The 2017 NBA All-Star game is quickly approaching. In the next few weeks, the announcements will come for the 2017 NBA All-Star game starters and subsequent reserves. With the new voting process for the starters, the game might look different than it has in previous years.
There was much drama surrounded the selections of Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and even Carmelo Anthony as starters last year and the Zaza Pachulia issue has been just an odd scenario. He doesn’t have the stats to back up an argument as a starter but the fans love him, and the last two seasons he’s been close to being named a starter.
The new voting format is going to bring a sense of legitimacy to the exhibition game. Some of the NBA’s best might once again get the recognition they deserve.
But just in case some of the media members, coaches or even NBA players themselves don’t get it right, we here at Def Pen Sports try to get the proper squads for the 2017 NBA All-Star game.
Note: Rosters were voted on by 15 members of the Def Pen Hoops team. G = Guard, F = Forward, WC = wild card, U = Unanimous selection.
2017 NBA All-Star Game
Eastern Conference Roster
Starters
G – Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
G – Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
F – LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (U)
F – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (U)
F – Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls (U)
Bench
G – DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors (U)
G – John Wall, Washington Wizards
F – Paul George, Indiana Pacers
F – Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
F – Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
WC – Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics
WC – Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets
Honorable mention
Kristaps Porzingis, Dwyane Wade, Paul Millsap, Hassan Whiteside, Carmelo Anthony, Andre Drummond, Jabari Parker, Bradley Beal, Al Horford.
Western Conference Roster
Starters
G – Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (U)
G – James Harden, Houston Rockets (U)
F – Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder (U)
F – Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (U)
F – Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans (U)
Bench
G – Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (U)
G – Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
F – Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz
F – Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
F – DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings (U)
WC – Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
WC – Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
Honorable mention
Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, Klay Thompson, Mike Conley, Nikola Jokic, C.J. McCollum, DeAndre Jordan, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin.
Some of our writers feel very strongly about some of the choices they made. While the team collectively voted on the team’s, there are some players who deserve to have a case made for them ahead of the final NBA All-Star Game selections. (P.S. NBA Coaches, if you’re reading, you can still make some of these happen.)
David Morrow on Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas absolutely deserves to start in this year’s All-Star game. Thomas has upped his points per game average from 22.2 last season to 28.2 this year while maintaining the same assists-per-game average (6.2). He has also raised his efficiency; he’s shooting a career-best 45.5 percent from the floor.
Thomas has transformed himself into an offensive superstar this season. He leads the NBA in fourth-quarter points and points off of drives. He’s also been the deadliest iso player in the league; Thomas leads all players in both points per possession and effective field goal percentage in isolation plays. Thomas is not a good defender, but he’s been such a lethal threat on offense that he very much deserves to start in the All-Star game despite his defensive struggles.
Josiah Brady on Marc Gasol
Marc Gasol is a plus defender given his defensive box plus-minus and Defensive Points Saved, according to the TPA model. He also spearheads his team’s offensive attack, as his team scores 6.8 points per possession more when he is on the court, and is the centerpiece of a team with the fifth-best net rating in clutch situations.
Additionally, Gasol’s Assist Ratio and Turnover Ratio have been at their greatest for any season of his career, accentuating his unique versatility as a center.
Lastly, although winning percentage isn’t supremely important to All-Star selections, high W-L marks have influenced past All-Star reserve choices. The Grizzlies’ current 25-18 mark is good for 6th in the Western Conference and includes 4 massive victories against elite Western Conference opponents, Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors.
Nicola Lupo on James Harden
It looks like there’s no reason why the Western All-Star starting lineup should not include the Beard from Houston. James Harden has been just elevating his game from the “All-Star” to the “Potential MVP” level this season. Everyone already knew about his outstanding scoring skills and his abilities both to create his shot and go to the basket, almost always finding two points plus the foul. But this season Harden has taken a big step up, thanks to the great job done by coach Mike D’Antoni.
