Shaq, Kenny, Charles and Adam reveal who they'd tab as Eastern Conference reserves in 2023.
Periodically, NBA.com’s writers will weigh in on some of the most important topics around the league.
Who are your All-Star reserves from the Eastern Conference?
Editor’s Note: The All-Star reserves will officially be announced on Thursday night on TNT (7 ET).
• Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
• Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
• Julius Randle, New York Knicks
• Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
• Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
• DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
• Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Embiid got squeezed out of a starting spot in a four-man frontcourt tier of MVP candidates (with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum), so the Sixers center is automatic here. The same goes for Brown, if only to a slightly lesser degree, for his wingman work with Tatum in Boston. Adebayo and Randle are 20-point, 10-rebound guys in a league with only six such players. DeRozan has been a constant through Chicago’s churning season, continuing his late-career resurgence. And we’re going to split the Wally Szczerbiak “wannabe All-Star” baby by going with both the point guard he blasted with that comment (Haliburton) and the New York player he probably favored given Szczerbiak’s role as a Knicks studio analyst (Brunson). Both backcourt aces have been perfect fits and catalysts for their teams this season. The near-misses on this ballot: Pascal Siakam, James Harden, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
NBA TV's Chris Miles, Channing Frye and Sam Mitchell share their picks for the East reserves.
BRIAN MARTIN:
• Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
• Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
• Julius Randle, New York Knicks
• Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
• Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
• James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers
• Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
When we submitted our choices for All-Star starters last week, my Eastern Conference starting five included Embiid and Brown, so they are locks to make my reserves as the top frontcourt player and guard off the bench. Embiid continues to lead the league in scoring (33.6 ppg) for the third-ranked Sixers and joins captain Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only two players averaging at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. Brown is having a career year alongside Tatum, leading the Celtics to the NBA’s top record.
The other two guards on my squad are the only two players averaging double-digit assists this season: Haliburton and Harden. Both players are averaging over 20 points and career bests in assists. Haliburton is the official league leader at 10.2 apg, having appeared in 40 of Indiana’s 52 games. Harden is the unofficial leader at 11 dimes per game but is two games played shy of meeting the statistical minimum to qualify. Both players bring a combination of playmaking, scoring and long-range shooting that suit the All-Star Game perfectly.
We go from a pair of 20-10 players in points and assists to a pair of 20-10 players in points and rebounds: Adebayo and Randle. There are six players averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds this season and all but one (Anthony Davis) makes my All-Star squad after Davis missed 24 games.
The final spot on my East bench goes to Siakam, who is averaging career highs in points (25.0, 17th in the league) and assists (6.3) while adding 8 rebounds per game. Siakam joins Haliburton as the only two East players below the Play-In line to make my ballot. This final wild card was a tough call, as players like Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday, Miami’s Jimmy Butler and New York’s Jalen Brunson were all strong candidates.
Jaylen Brown has taken his game to another level this season while complimenting Jayson Tatum perfectly.
• Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
• Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
• Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
• Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
• James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers
• Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
• Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
After perhaps feeling snubbed that they weren’t selected as All-Star starters, Embiid and Brown surely will be picked as reserves. Embiid leads the NBA in points per game (33.6) and has posted two 50-point games and seven 40-point games, the most recent happening last week against Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Embiid has impressed the Sixers with his improved shooting, playmaking and durability.
Beyond Tatum’s brilliance, Brown has become another important reason for the Celtics maintaining their top spot in the East. Brown has mastered when to defer to Tatum and when to shoot (career-high 27 ppg). Brown also has helped Marcus Smart with defending the opponent’s top perimeter players.
Despite missing 16 games with injuries, Harden deserves to make his 11th consecutive All-Star appearance. The Sixers have the Eastern Conference’s third-best record partly because of Harden, who has remained one of the league’s best scorers and has averaged 11 apg. The Sixers are pleased with the chemistry between Harden and Embiid, who has received quality looks in the post, along the elbows and on the nail partly because of Harden’s playmaking.
It became difficult to determine the rest of the field because the Eastern Conference’s parity makes for a lot of deserving players. Adebayo has kept the Heat in the playoff picture with his positional versatility and communication on defense. He has also expanded his scoring role both when Jimmy Butler has played or nursed an injury. Brunson has proven worthy of the max contract he got with career bests in scoring (22.5 ppg) and assists (6.2 apg). He has also impressed the Knicks with his steady leadership, something the franchise has sorely lacked in recent decades.
Haliburton and Siakam have not played on winning teams this season. If not for their presence, though, the Pacers and Raptors, respectively, would have fallen to the bottom of the standings. Consider that the Pacers have lost eight of their last nine games without Haliburton. When healthy, Haliburton has averaged a team-best 20.2 ppg and an NBA-best 10.2 apg. Though the Raptors are 5-5 without him, Siakam has played on the team’s five most productive lineup combinations and is averaging a career-best 25 ppg and 6.3 apg (as well as 8 rpg) in a league-leading 37.7 minutes per game.
