The Rightful All-Star Starters
Just saw the first returns of All-Star votes and I’m honestly disgusted. I love Dwyane Wade and he’s one of my favorite players ever but he shouldn’t be an all-star this year, let alone a starter. Derrick Rose has been great this year and should be in the six man of the year discussion but he’s not close to having a better season than James Harden. Luka Doncic is amazing and is the clear rookie of the year but you can’t look me in the eye and say he’s been better than Paul George this year. Alas, this is only the first wave of voting so there is still time to see change. Therefore, I will send you all in the right direction.
East Guards
Kyrie Irving
Kemba Walker
This was a pretty easy decision. Kyle Lowry started off the season hot but isn’t shooting well anymore and has been hurt. Victor Oladipo has only played 26 games so far and still isn’t in top form. Butler could be considered here but they have him listed as a forward for some reason. Either way, Kyrie and Kemba have been the two best guards in the East so far. Kyrie might be having the best season of his career. He’s his usual unstoppable scoring self shooting 49% from the field, 41% from three, and 85% from the line for a near 60% TS. The change has been his activeness defensively as he is averaging a career high in STL %, BLK %, and defensive plus/minus. He’s been terrific. Kemba’s red-hot start was unsustainable but he’s still been pretty damn good. He’s a flamethrower from three and is shooting over nine a game at over 36%. He’s averaging a career high in scoring and has had games of 41, 47, 43, and a career high 60. These two are the best that the position has to offer in the East.
East Frontcourt
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Kawhi Leonard
Joel Embiid
The voters are getting this right so far. Blake Griffin is the only other frontcourt player that is even sniffing these three but they all have been better than him. All three are legit MVP candidates and the best three players in the East. Giannis is averaging 26 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists while dominating the league without a jump shot. I’m not even sure he needs one at this point. Kawhi had 45 the other night and is rounding into form. He’s at 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists a game with his usual defensive prowess. A lot of stuff going on in Philly but Embiid continues to go to work. He puts up 27 points and 14 rebounds on a nightly basis while showcasing his improvement in the passing department with a career high in assists per game (3.5) and a career low turnover percentage (13.2%). These guys are so dominant that it honestly isn’t fair.
West Guards
Stephen Curry
James Harden
I get it. I docked Lowry and Dipo for not playing enough yet Steph’s still a starter. However, their seasons just don’t compare to his. The man is shooting 45% from three on 11 (!!!!!) attempts a game. He improves an already amazing Golden State offense from 114.5 points per 100 possessions to 119.3 points per 100 possessions. That’s best offense ever territory. His offensive impact due to his gravity is unfathomable. Speaking of players with a great offensive impact, The Beard has been unstoppable. The load he has is ridiculous and I’m not sure anyone not named LeBron could carry it. He leads the league in offensive box plus/minus, box plus/minus, and VORP. He’s leading the league in scoring at over 33 points a game. 39% from three on 12 attempts a game. These aren’t easy attempts either. He’s had his patented step back working all year. Save me the disgust about his free throws. The guy is an offensive savant. Shooting is the name of the game these days and these two might be the best at it.
West Frontcourt
Paul George
Anthony Davis
LeBron James
Paul George is an obvious choice here. If it wasn’t for Harden’s crazy stretch, he might be the MVP front runner. His team is third in the West due to his wonderful two-way play. He’s averaging 27 points a game and eight boards. He’s on track to have career highs in all the impact metrics such as WS, WS/48, and VORP. I go into detail about his great season here. AD is another easy choice. His numbers are insane. 29 points a game, over 13 rebounds, and almost three blocks a game. He has added passing into his game and is averaging over four assists a game. All the advanced metrics love him. It’s honestly sad that he is being wasted on the Pelicans. I’m hoping he goes to LA. Speaking of LA, Bron Bron rounds out my list. It was really close between him and Kevin Durant and if you put KD in instead of Bron, I wouldn’t be mad. I went Bron because he’s still the best player in the World. He lifted the Lakers to a top four seed in the hellish Western Conference before he was sidelined the past four games (LA has gone 1–3). He’s doing the usual averaging 27, 8, 7. It’s easy for him. KD’s great but Bron bests him in VORP despite playing four less games and has a higher box plus/minus. The nod goes to Bron.
It’s pretty obvious who the five best players in each conference have been. So go do me a solid and vote the right guys in.
