Picking NBA All-Star reserves is more difficult than picking All-Star starters.
If a player is a borderline starter who is left off the All-Star starting five, he’s probably going to make the All-Star team as a reserve. However, deserving players will be omitted from All-Star rosters when the reserves are announced Thursday (6:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
There are backcourt and frontcourt players in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference who won’t be part of the All-Star Game and easily should be. It becomes a numbers game, too, because it’s tough to give the Miami Heat two All-Stars when they’re hovering around .500 and in and out of the top six in the conference. It’s either Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro. It’s probably not both.
Same with the Sacramento Kings, who have been one of the hottest teams in the league since firing Mike Brown. Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox are having All-Star seasons, but it’s not guaranteed both make it to San Francisco for the All-Star Game on Feb. 16.
And what about a team like Houston or Memphis? Shouldn’t the second- and third-place teams in the West get a player on the All-Star team?
Coaches select the reserves – two backcourt players, three frontcourt players and two more, regardless of position.
The players USA TODAY Sports NBA writers Jeff Zillgitt and Lorenzo Reyes believe should be All-Star reserves:
NBA All-Star reserve selections
Jeff Zillgitt’s NBA All-Star reserve selections
Eastern Conference
Backcourt: Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland
Frontcourt: Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam; Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown
Wildcards: Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro; Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine
First, I’m glad it’s the coaches picking the reserves and not me. As noted, deserving players are left out. In trying to pick the reserves, I did my best to weigh individual success, including efficiency, and team success. Trae Young’s shooting stats (40.2% from the field, 34.2% on 3-pointers) and Atlanta’s record (22-25) – despite his league-leading 11.4 assists per game – kept him off this list. Miami’s Bam Adebayo is having an All-Star season, but the 23-22 Heat aren’t getting two All-Stars. If you wanted to swap Adebayo for Herro, no problem here. Also, if you think three Cavs on the All-Star team is one too many and/or you’re not sold on Brown’s season, finding a spot for Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson makes sense. – Jeff Zillgitt
Western Conference
Backcourt: Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards; Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox
Frontcourt: Los Angeles Lakers forward-center Anthony Davis; Memphis Grizzlies center Jaren Jackson Jr.; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengün
Wildcards: Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams; San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama
Tough decisions in the West, too. Houston and Memphis have the second- and third-best records in the conference, and it seems unbecoming to not have a player from each team in the All-Star Game. Then, it becomes a tight squeeze with Kyrie Irving, Norman Powell, Domantas Sabonis, James Harden and Devin Booker among others left off the All-Star team. – Jeff Zillgitt
Lorenzo Reyes’ All-Star reserve selections
Eastern Conference
Backcourt: Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham
Frontcourt: Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley; Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown; Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vučević
Wildcards: Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro
The toughest slot was the final frontcourt position, where Vučević slides in past players like Pascal Siakam and Jarrett Allen because of his offensive efficiency and work on the glass. Cunningham has been a revelation in leading the surging Pistons and absolutely deserves his first career All-Star selection. Same goes for Mobley whose increased perimeter offense has opened up spacing for the Cavs. The East does have several guards who are worthy, but Garland has been ultra efficient and Herro’s work to keep this Heat season afloat also makes him deserving of his first All-Star nod. – Lorenzo Reyes
Western Conference
Backcourt: Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards; Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox
Frontcourt: Los Angeles Lakers forward-center Anthony Davis; San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama; Sacramento Kings forward-center Domantas Sabonis
Wildcards: Houston Rockets center Alperen Şengün, Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams
The West is loaded in the frontcourt, and Davis and Wembanyama had legitimate arguments to start, so they are easy choices. Sabonis’ production gives him the nod in my book, but Şengün and Williams just edge out players like James Harden, Devin Booker, Kyrie Irving and others. At the guard spot, though Fox’s scoring has been up-and-down, his playmaking and explosive play in the clutch help put him through. Edwards remains one of the most explosive players in the league, so he’s an easy choice to get his third consecutive nod. – Lorenzo Reyes