Picking the 2018 NBA All-Star Starters
- Chris Harrison
- Jan 19, 2018
- 6 min read
At Narrativity, we're not quite fancy enough to be given an official media vote for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, but that's definitely not going to stop me from filling out a hypothetical ballot for this year's game.
In an attempt to make the contest more interesting for fans tired of watching the Eastern Conference go through the motions against the Western Conference (it's not exactly a rivalry and nobody wants to get hurt), the All-Star Game has finally been shaken up a bit. In keeping with the tradition of the pickup games played all over the world, the two leading vote-getters will be team captains and will pick their teams from the starters and reserves selected to play in the game. Unfortunately, voting for the starting lineup is still tied to the old conference format, but at least we may finally get some drama. Will West captain Steph Curry force Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to play with each other again? Will LeBron James snub Kyrie Irving, then spend the entire game trying to dunk on him? Who knows? I just wish the team selection would be televised so we could see all the pettiness live on TV.
Anyway, here are my picks. Just as in the last few years, I'm allowed two backcourt and three frontcourt selections for each conference. LeBron and Curry are already locked in, but, I mean, it's not like I wasn't going to pick them anyway.
West
Guard: Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors
Steph's ability to pull up from anywhere warps the whole geometry of the court and he's been doing it for so long that his bonkers shot-making seems almost routine now. He's been putting up a casual 27.7 points per game on 49.5% shooting from the field and hitting just under 42% from deep while jacking 10 triples per game. Ho hum. Somehow, this has hardly been headline-worthy. His True Shooting Percentage is 67.5%, which should only be possible if you're either a dude who only shoots from within five feet or a dude who only shoots open threes.
Guard: James Harden, Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets added Chris Paul, prompting a lot of "but there's only one basketball!!!" talk. Somehow, though, James Harden actually averages three more points than last season, while getting even more efficient. There might not be a player that better personifies the NBA's current "layups, free throws, or threes" offensive paradigm than Harden, who somehow shoots more than 10 free throws and 10 threes a game. Oh, and he's still third in the league in assists.
Forward: Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
KD is dropping in 26 points a game while very nearly being a member of the 50-40-90 club, blocking the fourth-most shots per game in the entire NBA, and somehow also juggling two Twitter accounts. "The Servant" has somehow taken his game to new heights, establishing himself as one of the league's best defensive players. With him and Curry on the court together, the Warriors are a nearly impossible puzzle to solve.
Forward: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Anthony Davis came into the league as a hot defensive prospect, whose wingspan and athleticism would make him a fearsome shot blocker and franchise player. That did happen, but I'm not sure anyone expected him to become one of the best scorers in basketball. AD's quickness allows him to blow by slower bigs and his high release and soft touch makes his midrange jumper unstoppable. Despite being on a team that really only has three guys who can put the ball in the hoop, he's managed 26.6 points per game on 55.7% shooting in really cramped spacing. He also just dropped back-to-back 45-point games, one of which was against the NBA's top defensive team. Somebody needs to get the Pelicans on national TV more often, because people need to see this man play.
Forward: DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans Pelicans
You might be wondering how a team hovering around .500 has two all-star starters, but the rest of that roster is really that barren. Few things in pro sports are more fun than watching the massive Boogie Cousins play point-center and alternate between launching threes and rumbling through the lane for dunks. He's like if Charles Barkley had the size of Charles Oakley.
Reserves: Russell Westbrook, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, LaMarcus Aldridge, Jimmy Butler, Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns
East
Guard: Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics
Kyrie's having a really nice season on the team with the best record in the East. His per-game numbers look more or less the same as they did last season in Cleveland, but he's being used very differently in Boston, getting looks after attacking the defense off of dribble handoffs and screens instead of having to isolate for buckets over and over. His focus on defense looks better too, and it seems like he's generally enjoying the hell out of playing in Boston. Here's hoping we get a Boston vs. Cleveland showdown in the playoffs this year.
Guard: Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers
Finally away from Russell Westbrook's gravitational pull, Oladipo has surprised everyone by excelling as the number one option in Indiana. I don't think anyone expected 24 points a night or 41% shooting from deep, but 'Dipo has really been fantastic this year. He's improved his ability to score from basically everywhere on the court. He's still just 25 too, so he might be even better next year, after a full season adjusting to being the go-to guy on a (possible) playoff team.
Forward: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
For the uninitiated, LeBron James (pronounced correctly here) is the consensus best basketball player in the world. Somehow, at 33, an age where most other athletic wings are transitioning into role players (Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony were in the same draft class!), LeBron is still absurdly dominant. He's also still playing 37 minutes a night because the Cavs are a mess. His three-point shooting has fallen off a bit after a blistering start to the season, but his ability to get to the rim against anyone—he still has enough juice to be taking 42% of his field goal attempts from within three feet of the rim and he's hitting 79.5% of his attempts from there—puts him in a class of his own. No defense an afford to not collapse on his drives and he can make opponents pay with his phenomenal passing vision. And when he decides to lock in on defense, he can still get it done on that end too.
Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Every year, Giannis has made huge strides as a player and he now seems to have complete control of his unique physical makeup. He's a fascinating player to watch. Sometimes, he'll gather the ball for what will surely be a 10-foot floater, only to suddenly elevate, extend, and dunk it on three poor motherfuckers' heads. A few months ago against Boston, he caught an alley-oop on Aaron Baynes's dome from so far away that, after getting posterized, Baynes just assumed the shot missed—because how could anyone have dunked it from there?—and tried passing it to a teammate to start a fast break. He's gotten a lot stronger over the last few years and can now bully smaller players in the post. We're even seeing inklings of what could be a good jump shot in the near future. I have no idea what his ceiling is, but I'll be absolutely transfixed as we all find out.
Forward: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
I felt bad for leaving Al Horford off for his contributions to a really strong Celtics team, but then I remembered this is the All-Star Game. Horford's great fundamentals and team play will be just fine on the reserves. I want one of the most fun players in the league in the starting lineup. Joel Embiid's swaggering, shit-talking self is putting up 27.4 points and 12.5 boards per 36 minutes. Unfortunately, he's been tethered to a bit of a minutes restriction due to past health issues, but he's managed to stay on the court for 31 of 40 games as of when I wrote this, and he's been extremely productive on the court. He might be a little too in love with his three-point shot and he's a bit turnover-prone, but he's already one of the most impactful two-way bigs in basketball.
Reserves: Al Horford, DeMar DeRozan, Bradley Beal, Andre Drummond, John Wall, Ben Simmons, Kristaps Porzingis
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