Voting for the NBA All-Star starters closed on Saturday. Even though the fan vote only indicates 50 percent of the process, there is usually some agreement among the fans, players, and the media.
In the most recent voting return, here were the results.
RELATED: Listen to Episode 5 of the All American Hoops podcast.
Western Conference Guards
Western Conference Frontcourt
Eastern Conference Guards
Eastern Conference Frontcourt
For the most part, the fans got it right. However, I would make some changes.
Here is who I would pick to start the All-Star Game.
Stats are accurate as of Friday, Jan. 19, 2024.
Stats Glossary
Advanced Stats
BPM: Box Plus-Minus, or a “basketball box score-based metric that estimates a basketball player’s contribution to the team when that player is on the court,” according to Basketball Reference.
VORP: Value over Replacement Player, or BPM adjusted to how much value a player has based on how many minutes he played.
Win Shares: “A player statistic which attempts to divvy up credit for team success to the individuals on the team,” according to Basketball Reference.
PER: Player Efficiency Rating, a stat that calculates a player’s basic stats and puts it on a scale to compare it to the entire league. 15 is the league average.
On/Off: Plus/Minus Net per 100 possessions
Basic Stats
PPG: Points per game
RPG: Rebounds per game
APG: Assists per game
Western Conference
Guards: Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
This was a relatively easy decision. Both players are MVP candidates and have been above and beyond the best two guards in the Western Conference. Doncic is averaging 33.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per game. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. Both are the top two Western Conference guards in the four major advanced stats and PPG. There is a chance Curry starts over one of these guys due to name recognition, but he does not deserve it this year.
Frontcourt: Nikola Jokic, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis
Deciding the Western Conference frontcourt starters was significantly harder than it was for the guards. There are six or seven players that should be considered: Jokic, Leonard, Davis, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Domantas Sabonis, and Lauri Markkanen. The only lock is Jokic, who is leading the entire league in three of the four major advanced stats. Leonard is not necessarily a lock, but he is the closest thing to it. His team is doing well and he has a 13.2 on/off. The last spot was tougher because all of the players had a good argument. I essentially went with Davis because he is the best two-way player compared to the others and has been much more available this year than in years past.
Eastern Conference
Guards: Tyrese Haliburton, Donovan Mitchell
Just like the West frontcourt, the East was pretty tough to decide. Choosing Halliburton was not difficult because he leads all East guards in the four major advanced stats despite missing seven games. However, the second guard spot is really up for grabs.
I was choosing between Mitchell, Tyrese Maxey, Trae Young, Damian Lillard, Jalen Brunson, and Derrick White. Mitchell was selected by the process of elimination. Maxey and Lillard both play next to MVP-level players who make their roles easier, Young is the worst defender in the league, and Brunson is less impactful to the Knicks than Mitchell is to the Cavaliers. Plus, Brunson only has a 2.7 on/off while Mitchell’s is 9.4. The only argument against Mitchell is games played, but 30 games is not too small of a sample size.
Frontcourt: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum
This was one of the easier decisions to make. Both Embiid and Giannis are MVP candidates and have been for a couple of years now. Both are first and second in all four major advanced stats categories and also lead in scoring.
After this, picking Tatum as the third frontcourt guy was just as easy. Even though he only has a 3.9 on/off, that only goes to show how great the team is around him. He should not be punished for having a great team around him, especially when he is hands down the best player. In addition to this, the East frontcourt is weak outside of the top three. The other options would be Scottie Barnes, Jaylen Brown, Jarrett Allen, Julius Randle, and Jimmy Butler.
Main Image Credit:
