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Who do you have as your Western Conference All-Star reserves and why?
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Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic, Brandon Ingram, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul and Devin Booker
Quick thought on my picks: Lillard is a pure respect pick for all his heavy lifting in Portland.
Chris Paul, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, Rudy Gobert, Brandon Ingram and Nikola Jokic
Why I picked them: This is a tremendous honor for Paul, who could’ve gone in another direction with his approach and attitude after being traded to OKC. Instead, he’s playing inspired ball and that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Jokic was asleep the first month of the season before he realized his All-Star chances and the Nuggets’ season were slipping away. Ingram is this year’s breakout star. Also, no All-Star tears this time for Gobert, the game’s best rim defender.
Written in pen on first pass: Rudy Gobert and Nikola Jokic. Defense matters, Gobert remains a monster on that end of the floor, and is also an important (and efficient) part of the league’s seventh-ranked offense. Jokic is the best player on the third-place team in the Western Conference.
Pretty easy calls: Devin Booker, Damian Lillard and Chris Paul. The Blazers have been disappointing, but there’s no denying how good Lillard has been. He’s averaging 28.8 points on a true shooting percentage of 61.9% (fourth among 73 players with 500 field goal attempts). Booker isn’t too far behind Lillard in regard to scoring, efficiency and assists. Paul’s boxscore numbers aren’t what they were five years ago, but he’s still one of only seven guys averaging 17, five and six, and he’s won the Thunder a lot of games with remarkable shooting in the clutch.
Last two spots: Brandon Ingram and Donovan Mitchell. This is where it gets tough. Ingram is 13th in the league in scoring (25.0 ppg) and 18th in true shooting percentage among the 73 guys with 500 shots. He’s been the best player on the Pelicans, but the Pelicans are 19-29 and have been better with him off the floor. Mitchell is on one of the best teams in the league and has done a lot of work in the clutch, but isn’t as efficient and hasn’t been the playmaker that some of these other guys have been. The toughest omission was Russell Westbrook, who is averaging 26.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists for the fifth place team in the Western Conference. Efficiency and defense matter, and the Rockets have been much better offensively with James Harden on the floor without Westbrook (116.7 points scored per 100 possessions) than they’ve been with the two on the floor together (109.5).
Chris Paul, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, Rudy Gobert, Devin Booker and Nikola Jokic
Why I picked them: Those of you who wrote Chris Paul off when he was traded to the Thunder should take a bow — you fueled his return to All-Star weekend. Mitchell is a certified star and Lillard and Westbrook should always assume they’ll be working All-Star Sunday. Gobert is the most dominating defensive presence in the league and finally gets his due. Jokic got up off the canvas, worked himself into shape and a return All-Star trip after an uneven start. The only spot where I had a dilemma was between Booker and Brandon Ingram, who was every bit as worthy. All the backcourt players are enjoying a Splash Brothers-free season.
Chris Paul, Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic and Brandon Ingram
Why I picked them: Leaving Devin Booker off of this list hurts a little personally because he’s not only worthy of receiving an All-Star nod, but it’s long overdue. You need clutch performers as All-Star reserves, and that’s definitely what you’ve got in Paul and Lillard. Ingram, meanwhile, should also garner serious consideration for the Kia Most Improved Player Award this season.