By playing the point guard position, Harden is proving that he has an excellent basketball IQ and incredible passing abilities through which he can get buckets and also find shooters like Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon who can hit wide open threes. His stats have been nothing short of impressive thus far: he is averaging an almost-triple-double 28.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 11.7 assists per game. Harden is leading the league in assists, which is extraordinary because this is just the first NBA season that Harden plays the point guard.
He is one of the primary candidates for the regular season MVP: we don’t know if he will make it, but what is sure is that he has to be named to the Western Conference starting five at the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. There’s no doubt about it.
Austin Hutchinson on Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler is a 27-year-old star. He’s smack dab in the middle of his prime. He’s also smack dab in the middle of one the most polarizing basketball teams in the NBA, the Chicago Bulls. On the season he’s nearly averaging 25/7/5 on a roster with Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, who constantly demand the ball. In fact, with Rondo’s benching and Wade taking more games off, he’s had three 40 point games, leading this Bulls team like it was designed to do. Not to mention Butler is known for being one of the best defensive wings in the league. Since Butler now qualifies for to be a forward playing alongside Wade, there is no other dominant two-way player to put in that last forward spot next to LeBron and the Greek Freak.
Nick Arguelles on John Wall
John Wall deserves to be an All-Star this season. Look no further than the whole month of December; Wall tore up the league by averaging 24.5 ppg, 10.7 apg, and 2.67 steals. Wall has been one of the most dominant point guards in the league and has helped his team climb back into playoff contention. While most teams in the East could tread without their starting point guard, the Wizards’ can’t afford to lose Wall, and that deserves an All-Star nod.
Honi Ahmadian on Kyle Lowry
Simply put, Kyle Lowry has been the best backcourt player in the Eastern Conference this season. Even after a somewhat slow start, Lowry has come back to claim his throne as the best player on the second-best team in the conference. He is currently averaging 22.2 points and 7.2 assists per game. He’s shooting 48 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three, by far the best marks of his career. Those numbers hold their own to Stephen Curry’s first MVP campaign (23.8 points, 7.7 assists, with 48.7 and 44.3 percent shooting splits).
In addition to his stellar numbers, Lowry is a pest on defense, one of the best at his position. He also spearheads a four-reserves lineup (Cory Joseph, Terrence Ross, Patrick Patterson, and Lucas Nogueira) that has eviscerated the opposition with a net rating of 25.2 in its 145 minutes. (He is also part of the Raptors’ starting lineup with Patterson subbed in as the power forward that has a net rating of 26.4. Among league lineups that have played at least 100 minutes, those two are fourth and second in the NBA, respectively).
Lowry’s brilliance often goes unnoticed but he is the MVP of the Raptors, the key to their first-ranked offense and the defensive menace that keeps them afloat on the other end. There is no doubt he is a worthy All-Star starter.
Orazio Cauchi on Joel Embiid
As a rookie, he’s already leading his team in basically every statistical category. He’s an amazing rim protector; he can score in almost every way, and every single teammate loves to play with him. He’s the King of social networks, so he’s a must have for the All-Star Game. In addition to this, he’s the best center in the Eastern Conference right now and it’s hard to compare. Plus, the All-Star Game needs a big man that can entertain the crowd, Shaq hasn’t been around for a while.
Saahil Pawar on Gordon Hayward
Gordon Hayward has been in the all-star conversation for the previous two seasons and has fallen short every time. That should end this year, as Hayward has taken the jump into the elite spectrum of small forwards. Even though the West is stacked with a plethora of frontcourt talent, Hayward’s consistent all-around game, now aided with his increased scoring numbers this year (22.1) should warrant him a reserve spot.
