The fans, the players, the media, the coaches, and, lastly, LeBron James and Stephen Curry have all made their picks, so after a long-winded and somewhat complicated process we now have a clear picture of what the 2018 rendition of the All-Star Game will look like. Many found the teams hilarious, others saw a clear difference in talent; but all are ready for All-Star Weekend 2018.

As is tradition, the selections, especially the snubs and the “undeserved” appearances will be under the scrutiny of the public eye over the next couple of weeks, but after the festivities are over, only a rare breed of NBA fans and outlets will waste time looking back at who got the honors.

However, there are several low-key implications that could have a long-term impact on the All-Star Game selection process, the player's approach to their legacies that are intertwined with the number of All-Star selections and, to a certain extent, the player's free agency decisions.

Historical stats no longer guarantee a starting spot

Player A is just 0.4 assists away from averaging a triple-double. Player B is scoring 20 points per game just shy of 50/40/90 shooting splits on the team with the best record in the NBA. If someone offered a bet on whether at least one of those guys will get the starting spot at the All-Star Game, any sane person would immediately jump on it.

Russell Westbrook, Klay Thompson
slamonlineph.com

Well, this season that bet would lose you money. It is interesting that the starting guard spots in the West weren't even up for much debate, it was evident from the get-go that Curry and James Harden form the finest backcourt tandem in their conference, a fact which was later confirmed in all stages of the selection process. After all, there were no objections from either Thompson or Westbrook, who became just the second reigning MVP not to start at the All-Star game in the last 10 seasons; both of them are seemingly accepting of their position in the guard hierarchy, and that is a true testament to the historical level at which the top crop of NBA guards is playing right now. Ultimately, All-Star weekend is a fan-appreciation convention where the kind of players fans want most will triumph statistical arguments.

The term positionless basketball is becoming so overused that it's gradually reaching status of a meme, but that doesn't take away from its legitimacy. The surging trend of small-ball lineups with three or even four nominally backcourt players on the floor at the same time has completely changed the landscape of the NBA, so why not reflect that at the most viewed game of the regular season? Considering the current guard-heavy structure of the league, introducing a wildcard selection to the starting lineup (while keeping two backcourt and two frontcourt spots) seems like a plausible course of action. The proposed change wouldn't shake up the selection process too much, and would still allow opportunity to give players like Thompson or Westbrook proper recognition for their historically impressive performances.

Snubs from small markets might have second thoughts in free agency

Even though Paul George repeatedly stated that he isn't disappointed with being left out of the All-Star game and that Westbrook's support and the current state of the Thunder will have a positive effect on his imminent free agency decision, it's hard to imagine that his thoughts haven't at least occasionally wandered off to a different timeline. History proves that when deserving players don't feel loved, they remind franchises what their value is.

Paul George, Russell Westbrook

After a somewhat disappointing stretch at the start of the season, the Thunder look like they are starting to finally mesh, and George has definitely been an X-factor in that process. At the moment, he is shooting his career best from beyond the arc, while being among the frontrunners for the Defensive Player of the Year award according to a number of advanced metrics. That, apparently, wasn't enough to warrant a mid-February trip to Los Angeles, as PG-13 fell short both in fans/players/media votes and coach selections.

With the current voting system in place, having that kind of impact on a big-market team (hint: Los Angeles Lakers) would have given George noticeably improved chances at making the All-Star team. It's not hard to imagine being a sole Lakers' superstar would give George a 250,000 vote boost (enough for second place in fan votes), while also putting more pressure on the media to vote him in, which would ultimately be enough for George to claim the starting spot.

Paul George

George is obviously downplaying the whole storyline, but we've seen that repeatedly being stripped of a spot you arguably deserve can become a source of frustration for a player (see: Damian Lillard). Stating that the All-Star snub will be the exclusive factor in George's free agency decision would be straight up ridiculous, but it is impossible to overlook the fact that taking an easier path towards establishing a memorable legacy might cross any player's mind, as much as George claims he's immune to that. The appeal of the big market with regard to All-Star selection chances will most likely remain a big talking point, at least while the current voting system is in effect.

Multiple starters do not guarantee contention

The era of Jordan-Pippen, Stockton-Malone and Shaq-Kobe is long time gone; a pair of elite players carrying a team through the entirety of regular season and the playoffs is simply unimaginable in the modern era of basketball. Sporting a roster with two best players at their respective positions once signified a casual stroll to (at least) the conference finals, but today it's not even an assurance of postseason participation, let alone championship contention.

Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, pelicans
Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis are having incredible seasons. Both are top 10 in points, rebounds and blocks per game and top 20 in PER. The rest of the roster, however, is quite lackadaisical outside of Jrue Holiday who is having a season that closely resembles his 2012-13 All-Star campaign. So far, that has been enough for just the sixth spot in the Western Conference, only three games ahead of the ninth seed Clippers.

No one in the Pelicans organization is exactly disappointed with the current standings; on the contrary, their success rate so far has been in line with the preseason projections.

With that much elite firepower the bar might have been set higher, but the issue does not lie within the Pelicans team per se, but is rather a function of the quality of the teams they have to compete with. Every better ranked team out West currently either has at least three top-tier players (Warriors, Wolves, Thunder) or has them beaten in terms of complementary talent (Rockets with Clint Capela, Eric Gordon) or coaching (Spurs with Gregg Popovich).

The Pelicans are an excellent piece of evidence that simply connecting two of the top 10 players in the league simply won't do the trick anymore. There are a lot more ingredients required to set up a true contender, from careful salary cap management and smart free agency decisions, to efficient scouting and just sheer luck. Virtually all of those aspects perfectly aligned for the Warriors, which enabled them to set up their Big Four, a trend the rest of the league is having a tough time dealing with. Considering the overwhelming power at the top of the ladder, and the Pelicans potentially looking at their All-Star duo being broken up due to inability to put them into a winning position, the “go all-in or tank” paradigm will most likely become even more accentuated.

On and off-court demeanor can have a negative impact on player's legacy

Draymond Green simply has a knack for finding himself in the middle of controversy, a trait that effectively made him the most polarizing player in the NBA – the type of guy you adore when he's on your team, and the one you absolutely despise when he's waiting for you at the other side of the court. Even the All-Star selection process had Green featured in a number of heated discussions.

At the end of the day, the science behind these selections will also have its flaws, but that's always been the case. Imagine at least making an imperfect system more entertaining. The deserving have fallen unappreciated before, but now there's a greater incentive to care about this national basketball holiday.

Draymond Green
Getty Images

In a hypothetical situation in which fan votes are the only method of determining 2018 All-Stars, Draymond Green gets in without much fuss, claiming the second frontcourt spot behind his teammate Kevin Durant; playing in a big (and winning) market will do that for a player. However, once you introduce the media and player votes into the equation, Green not only fails to start, but his participation at the All-Star game comes into question.

Green was ultimately selected by the coaches, a decision that was openly criticized by Paul Pierce, but his low ranks in the “Player votes” and “Media votes” columns raise a question on whether his notoriously deviant behaviour might have influenced his chances of adding another All-Star selection to his legacy. Although it's merely speculation at this point, one can't help but wonder whether Green's constant trash-talking and perceived dirtiness on the court, and at times reckless straightforwardness in communication with the media, might have created a certain animosity which directly affected the vote distribution.

draymond green
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Green himself stated that he didn't expect any of the players to vote from him, and has thus proven yet again that he is a perfect counterweight to a league in which positive public image plays an increasingly important role. As much as his unrelenting stance provides for a number of compelling storylines over the course of the season, it might prove to be counterproductive for him in the long run as player's achievements, and namely All-Star selections, have some actual concrete consequences, such as contract values.

On and off-court demeanor can have a positive impact on player's legacy

There is another side of the coin to the discussion on how a player's image affects his legacy, which was conveniently featured in the 2018 All-Star Game selections as well. While the areas interwoven with public perception didn't prove beneficial for Green, there is a certain player who gained clear advantage via the process of achieving nation-wide likeability through all available channels.

Joel Embiid
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Joel Embiid is set to make his All-Star debut in February, already assuming the role of the starting center in his first appearance. The credit for that honor goes to the fans and the media; according to the votes tally, the peers were more inclined towards Kristaps Porzingis. While it's hard to argue that Embiid did not deserve the starting spot, there is no denying the fact that his amusing social media presence and happy-go-lucky attitude might have provided a certain boost.

Embiid's approach doesn't seem even remotely calculated, but he will most likely reap rewards from it in the long run. Contract clauses are getting more elaborate by the season, and having an already established legacy will warrant certain leverage for Embiid once the contract negotiations arise. He is definitely putting himself in the best possible position right now, and he is doing it in a way that also enhances the positive image of the entire NBA, with social media playing an important factor in that process.

Joel Embiid, Rihanna
ClutchPoints

While Embiid and Green might be considered the complete opposites on the player likeability spectrum, both of these guys are an absolute necessity for the league. Even though their methods of achieving that status may be fundamentally different and may have variable long-term implications, they have become the essential ingredients that make the NBA so appealing for both the media and the fans.