein. But as an individual, Cousins impacts the game like no other center. He ranks 4th in ppg (25.9), 5th in rebounds per game (11.1) and shoots over 50% from the floor. He’s even expanded his range to the 3-point line, though it isn’t quite effective, it is growing at 34%. In a class of his own, Boogie Cousins should be the starting center for the Western conference.
RESERVE BACKCOURT:
James Harden
The runner-up for MVP in 2015 has continued to shoulder the offensive load for the Houston Rockets. The Lil B curse may have been lifted, at least for now, as he’s putting up the same numbers he did last season. The Beard is averaging about 27.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 6.7 apg. However he’s producing at a much lower rate this year, only shooting 42% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc while chucking up over 19 shots. His defense has also been very pedestrian at best. Still, Harden is one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers and continues on his all-star path.
Chris Paul
CP3 is putting the Clippers on his back, especially with Blake Griffin missing extended time. The savvy floor general is still among the leaders in assists and steals with 9.6 and 2.1, respectively. He remains a top 3 point guard in this league and a perennial all-star.
FRONTCOURT
Draymond Green
You can make the case for Green to be a starter in this year’s all-star game, and at this rate he probably will. The versatile big man is the most impactful player not named Steph Curry. He is far and beyond leading the league in triple-doubles this season, with a whopping 9 triple-doubles through 41 games. Green grabs rebounds like a forward, passes like a point guard and shoots the spot-up 3 like his backcourt teammates. He ranks 6th among all players in assists with 7.4 per game and boasts a player efficiency rating of 24.2 which is good for 9th in the NBA.
DeAndre Jordan
The double-double machine is having another typical DeAndre Jordan season ranking 2nd in rebounds (13.5) and 3rd in blocks (2.4). There aren’t that many premier rim protectors in this league like DeAndre and continues to make his team a lot better on defense. His opponents shoot 3.4% lower than their average and has a defensive rating of 98 per 100 possessions. It’s still a shame that he is the worst free throw shooter in the league (41%), but there probably won’t be too many attempts at the all-star game. Phew.
Anthony Davis
The Brow has digressed a little bit in offensive production from last year, but he is still putting up monster numbers on a bad team. Alvin Gentry has encouraged Davis to shoot more threes, but that hasn’t really been a comfortable part of Davis’ game. He’s only shooting at 26.7% from beyond the arc and his field goal percentage has seen a dip from 53.5% to 48.6% (a career low). Nonetheless, Davis has been stuffing the stat sheets, corralling 10.5 rebounds per game and ranking 2nd in blocks with 2.5. Davis will soon be a top 3 player in this league, as he’s only 22 years old. It’s been a pleasure watching the former #1 overall pick blossom the way he as thus far.
OTHER RESERVES:
Rajon Rondo
The point guard maestro has returned to dropping dimes left and right. He’s far and away the best passer in the NBA with 11.6 assists per night. The Kentucky product is also 3rd in the league behind Westbrook and Draymond in triple-doubles with 4 this season. Looming in on the 8th seed in the Western conference, Rondo looks to lead his team to the 1st playoff berth since 2006 and make the all-star roster.
Klay Thompson
The Golden State Warriors are such a great, deep team. They will potentially have 3 starters play in this year’s All-Star game which hasn’t been done since the Lebron James-led Miami Heat in 2013. So yea, this is the new big 3. Klay Thompson is right behind his splash bro in 3 pointers made (126) and percentage (43%), while also proving to be a great two-way defender. Klay will make his second all-star appearance with averages of 20.6 ppg, 4 rpg and 2.5 apg.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
STARTING BACKCOURT
Kyle Lowry
Mr. Slim Thick is looking like the real 6 God over in Toronto. He is arguably the best point guard in the East right now and has led the Raptors to 26-15, good for 2nd in the East. The Philly native is averaging 21 ppg, 5 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.3 steals, with a career high in PER (23.2) Whatever Lowry’s diet is, I want to take part in it.
