After the All-Star Game starters were announced a couple of days, it’s time to think about which players are going to be coming off the bench. It’s quite a tight race in both conferences and it’s not easy to pick out just seven players for each team. There will definitely be some deserving players that won’t be picked up, but it’s a thing that happens every year.
The Eastern Conference
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls – there’s just no way anyone could have missed the emergence of the Bulls’ guard, who is a favorite to win the Most Improved Player of the Year Award. Butler has been playing terrific all season long, especially on the offensive end, which is going to be the main reason is going to be an All-Star this season.
Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks – Teague has been running Atlanta’s offense almost to perfection this season and the fact that Mike Budenholzer is going to be the man picking out the reserves, there’s no way that the point-guard won’t be lacing up his sneakers. Teague has been steadily improving over the last couple of seasons and this one is no exception.
Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks – another Hawk that deserves to be among the reserves. For Millsap this would be his second All-Star game (if he is chosen of course) and will solidify his reputation around the league. The forward has been flourishing this season, proving to be a key player in the Hawks rotation.
Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks – yes, a third player from the Atlanta Hawks, but let’s be honest – don’t they deserve it? Horford has been having a great year on the best team of the East and the fact the Budenholzer will be picking out the reserves is definitely working in his favor.
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat – even though he’s a bit old now and has missed a few games, there is no denying that Wade is still playing at an All-Star level. The Flash has been averaging 21.8 points per game – the most since the 2011-12 season.
Brandon Knight, Milwaukee Bucks – the same guy that has been dunked on a lot in the last couple of year, has emerged as the top player in the quite surprising Bucks team. Knight has had a lot success under Milwaukee’s new coach, Jason Kidd and he deserves to get the All-Star nod this season.
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons – the Pistons started the season in a horrible way, but since the departure of Josh Smith, things have been a bit different. Detroit has looked like a playoff team lately and Drummond has been a big reason for that. The young big-man has been a beast around the rim and should definitely be picked to participate in the All-Star Game.
The Western Conference
Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers – the Clippers are having a mediocre season by their standards, but Paul has been playing at his usual high level. There’s just no denying the fact that CP3 deserves a place on that All-Star team and he will probably get it.
Kevin Durant, OKC Thunder – even though last year’s MVP has been injured for quite a big part of the beginning of the season, he’s been playing magnificent since his return. The Thunder have been greatly improved since his return and let’s face, how can Durant not be in the All-Star Game?
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings – the Kings center has been playing some very good basketball, but that’s not the thing that will most probably get him in the All-Star Game – it’s the fact that he has finally matured. We’ve seen a different Cousins this year and the Kings have been a bit better when compared to the last couple of years.
Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors – there were a lot of doubts whether Thompson would get an All-Star nod, but after his 37 point performance in a single quarter the situation is quite clear. Steve Kerr will definitely pick Thompson and we’ll be glad to see him participate.
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers – the Blazers point-guard has been playing out of his mind this season, nailing a lot of clutch shots since the beginning of the campaign. He’s been a big a problem for opposing defenses and is emerging as a true superstar this year.
LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers – we’ll most likely see Aldridge play in the All-Star Game, even though he had a pretty nasty thumb injury and it was thought that it will require surgery. However, he decided to play on without medical intervention and that would most probably mean that we’ll be seeing him in New York in February.
James Harden, Houston Rockets – Harden probably should have gotten Kobe’s spot in the voting, but nevertheless there is no doubt that he will still participate in the All-Star Game. He’s been carrying the Rockets all season long on the offensive end and has even started playing a little bit of defense!
NBA News: Predicting the reserves for the All-Star Game
No comments:
Post a Comment