The 2023 NBA All-Star Game will be one for the books. The All-Star draft between the East top-vote getter Giannis Antetokounmpo and West top-vote receiver LeBron James will be held a couple of minutes before tip-off, which is an immense change from the last couple of years.
This could be a disaster, or it could also ramp up the intrigue level for all the NBA fans. Joining Antetokounmpo from the East squad are forwards Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant and guards Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell. James', was selected along with forwards Nikola Jokic and Zion Williamson along with guards Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic.
The next step would be for the coaches to select the 14 remaining individuals who will join the stars in the mid-season contest on February 19.
Predicting Eastern, Western Conference reserves for 2023 NBA All-Star Game
West: Domantas Sabonis, Lauri Markkanen, Anthony Davis, Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Damian Lillard, De'Aaron Fox
Choosing the seven reserves for the Western Conference was not as difficult as it seems. The major reason for this is due to lingering injuries to particular stars that are worthy of an NBA All-Star spot, such as Devin Booker and Paul George.
The easiest locks from this bunch are the trio of Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Domantas Sabonis. If these three individuals were selected as starters, there would not be much of a problem from the NBA pundits. Morant has continued to become the leader of the Grizzlies as he is averaging an impressive 27.3 PPG on .556 TS%.
The more surprising ascensions were Gilgeous-Alexander's and Sabonis'. Gilgeous-Alexander has elevated himself from a young star to one of the best players in the association, while Sabonis has proven that the Sacramento Kings did not lose the Tyrese Haliburton trade. Additionally, De'Aaron Fox is Sabonis' teammate who has catapulted the Kings to one of the best records in the league today.
Lauri Markkanen is the top competitor of SGA for the Most Improved Player of the Year award. Damian Lillard and Anthony Davis bounced back from underwhelming performances last year and are now back as guarantees to be part of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game
East: Bam Adebayo, Julius Randle, Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton, Jaylen Brown, James Harden
The East reserves were a bit more difficult because of the storylines and rationale of selecting a plethora of players apart from these seven individuals on the list. Fans of guys like Jimmy Butler, Jalen Brunson, and Trae Young might be irate because of this list, but it is inevitable to cut out some of the most talented guys in the world.
Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, and Jaylen Brown are the non-negotiable individuals because these three guys have been superb this year, and it would be dumbfounding if they are not selected for this squad. Starting with the three other big men, it is smart to include at least one Miami Heat and one New York Knicks star.
Brunson or Butler could have their case as an NBA All-Star reserve, but Butler has missed too many games to be even considered this season. Unfortunately for Jalen Brunson, there is a slew of other guards who are producing better numbers despite his phenomenal first year in New York City. Pascal Siakam is the one that might have caught the eyeballs of NBA fans, but he still has a PER of 21.7 this year along with a .570 TS%.
For the guards, Haliburton and Brown are guaranteed to make it already, so it is only the addition of James Harden that may catch the attention of others. By the eye test, Jalen Brunson or Jrue Holliday are playing better, but Harden is still 18th in PER in the league and recording a .614 TS% this year.
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