It’s exactly what the title sounds like. This is a long one, so let’s not waste any time. I’m going to predict (and probably get wrong) what the 2020 NBA All-Star Game rosters will look like. Feelings will get hurt. Players will be snubbed. Tenuous (at best) explanations will be given. Let’s start with the West.
WEST – Starters
Captain – F LeBron James
What else is there to say? It’s LeBron James, the best player of the century. He just averaged 27.4 PPG, 8.5 REB, and 8.3 AST in 2019. It’s true that suffering his first major injury at age 34 last year is concerning. Never fear, however, the King hears your doubts and is ready to prove why you’re completely wrong about him.
G Stephen Curry
The last time Stephen Curry ran the Warriors solo, he had the greatest offensive season in history. No surprises here.
G James Harden
The reigning NBA scoring leader never stops looking for new tricks to add to his bag. We just saw him shoot a one-legged 3PT in-game for Christ’s sake. No matter how south things go with Russell Westbrook, this is still a guy who just averaged 36 PPG last year.
F Anthony Davis
I can’t imagine the astonishment Anthony Davis will feel when he doesn’t have to put up 30 and 12 every night for his team to win. Basketball life just got a lot easier for AD, and he figures to make a run for MVP this year. You can pencil him in as a starter for sure.
F Kawhi Leonard
The “Fun Guy” just averaged 30.5 PPG and 9.1 REB in a 24-game playoff run that led to the NBA championship. Leonard is riding a high better than anything Michael Beasley could achieve, and it doesn’t get any better than this.
WEST – Bench
G Damian Lillard
There are two shots in recent memory that stand out to me in a holy-sh**-that-took-some-guts way. The first is Stephen Curry’s 40-foot heave with a timeout left to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016. The second is Damian Lillard’s bomb from the logo to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 last year. Maybe try telling your guys to step up against dynamic off the dribble shooters next time Billy Donovan?
G Russell Westbrook
I pray to the late Wilt Chamberlain that Westbrook and Lillard end up on opposite sides of the court on game day. Everything you could ever ask for in a basketball moment was there that day in Portland while Lillard waved the OKC Thunder goodbye. Why am I still writing about Lillard in a blurb about Westbrook again?
F Nikola Jokic
There’s something oddly satisfying about watching a chunky kid with a buzz cut absolutely tear up your favorite team. At just 23, Jokic was already a statistical monster, averaging 20.1 PPG, 10.8 REB, 7.1 AST. God bless this lovable terror of a human being.
F Karl-Anthony Towns
I love this guy. Big KAT is about to put up 27 and 13 while the Timberwolves go 30-52 in a classic tale of lone star Minnesota big men carrying a team. Keep your head up Karl, the Celtics are about to swing a million second-rounders for you in 2021.
F Paul George
We should all be worrying way more about Paul George than we are right now. He had two shoulder surgeries this summer and has already ruled himself out for all of October. It’s likely that George won’t return until at least mid-November, leaving him just under 50 games before the break. Shoulder injuries are no joke *cough cough Markelle Fultz*, and we can’t forget George is playing in a new system this year. 50 games isn’t a lot of time for a player to return to an elite level after multiple shoulder surgeries and trying to adjust to a new system.
F Luka Doncic
I’m disappointed because I just found out Doncic is 6’6″ and not 6’8″ as I thought. The original blurb for this was about how Doncic defines positionless basketball, but that no longer rings as true. Either way, Doncic has the potential to be a transcendent player with his skill and feel for the game. He’s only 20 years old, guys, and he’s already one of the best passers in the NBA. Plus, the Mavericks figure to be actually decent this year.
Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell would have to screw up big time to miss the All-Star Game this season. Of course, he’ll be competing with a bunch of other great players like LaMarcus Aldridge and D’Angelo Russell for the wild card spot, but this is Mitchell’s spot to lose. Mike Conley will make life much easier for Mitchell on both sides of the floor and hopefully improve Mitchell’s efficiency. Mitchell has more spacing than he knows what to do with this season, and it’s bound to pay off.
EAST – Starters
Captain – F Giannis Antetokounmpo
The reigning MVP will get another shot at defending his title this year. Giannis has a case for being the best player in the world and is undoubtedly the best in the East. Plus, I hear Kyle Korver’s been giving him shooting tips this summer. For the sake of everyone else in the NBA, I hope Giannis wasn’t listening.
G Kyrie Irving
No matter how disappointing his team is, Kyrie Irving is just too good and too damn entertaining to not be included in the All-Star Game. Although we can guarantee not a single person from the state of Massachusetts will be voting for Irving, the rest of the country should be enough.
G Kemba Walker
Everybody’s singing “Kumbaya” in Boston right now. A change in leadership is exactly what the young Celtics needed, and Walker is a perfect replacement for Irving. If the Celtics are winning and Walker is playing well, expect plenty of declarations of his superiority to Irving. Just don’t think about the impending cap space doomsday Celtics fans.
F Joel Embiid
Embiid had one hell of a year last season. He made both the All-NBA Second-Team and All-NBA Defensive Second-Team and proved his elite status. Embiid can legitimately average 30 points and 14 rebounds this season while being one of the league’s best defenders. Welcome to the perennial All-Star club, Joel.
F Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons has done a lot of talking this summer; especially about how much he’s improved his jump-shot. He’s putting an awful amount of pressure on himself to succeed this year. So, let’s make it more fun and heap even more pressure on him! I think at least two 3PT attempts per game and over 30% is fair. He wouldn’t be doing all this talking if he didn’t think he could back it up, right? He still averaged 16.7 PPG, 8.8 REB, and 7.7 AST last season without being able to shoot from outside five feet. It can only get better from here.
EAST – Bench
G Bradley Beal
Beal has that sexy shooting guard stat line you can’t help but salivate over. 25.6 PPG, 5.0 REB, and 5.6 AST on 47.5% from the field? Dear God, somebody trade for him already. The Washington Wizards could lose all 58 games before the break, and I’d still vote for Beal just to see that buttery smooth jumper hoisted up again. Wow, that got weird.
G Trae Young
Okay, I know this one’s ballsy, but Young’s already a star in my opinion. The Hawks are better this year, and Young just averaged 19.1 PPG and 8.1 AST. Granted, he did shoot just 41.8% from the field, but to be fair, he was the only one on the Hawks capable of running an NBA offense. Young’s game has both substance and flair, and he has the confidence of a man who can do no wrong. If his efficiency improves to the level it was at the end of last season, Young should have a strong enough case to earn his trip to Chicago.
F Jimmy Butler
Butler missed the All-Star Game in 2019, but that was more of a consequence of the traveling soap opera following him. Butler’s going to put up stats this year with the Heat and likely make Miami pretty good while he’s at it. Last year with the 76ers, Butler averaged 18.2 PPG, 5.3 REB, and 4.0 AST while shooting just 13.6 shots a game. Leading a team, you can expect the field goal attempts to creep back up to 16 or 17 a game. As we all know, Butler’s also one of the hardest-working men in the world. I mean, jeez, just two days ago I got a notification declaring that Jimmy Butler went to practice at 3:30 in the morning. The man’s crazy.
F Blake Griffin
The only caveat for Griffin is the injury concern. Griffin’s definitely an All-Star talent. This just wouldn’t be the first time injuries have held him back. There was a three-year stretch from 2016-18 where Griffin couldn’t crack the All-Star roster because he couldn’t stay healthy. One of those years was when he punched an equipment manager and broke his hand. There wasn’t really a point to mentioning that story, it’s just hilarious every time I think about it. If Griffin can remain healthy, he’ll be a strong candidate for a starting frontcourt spot. Based on past history, however, it’s safer to hedge our bets.
F Pascal Siakam
Siakam recently averaged 16.9 PPG on just 11.8 shots a game. With Leonard gone, we can easily scale those attempts up to around 20 shots a game. Even if Siakam’s 54.9% clip from the field dips to around 50% without Leonard, he should still easily be able to average 20 PPG when we factor in free throws. Not to mention, he’ll have all of Canada voting for him. Kyle Lowry and the rest of the role player crew—excluding Danny Green—is still here to make life easier for Siakam. I’m all in on Spicy P.
F Kevin Love
I feel like the majority of people have completely forgotten Kevin Love even exists. Here’s the thing though; if Kevin Love stays healthy for the duration before the All-Star break, he’s going to ball. The Cavaliers will be trying to maximize his trade value, and to do that, Love’s going to have to put up some gaudy numbers. Don’t be surprised if he’s averaging 20 and 10 again while the Cavs put him in a million pick-and-rolls with Darius Garland. Who knows, perhaps 40 games in the Portland Trailblazers trade Hassan Whiteside and miscellaneous young players for the five-time All-Star. Either way, a fully healthy Love’s just too good to miss the All-Star Game.
G Zach LaVine
If the Bulls just get a little tiny bit better this season, it’ll be enough for LaVine to make his All-Star debut. He already has the stats: 23.7 PPG, 4.7 REB, and 4.5 AST on 46.7/37.4 splits. LaVine still has some noticeable flaws in his game, mainly the egregious lack of effort on defense. Everything else is coming together nicely, however, and he has both polish and raw athleticism. If he also dropped the tendency to play hero-ball, LaVine truly has the ability to be an elite player in the NBA. If that sounds too optimistic, so be it. I admit it, I just want to see some neat dunks in the All-Star Game.
Regrettable Omissions
If it makes you feel any better that I cut one of your favorite players, here are the other players I strongly considered for a spot. And, please, do tell me why so-and-so should’ve made the All-Star Game over whoever. Just don’t bring up Devin Booker.
- Rudy Gobert (I’m so very, very, very sorry Rudy, but the Utah Jazz aren’t getting two All-Stars unless they’re winning 55+ games,)
- D’Angelo Russell
- Draymond Green
- DeMar DeRozan
- C.J. McCollum
- Jrue Holiday,
- De’Aaron Fox
- Kyle Kuzma
- Jamal Murray
- LaMarcus Aldridge (I have a feeling I’ll end up wrong about Aldridge, and he’ll end up making the team again. That’s literally what happens every year.)
- Devin Booker
- Zion Williamson
- Tobias Harris
- Al Horford
- Lauri Markkanen
- Khris Middleton
- Kyle Lowry
- John Collins
- Andre Drummond
- Jayson Tatum
- Nikola Vucevic.
Shout to Rudy Gobert specifically because we should all feel bad that he still hasn’t made an All-Star team yet.
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