NBA All-Star Reserves Revealed
About a week ago, the NBA announced the starters for this year's All-Star game in Chicago. For the East, there is Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Pascial Siakam of the Toronto Raptors, Joel Embiid of the Philadephia 76ers, Kemba Walker of the Boston Celtics, and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks. For the West, there is James Harden of the Houston Rockets, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the LA Lakers, and Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers.
A couple of days ago, the NBA finally released the reserves for each team, providing us with a full All-Star roster. The reserves for the West are Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers, Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, and Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz. The reserves for the East are Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, Ben Simmons of the Philadephia 76ers, Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks, Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, and Domantas Sabonis of the Indiana Pacers. There are a total of 9 first-time All-Stars this year, with 4 from the west and 5 from the east.
Notable All-Stars snubs include Paul George, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker. As one source noted, in the case of Devin Booker specifically, he is the first player to ever average 27 points and 6 assists on 60 TS% and still miss the All-Star game. Bradley Beal, on the other hand, is averaging 28.8 points and 6.3 assists per game. While there may be much disagreement and debate over the final roster, all of these players have had remarkable seasons and are all deserving All-Stars.
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