The 2016 NBA All-Star Game is going to be held outside of the United States for the first time ever in February. You thought it was cold in New York last year? Just wait until 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend takes place in Toronto, Canada.
With some help from Drake, ‘The Six’ will host the All-Star festivities and the highlight of the weekend is the culminating event, the 2016 NBA All-Star Game.
Granted, the idea of selecting starters for the All-Star game is all a popularity contest and it’s really just something to get the fans involved but some of the recent returns for the starters have been insane.
Kyrie Irving, who will play only 14 games by time the starters are announced, is leading players like John Wall, Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler. Out in the Western Conference, Kobe Bryant will be named an All-Star starter due to the fact that it’s his last season but he’s also stealing a starting spot from guys like Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green.
Some guys deserve the starting nod, others may not. Here’s the starters and a case for why a few guys should be considered All-Star game starters.
Eastern Conference
G – Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
41 games, 36.5 minutes, 21 points, 6.4 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 steals
G – Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
40 games, 38.2 minutes, 22.4 points, 4.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 steals
F – Paul George, Indiana Pacers
42 games, 35.5 minutes, 23.7 points, 4 assists, 7.4 rebounds, 2 steals
F – LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
38 games, 35.8 minutes, 25.3 points, 6 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals
F – Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
41 games, 34.4 minutes, 17.6 points, 15.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.5 blocks
Western Conference
G – Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
40 games, 33.9 minutes, 30 points, 6.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 steals
G – Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
43 games, 33.9 minutes, 24.2 points, 9.7 assists, 7.1 rebounds, 2.4 steals
F – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
35 games, 29.3 minutes, 16.3 points, 3.5 assists, 4 rebounds, 0.9 steals
F – Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
40 games, 33.2 minutes, 20.1 points, 2.6 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
F – Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
36 games, 35.6 minutes, 26.6 points, 4.4 assists, 7.9 rebounds, 1.2 blocks
Some guys, like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Paul George need no argument as to why they should be starters. They all deserve it, the fans have them slated to be starters in the backcourt and frontcourt respectively and they also get the nod based off their incredible seasons so far.
Here’s some arguments as to why some other players should be considered starters for the 2016 NBA All-Star Game.
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
41 games, 34.7 minutes, 14.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.4 blocks, 1.3 steals
(Following from Charlie Taylor, @chillicharlieRT)
I can’t believe that I even have to make a case for Draymond. But I’m just going to go with the flow and not even talk about how my colleagues gave into the zeitgeist and fixed their fingers to type the letters “K.O.B.E” next to each other. So why should Draymond Green be an All-Star starter? Well let’s begin with the triple doubles. Eight
this season, which leads the NBA and it’s three more than the next player (Westbrook with 5). He has had a stretch of three triple doubles in three consecutive games. Last two people to do that? Westbrook and Jordan. And on top of that he is the best forward when it comes to assists. At 303 he eclipses the 2nd place LeBron James’ 229. He’s also on the NBA’s best team and quite possibly the most important part to what they do defensively. I could go on but I think you already know that he should be a starter.
But y’all vote for Kobe. Because legacy right?
John Wall, Washington Wizards
40 games, 20 points, 9.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 steals
(Following from Honi Ahmadian, @BLSSBlog)
John Wall struggled during the early parts of the season. With the Washington Wizards attempting to a run a more fast-paced system, the point guard was unable to start the year guns blazing. That makes Wall’s season numbers even more impressive. The sixth year veteran is averaging 20 points, 9.7 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. That’s a great season regardless of the circumstances but when you take into account the Wizards’ injuries and slow start, it’s quite incredible. Wall has carried the team to a 19-21 record, only two games out of eighth place in the east. While they have been mostly disappointing and team success factors into all-star berths, Wall certainly deserves consideration for a starting spot. Kyrie Irving has played too few games, Dwyane Wade has not been consistently good at his age, Kyle Lowry has been slightly more inefficient than Wall and does not assist his teammates nearly as much, and Jimmy Butler similarly does not create for his teammates like Wall does. There are several deserving candidates but John Wall, who has overcome a slow start with a cast of teammates who have been injured far too often to find some consistency in a high-expectations season, should be one of those players. He’s also the most recent winner of the NBA’s player of the month award in the Eastern Conference.
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
41 games, 34.4 minutes, 17.6 points, 15.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.5 blocks
(Following from Rob Lopez, @r0bato)
The new ‘pace and space’ NBA has everyone forgetting about the big man. Andre Drummond is making a case to make sure you don’t forget about Dre. The Detroit Pistons have put out many campaigns to get Andre into the 2016 NBA All-Star Game as a starter but as of the third returns, he was slightly trailing Carmelo Anthony for the final frontcourt spot. Carmelo and Drummond will make it but as Detroit’s revival has placed the Pistons in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and Andre is taking center stage for Detroit. He currently leads the league in rebounds and double-doubles with a couple 20-20 games under his belt. Detroit is playing well so why not give them what they deserve, their first All-Star selection since 2009 when Allen Iverson was named a starter.
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
40 games, 33.2 minutes, 20.1 points, 2.6 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
(Following from David Morrow, @DMorrow96)
Kawhi Leonard deserves a spot on the All-Star team more than most players do. He’s the defensive anchor on the best defense in the league. We’re used to seeing stifling defense from Kawhi, and the stats evidence how good he’s been on that end. He’s racked up 78 steals this season, the 7th most in the league. He’s 2nd in the league in defensive rating, first in defensive win shares, and fourth in defensive box plus/minus.
The most impressive thing about Leonard’s performance this season, though, has been his improvement on offense. Kawhi’s always been a defense-first player, but that has changed this year. He’s now a superstar on both ends. He’s averaging 20.1 points per game, a career-high. He’s also shooting over 50% from the field for the first time in his career. The craziest part about Leonard’s offensive strides? his improved perimeter shooting. Last year, he shot a career-low 34.9% from deep as he struggled to take on a larger scoring role. This year, he’s not having similar problems. He’s shooting an absolutely absurd 48.1% from 3, second only to Clippers’ sharpshooter J.J. Redick.
Kawhi Leonard has been an absolute monster this season, and is one of the top 10 players in
our league. If he doesn’t deserve to be an All-Star starter, I don’t know who does.
(all stats as of 1/20/16)