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton gives a glimpse of his style, both on and off the court.
• Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
• Julius Randle, New York Knicks
• Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
• Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
• Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
• James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers
• Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
In the East, you could make a case for Embiid and Brown being starters. Embiid got the squeeze in a very competitive frontcourt competition with Jason Tatum, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Brown lost out to Kyrie Irving despite playing more games and co-starring on the more successful team (so far). Anyway, they’re no-brainers for the reserves. Haliburton, the league leader in assists, is another easy pick. Then it’s tricky. Randle was an All-Star two seasons ago and is enjoying a bounce-back, but is he more deserving than Jalen Brunson for the Knicks’ winning season? Does Harden get the benefit of the doubt because the Sixers are surging over, say, Bam Adebayo, who’s playing solid defense and averaging a career-high in points? Siakam is enjoying another strong season, but should he be penalized for the underwhelming results by the Raptors? Lots of factors come into play for the final four spots, but this group has earned the right to be All-Stars.
• Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
• Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
• Julius Randle, New York Knicks
• Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
• Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
• James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers
• Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
Brown, Embiid and Haliburton were no-hesitation picks. Embiid is obviously a Kia MVP candidate, putting up big numbers and anchoring a top-10 defense. Brown has been a two-way star for the best team in the league and probably deserved a starting spot. And Haliburton has averaged 20 points and 10 assists, with terrific efficiency for a team that was in the mix for a top-six seed before he got hurt. (The Pacers are 22-18 with him in the lineup.)
Then things get interesting, and you could look at eight or 10 players for the final four spots. Randle was probably the next easiest selection, having a better season than he did two years ago and playing every game for a good team. Butler and Harden were tougher because they’ve played the fewest games/minutes among the candidates, but they’re both over the 1,200-minute mark and they’ve been too good when they’ve played to keep them off the list. And while the Heat aren’t necessarily a two-All-Star team, Adebayo deserves to be there, anchoring a top-five defense and doing more offensively than he ever has.
Pascal Siakam has the box score stats, but he hasn’t been very efficient, and the Raptors just haven’t been very good. Trae Young also has numbers, but neither the efficiency nor the team success (where the Hawks rank offensively) that he’s had in the past. DeMar DeRozan was probably the toughest omission here, a victim of the Bulls’ place in the standings.
Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine focus on Julius Randle and his case for making the All-Star team this year.
• Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
• Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
• Julius Randle, New York Knicks
• Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
• Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
• Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
• James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers
Brown, Haliburton and Embiid probably deserve starting nods. The Sixers’ center certainly felt so, taking out his frustration on the reigning two-time Kia MVP Jokic (an All-Star starter) and his Denver Nuggets by lighting them up for 47 points and 18 rebounds on Saturday. It’s wild that a player who has scored 40 points or more in nine games this season won’t be an All-Star starter. But that’s where we are with Embiid, who’s gaining serious steam in the MVP race.
With Boston and Philadelphia sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, it’s only fitting those squads each get two All-Stars. Brown should probably be a starter and Harden isn’t putting up the stats he did in his Houston Rockets days, so you could argue Jalen Brunson or Jrue Holiday deserve Harden’s spot. But the 33-year-old is shooting 38.6% on 3-pointers — his best since 2011-12 in Oklahoma City (39%) — while averaging 11 apg (his highest since 2016-17) and finally embracing his role as the primary set-up man for Embiid.
Haliburton should be the first Pacers All-Star since Domantas Sabonis (2020-21), which is interesting considering the former was acquired by Indiana along with Buddy Hield for the latter last year. The Pacers’ leading scorer, Haliburton leads the NBA in assists (10.2) while shooting 39.9% on 3-pointers. Those sound like All-Star credentials from here. Seeking just his second All-Star nod, Adebayo has taken a stance similar to Embiid’s in expressing displeasure with how the fan voting continues to fall, and who can blame him? Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and teammate Jimmy Butler (a six-time All-Star himself) recently spoke out in support of Adebayo. This season, Adebayo is averaging 21.4 ppg, 10 rpg and 1.2 spg for a Miami team that ranks fifth in defense and is No. 6 in the East.
Toronto’s low position in the East saps away some juice from Siakam’s All-Star 2022-23 season. But “Spicy P” is averaging career-highs in scoring (25.1 ppg) and assists (6.5 apg). One of the tougher decisions facing the coaches is whether to send Brunson or Julius Randle to Salt Lake City. It’s unlikely both make it, but Randle seems the more likely candidate considering his current stats (24.8 ppg, 10.9 rpg) are similar to his only other All-Star season (2020-21).
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