The NBA All-Star starters have been chosen. These players were chosen by the fans, media, and players. The fans got 50 percent of the vote, and the media and players each had 25 percent of the vote. There were three new NBA All-Stars starters this year including the Toronto Raptors‘ Pascal Siakam. The NBA Standings in this article does not include the games played yesterday.
NBA All-Star Game Starters Announced
NBA Eastern Conference All-Star Game Starters
Frontcourt
Pascal Siakam
The most improved player of the year and defending NBA champion, Siakam is now an NBA All-Star. This is the fifth straight NBA All-Star game where a Toronto Raptors player has been a starter. Kyle Lowry was a starter from 2015 and 2016, DeMar DeRozan in 2017 and 2018, and Kawhi Leonard in 2019.
Siakam is averaging 23.5 points per game, 7.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1 steal per game. In the 2017-18 season, he was only averaging 7.3 points per game. That is 16.2 points per game improvement in just a season and a half. He has led and helped the Toronto Raptors to 30 wins and 14 loss record. This is good enough to be third in the Eastern Conference. They are also only a game back of the Miami Heat.
He is joined by fellow Cameroon-native Joel Embiid, a three-time NBA All-Star.
Joel Embiid
Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers best player is averaging 23.4 points per game, 12.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 0.8 rebounds per game. His stats are down from last year. He went from 27.5 points per game to 23.4 points per game. However, he is still good enough to be an NBA All-Star Starter.
This will be his third straight NBA All-Star game where he is the starter representing the 76ers. This is the most consecutive NBA All-Star for a 76er since Allen Iverson. It is also a special moment for Cameroon as two players have been selected for the same NBA All-Star Game. The 76ers are sixth in a tightly contested Eastern Conference. They are two and a half games back of the Miami Heat and only a single and a half-game back of the third-place Toronto Raptors.
Some people might say that Jimmy Butler should also be a starter. Butler’s team, the Miami Heat is second in the NBA Eastern Conference. However, Siakam and Joel Embiid have slightly higher stats, and that is why they were named NBA All-Starters ahead of Jimmy Butler.
However, 76ers and Cameroon basketball fans should be wary of Embiid’s injury issues. He is injured now and may not be fit to play in the NBA All-Star Game in Chicago. It is an unfortunate situation, but it is common for players to sit out of an All-Star Game because of an injury.
The last player to mention in the frontcourt is the Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Captain)
Antetokounmpo will be one of the two captains for the NBA All-Star Game. He got the most votes in the Eastern Conference, and because of this will pick his team in the NBA All-Star Game.
The Greek international of Nigerian parents, Antetokounmpo has led the Milwaukee Bucks to a historic season. Their record is 39 wins and six losses. The next best team in the east, the Heat are 7.5 games back of the Bucks. The Bucks could finish with a record of 70 wins or more, with Antetokounmpo leading the way.
Antetokounmpo is also having an excellent year himself. He is averaging 30 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. The reigning NBA MVP player is averaging 2.3 points more than his MVP season where he averaged 27.7 points per game.
These three players will be the frontcourt players in the NBA All-Star Game.
Now to the NBA Eastern Conference backcourt where two players have been chosen. This list starts with Kemba Walker of the Boston Celtics.
Backcourt
Kemba Walker
Walker is seen as good enough to be in the All-Star Game starter as he is averaging 21.7 points per game, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds per game. Walker’s stats have gone down from 25.6 points per game to 22.1 points per game. However, that might be because of how good the Boston Celtics are the only team in the NBA with three players averaging more than 20 points per game.
This is Walker’s third time being an NBA All-Star game. However, this is the first All-Star he is representing the Boston Celtics. The other two All-Star Games he has represented the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA All-Star Game.
His team, the Boston Celtics are fourth in the Eastern Conference with 29 wins and 14 losses. They are only a half-game behind their Atlantic Division rivals, the Raptors with 30 wins and 14 losses. The Raptors currently hold the third spot in the Eastern Conference and the top spot in the Atlantic Division.
The surprise player to make it to the NBA All-Star roster was Trae Young. Young, a first-time NBA All-Star who had the most votes of all NBA players in the Eastern Conference backcourt.
Trae Young
Young is a young player for the Atlanta Hawks. He is averaging 29.2 points per game, 8.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals. However, this has not translated into team success. The Atlanta Hawks are the second-worst team in the NBA with a bad record of 11 wins and 34 losses. This record is good enough to be the second-worst record in the NBA and the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
However, Young, in contrast, has been terrific. He had 42 points, 15 assists, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal per game against the Toronto Raptors on January 20th. Also, the fans want to see him play in the All-Star game as he had the most votes of all NBA guards in the Eastern Conference.