Remember, Hayward came into the campaign battling a banged up finger which kept him out of Utah’s lineup for the first two weeks of the season in which they went 3-3. Since his return, their offense has flowed completely through Hayward, in particular with the absence of guard Geroge Hill. Playing for a low-key Western Conference team like the Jazz hasn’t helped his case in recent years, but as he and Rudy Gobert continue to improve, the team is beginning to look more and more dangerous. A lot of that can be accredited to Hayward’s uptick in scoring as Utah now has a superstar on their hands, and he should be a no-brainer to be the first Jazz player in the All-Star game in six years.
Es Baraheni on DeMarcus Cousins
Although it’s become tremendously popular to bash on DeMarcus Cousins and his attitude, (especially with his multi-million dollar extension coming around the corner), but there is no doubt in my mind that this guy deserves to start for the Western Conference All-Star team this year in New Orleans. He’s having a career year statistically and is the reason that even in January the Kings are still in Playoff contention in a tough Western Conference. He’s averaging 28.1 points, ten rebounds, four assists, and adds 1.5 steals and blocks a game to make him a stat-sheet stuffer. LeBron has labeled him the ‘best big’ in the NBA, and when the King anoints you, there is really no debate about it.
Cameron Dunlap on Russell Westbrook
Russell “Now I Do What I Want” Westbrook NEEDS to be a 2017 NBA All-Star game starter! As of now it’s looking like the West is going to roll out a starting backcourt of Steph Curry and James Harden, and realistically if that’s who we see starting the game for the West come February 19th, then I guess the world won’t blow up. However, I can’t promise that World War III might not happen because the wrath Westbrook is going to unleash on the league for getting snubbed…
Like seriously guys, he’s currently averaging a triple double (something that hasn’t been done in about five decades). He’s had 20 of them this season, and we’re only 42 games into the season. At this pace, he is just about on track to beat the record Oscar Robertson set with 40. A lot of analysts had OKC struggling or just barely making the playoffs, and as of now, it’s safe to say Westbrook and the Thunder are currently exceeding expectations and have a pretty strong seven-game lead over the 8th seed where eight teams are currently battling to be in position for that last playoff spot.
Two more things before we carry on…
1.Do we really want to disrespect the two-time defending All-Star Game MVP (2015,2016) by making him come off the bench?!?!
2. As we approach the five-year mark of the sad Westbrook, Harden, and Durant breakup, do we really want to miss out on a chance to see these three start together? Out of all the ‘What If’ scenarios you can think of in NBA history, I think it’s safe to say “What If Sam Presti paid Harden and kept him with Durant and Westbrook” as one of the biggest. Let’s not sit here and deprive ourselves of seeing these three start for the next 4-6 years even if Westbrook and Durant can not stand each other.
Aaron Johnson on Anthony Davis
The debate with Anthony Davis making the All-Star team is not whether he should be on the team or not, but if he should start. I can’t think of a reason that Anthony Davis should not start. He is averaging 29.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Davis has also taken a young Pelicans team and put them in playoff consideration as they are in a heated battle for the eighth seed in the NBA Playoffs. Davis has become a forgotten star in the NBA, as many have looked past Davis to younger big men such as Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Nikola Jokic. While Davis has been in the league longer than these young bugs, he is just 23 years old. Anthony Davis might be the most dominant big in the NBA, how can he not start in the All-Star Game?
J.D. Shaw on Kevin Love
While I believe he’s undeserving of a starting position, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love deserves to be an All-Star this season. Love is averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds per game, with both of those marks being his highest since joining the Cavaliers in 2014.
Cleveland, in the absence of J.R. Smith, has maintained its status as the East’s top team mainly due to Love’s stellar production this season. His shooting percentages — 39 percent from deep and 44 percent from the field — are also the highest they’ve been in a Cavaliers jersey.
While Love may not deserve to start above Chicago’s Jimmy Butler, Milwaukee’s Antetokounmpo or his Cleveland teammate LeBron, he certainly deserving of a spot on the All-Star team this season — his first selection since taking his talents to Cleveland.
