The NBA All-Star reserves were released last night. The coaches select these players from each conference.
Eastern Conference All-Star Reserves
The Eastern Conference has some familiar faces and some first-time All-Stars. Paolo Banchero, Jalen Brunson, and Tyrese Maxey are all making their first appearance. Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, and Julius Randle all make another appearance.
Western Conference All-Star Reserves
In the Western Conference, there are no first-time All-Stars. Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, and Karl Anthony Towns were the selected reserves. The coaches will be determined based on team records at the All-Star break.
Western Conference Snubs
There are All-Star snubs; this year, there are a few notable ones. The most glaring snub of this season is Domantas Sabonis. He is putting up 19.9 PPG, 13.0 RPG, which leads the league, and 8.0 APG. Not only is Sabonis playing well, but his team is winning. The Kings are 27-19 and fifth in the Western Conference. There is an argument that Sabonis should have been selected instead of Karl Anthony Towns. Sabonis beat KAT in all stats except for games played, points per game, free throw percentage, and blocks per game.
Another snub out of the Western Conference is De’Aaron Fox. Fox was selected as an All-Star last season, and he’s been better this season. Fox is averaging 27.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 5.5 APG and is shooting a career-best 38.0 percent from three. The problem is that the West guards are stacked, with Steph Curry and Devin Booker being selected over Fox. Fox would have been chosen in most other seasons, but it seems there are not enough All-Star spots anymore.
Eastern Conference Snubs
Out of the Eastern Conference, Trae Young is the biggest snub. It seems as if Young puts up All-Star level numbers every year, but he’s only been honored twice. This season, he is averaging 27.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 10.9 APG, which is second in the league. The problem is Young’s team is not winning games. The Hawks are 20-27 and tenth in the Eastern Conference. Despite the Hawks record, Young has been an All-Star player this season. Once again, this brings up the conversation of the lack of All-Star spots in the NBA.
West vs East All-Star format
The NBA All-Star game will change back to West Vs East this season. This will be a change from the Captains format we’ve seen over the past few seasons. Which team will come out on top?