These are all five starters in the Eastern Conference. Now, it is time to move on to the Western Conference frontcourt. At the frontcourt, all the NBA Western Conference are representing Los Angeles. This list will start with LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
NBA Western Conference Starters
Frontcourt
LeBron James (Captain)
James leads the votes in the NBA Western Conference for the Los Angeles Lakers. Narrowly, beating teammate Anthony Davis and Slovenian sensation Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks. For the third time in a row, James will be choosing his team as captain of the Los Angeles Lakers.
This will be James’ sixteenth straight NBA All-Star game. This will also be James’ second straight year wearing the Los Angeles Lakers uniform. He has led his team to 35 wins and nine losses. This is good enough to be the second-best record in the NBA and the best record in the NBA Western Conference. He is averaging 25.1 points per game, 10.8 assists, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. At 35 years of age, James is showing no signs of slowing down.
He alongside Anthony Davis will be the two players representing the Los Angeles Lakers as starters. This will be the first time the Los Angeles Lakers had more than one All-Star since 2013. In 2013, both Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard became NBA All-Star starters for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Anthony Davis
Davis, the Lakers’ best player is having a stellar year this year. He is averaging 26.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. This will be his seventh straight NBA All-Star game appearance and first time as a player of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Expect Davis to try to win the All-Star Game MVP as he was the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 2017. His last six NBA All-Star game appearances he has been with the New Orleans Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans. This time though he will be aiming to win his first-ever NBA trophy, something Leonard won with the Toronto Raptors last year.
Kawhi Leonard
Leonard will be representing the Los Angeles Clippers as a starter in Chicago this February. He will be making his fifth straight appearance as an NBA All-Star. This will also be the first time he will be an NBA All-Star as a Los Angeles Clippers player.
Leonard is averaging 27.1 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. The defending champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP has led the Los Angeles Clippers to third in the Western Conference. The Los Angeles Clippers are currently third in the Western Conference with 31 wins and 14 losses. They are half a game behind the Utah Jazz and four and a half games behind the Los Angeles Lakers.
He completes the frontcourt for the Western Conference NBA All-Star Game. Now is time to look at the backcourt, which includes European sensation Dončić. He is a Slovenian international who currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks.
Backcourt
Luka Dončić
According to Jake Harris of the WFAA, Dončić will be the youngest European NBA All-Star player. He dramatically improved his points total with a dramatic increase from 21.2 points to 29.1 points per game. He is also averaging 9.7 rebounds, 9 assists, and 1 steal per game.
Dončić is also leading his Dallas Mavericks team with 27 wins and 16 losses. This is good enough to be fifth in the Western Conference and eight games back of the Los Angeles Lakers. He already has 12 triple-doubles as a Maverick and is in the NBA All-Star Game in only his second season.
He will be joined by a familiar face in the NBA All-Star Game. James Harden of the Houston Rockets will be making his eighth straight NBA All-Star game.
James Harden
Harden has led the Houston Rockets with 27 wins and 16 losses. This is good enough to be tied fifth in the Western Conference. However, the Dallas Mavericks have won the tiebreaker and currently sit sixth in the conference.
He is having an incredible season this year with 36.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. The 2018 NBA MVP player of the year will be representing the Houston Rockets for an eighth straight year.
That concludes the NBA All-Star starters for the NBA All-Star Game in Chicago. There were a variety of veterans and newcomers in the NBA All-Star Game. This includes three players making their first-ever NBA All-Star Game appearance this year.
The 2020 NBA All-Star Game Starters
The NBA All-Star Game means a lot to the players, especially to the ones making their first-ever NBA All-Star Game. This is especially the case for Siakam, Young, and Dončić. Siakam retweeted the Toronto Raptors on him appearing in his first-ever NBA All-Star Game. Young also retweeted as he was seen hugging his mother.
For these players, appearing in the NBA All-Star game means a lot. It means they are among the elite in the league and it is a very hard honor to earn in the NBA.
The NBA All-Star reserves for both conferences will be announced on January 31st. A few days later on February 2nd, the NBA Eastern and Western Conference reserves will be confirmed. The coaches are determined by the two teams with the best records in both conferences. The caveat is that a head coach cannot be in an NBA All-Star Game two years in a row. That means Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks cannot be head coach even though his team has the best record in the Eastern Conference. This is because Budenholzer was the head coach in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game.
Some of the notable omissions like Butler and Ben Simmons is likely to be named a reserve in the NBA All-Star Game. However, injuries may change how the starting rotation looks like come February 16th in Chicago.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
