Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and guard Klay Thompson have been named as reserves on the 2016 Western Conference All-Star team, the league announced today. Green, a first-time All-Star selection, and Thompson, earning his second-straight All-Star nod, will join Stephen Curry on the Western Conference squad, giving the Warriors three players in the All-Star Game for the first time since 1976, when Rick Barry, Phil Smith and Jamaal Wilkes all represented Golden State at the league’s annual showcase.
Green, 25, is averaging career highs of 14.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 34.2 minutes over 45 games this season, hitting career highs of 47.5 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from three-point range. The fourth-year forward leads the league with eight triple-doubles, which trails only Tom Gola (nine in 1959-60) for the most by a Warrior in a single season. Green became the 15th player in NBA history to record a triple-double in three-straight games (Dec. 31 – Jan. 4) while also becoming the first player in franchise history to tally back-to-back triple-doubles on multiple occasions in a single season (Nov. 27 – Nov. 28; Dec. 31 – Jan. 4).
Green earned his first career Western Conference Player of the Week Award for games played from Dec. 28 – Jan. 3, averaging 18.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 9.5 assists during that stretch to secure the fourth such honor by a Warrior in 2015-16 (Curry won the award in three of the season’s first six weeks). The Michigan State alum, who has already dished out a single-season career best 324 total assists, is on pace to join LeBron James, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, John Havlicek and Grant Hill as the only non-guards in NBA history to average more than seven assists per contest.
Thompson, 25, holds averages of 20.9 points, a career-high 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 32.7 minutes over 44 games this season, ranking behind only Curry with 140 three-point field goals and hitting 42.7 percent from long distance (tied for eighth-best in the NBA). The fifth-year guard, who is averaging 24.1 points per game since the beginning of December, is one of nine players with multiple 40-point games this season after a season-high 45-point performance in Golden State’s 127-107 win over Dallas last night.
Last season, Thompson earned his first career All-Star selection and joined Curry in the Western Conference starting lineup, giving the Warriors a pair of starters in the All-Star Game for the first time since 1967 (Rick Barry & Nate Thurmond). The Washington State product also participated in the Three-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend 2015 and was a member of the Sophomore Team in the Rising Stars Challenge in 2013.
After capturing their first title in 40 years, the Warriors opened the 2015-16 campaign with a 24-0 record—the most consecutive wins to begin a season in NBA history—and are off to a 42-4 start to the season, matching the best record through 46 games in NBA history. The Warriors have won a franchise-best 40 consecutive regular-season home games dating back to last season, one of only three teams in NBA history to win at least 40-straight at home.
The 2016 All-Star reserves were selected by the 30 NBA head coaches, who were asked to vote for seven players in their respective conferences—three frontcourt players, two guards and two additional players regardless of position. They were not permitted to vote for players from their own team. The 65th NBA All-Star Game in Toronto will tip-off Sunday, Feb. 14 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, the first All-Star Game to be held outside of the U.S. The game will be seen by fans in more than 200 countries and territories and will be heard in more than 40 languages. TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 14th consecutive year, Turner Sports' 31st year of NBA All-Star coverage.