Jimmy Butler
The rising superstar is the new chosen one in Chicago, not Derrick Rose. Butler should absolutely be starting for the Eastern Conference, as he has proven to be the best 2-guard in the NBA - no it’s not James Harden. With career highs in both points (22.4) and assists (4.4) Jimmy Butler is the leader of this team and his one the best defensive players we have today. More importantly he leads the league in minutes played (38.2) and has played every game this season. This man is a juggernaut, he might actually need the rest during all-star weekend.
STARTING FRONTCOURT
LeBron James
This is pretty redundant, so I want go in too much on this. Lebron is still a top 3 player in this league and although his “best player in the world” title seem to be cloudy at this moment, no one can deny the impact he has on his team or the National Basketball Association
Paul George
What a comeback season it has been for PG13. After suffering a gruesome leg injury in 2014, Paul George has never looked better. He boasting career highs in points (23.7) and PER (20.7), and has done a superb job at playing the power forward position this season. He has yet to hit his ceiling, too, so it’s an even bigger testament to the hard work that George has put in after the injury.
Andre Drummond
What a force Drummond has been on the glass. He’s averaging over 15.5 rebounds a game, with 5.4 of them coming from the offensive glass. Only 5 times this season that a player posted a 20-point 20-rebound game, Drummond is responsible for 4 of those occasions. He is by far the best double-double threat in the league with 35, which 9 more than 2nd place Russell Westbrook. He also has a career high in points (17.6) and steals (1.7). You can definitely make a case for Drummond being the best center in the NBA.
RESERVE BACKCOURT
John Wall
In the extended absence of Bradley Beal, Wall has picked up the slack tremendously. One of the best passers in the game (9.7), Wall has also eclipsed his threshold for points with 20 ppg and is singlehandedly keeping the Wizards around respectability with a 500. record. However, he might have played a part in the decline as well, with passive defense and a drop in efficiency. There is a strong case for Wall being the starter, but it’s quite honestly a toss up, with the deciding factor being Toronto’s record versus Washington’s.
DeMar DeRozan
Straight outta Compton, DeRozan is one of the best 2-way players in the NBA. He has career highs in points, rebounds, assists and free throw percentage. He and Lowry form one the best backcourts in the league, so it will be fun seeing those two go to work in the All-Star game.
RESERVE FRONTCOURT
Paul Millsap
Paul Millsap is the Eastern Conference’s Draymond Green. The versatile forward is putting up great numbers across the board: 18.4 ppg, 8.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.2 blocks and 23.4 PER. Mr. Do It All helps Atlanta in so many different ways both with his defensive intuition and offensive playmaking.
Chris Bosh
Another candidate for comeback player of the year, if there was one, Bosh has returned to form since missing the entire 2014-15 season with a collapsed lung. He’s averaged 18.9 points and 8 rebounds to go along with a much improved defense. The post-LeBron era has proven to be difficult to overcome in terms of contending for another title, but it hasn’t stopped Bosh from producing at the all-star level he always has
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony has finally found the motivation to play above-average defense and pass the ball more. It’s a miracle in the Square Garden. But while his offensive output and efficiency has digressed this season, he still remains a premier scorer in this league and can grab rebounds at a ferocious rate for a wing.
OTHER RESERVES
Isaiah Thomas
I cannot stress enough the difference in the Celtics offense when Thomas is on the court as opposed to when he sits. Boston has scored 105 points per 100 possessions with Thomas manning the point, and just 94.5 when he’s on the bench - a gap that relates to the Warriors with and without Steph Curry. The 5’9 point guard is putting forth 21.8 points a game and 6.6 assists while shooting over 89% from the charity stripe - a place he consistently gets to with about 7 attempts.
Dwyane Wade
Wade hasn’t caught the injury bug so far this season and he has made a solid case for taking part in this year’s All-Star contest. Averaging 18.3 ppg and over 4 assists and rebounds, Wade has kept the Miami Heat around the top of the Eastern Conference. While his athleticism continues to deteriorate, he is finding crafty maneuvers to get to the hole and score.
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