by On Feb. 1, the reserves for the 2024 NBA All-Star game will be announced, finally bringing some certainty to the chaos that is the Western Conference All-Star ballots. So far, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Nikola Jokic have been named as starters, with James captaining the squad. The controversy now lies in the reserves, as the 2024 Western Conference is shaping up to have some of the most hotly contested selections in the history of the game.
There will be seven reserves joining the five starters in each conference, which includes two guards, three frontcourt players, and two wild-cards which do not take position into account. To predict the West’s reserves, we will rely on a combination of statistics, games played, team record, and advanced analytics among other intangibles such as coaching or team injuries.
West Guards: Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards
In the Eastern Conference, the guard spots were among the easier selections to pick. This was not the case. There were a multitude of ways that we could have gone with this, but Booker and Edwards were the best selections. While Booker has played slightly less games due to injuries than the other candidates, his numbers are absolutely spectacular. He’s averaging 28.6 points per game as well as 4.9 rebounds and 7.3 assists while shooting a career-best 50% from the field and 39% from three. Not to mention, he’s doing all this while starting at point guard, not shooting guard, for the first season of his career. Booker’s been on an absolute tear recently, going for 44, 62, and 46 points, respectively, in his last three games. If he can stay hot and stay healthy, not only will he be an All-Star but he could be an MVP candidate by the end of the year.
Edwards was a bit of a tougher selection, but very much deserving nonetheless. In his fourth season he has achieved superstardom, as he is averaging career-highs in points and assists with 25.9 and 5.3, respectively. He is also shooting 46% from the field and 39% from three, which are also career-highs. The personal numbers don’t tell the whole story, however, as he has become the undisputed best player of the Minnesota Timberwolves and led them, a franchise recently known for underachieving, to a tie for the best record in the league through 46 games.
West Frontcourt: Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, and Lauri Markkanen
With apologies to the East, there are about 6-7 frontcourt players that we could have named here that would have been easy selections if they happened to play in the other conference. Unfortunately they don’t, and we’ve whittled the names down to Leonard, Davis, and Markkanen. It’s safe to say that Leonard was the only lock for this group, as his play and ability to stay healthy has gotten back up to its pre-ACL tear levels. He’s averaging 23.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and is third in the league in steals per game with 1.7. Leonard, a player who has been known for his efficiency and consistency scoring the ball is even averaging career highs in field goal and three point percentage with 53% and 45%, respectively. Those numbers are just ridiculous and should under no circumstances be underappreciated.
Davis was a tricky case, as he has had a very strong statistical season and helped lead the Lakers to win the In-Season Tournament, but Los Angeles has been awful since then. While we don’t like to reward numbers that don’t back up wins, Davis’s stats are too gaudy to ignore. He’s putting up 25.0 points along with 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, which rank third and fifth in the league in their respective categories. He’s been phenomenal on both ends and will be firmly in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation once again. Davis will play a crucial role in bringing the Lakers back to title contention, but for now, he’s likely done enough to qualify for his ninth All-Star appearance.
A month ago, you would be hard-pressed to find Markkanen’s name high up on any All-Star lists, but his play and availability combined with the recent success of the Utah Jazz have put him firmly into contention. He’s currently averaging 24.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 40% from three. Not only that but the Jazz are above .500 through 47 games, a place they have no business being with their currently constructed roster. When trying to find All-Star candidates, it’s hard to ignore Markkanen’s resume and abilities.
West Wild-Cards: De’Aaron Fox and Stephen Curry
Through the first half of the year, Fox has successfully proved to doubters that last year’s abrupt rise was certainly not a fluke. The young guard has blossomed into a superstar, putting up 27.7 points, 5.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He has become the best player on a bonafide contender in the West, so it becomes nearly impossible to leave him off the list.
Curry’s case is much more complicated, as similar to Davis, his Golden State team has drastically underperformed this season. However, when you watch the Warriors it becomes quickly evident that Curry is far from the problem. Just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong around him, and Curry is still shining through it all. He’s averaging 27.3 points per game on 40% from three and he’s leading the league in free throw percentage at 93%. Even though things have not gone his way at all this year, he’s still far and away the best shooter in the world and has done enough to sneak into what should be his 10th All-Star game.
Before we wrap this up, it should be once again stated how difficult it was to leave some guys off in this loaded Western Conference. Domantas Sabonis is putting up Jokic-like stats, Paul George is doing it all on both ends, and Alperen Sengun has made the jump to stardom, yet, barring injuries, none of them might hear their name called. Oh, and by the way, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 62 points in a game last week and we didn’t even mention him at all.
Final Reserve Predictions: Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Lauri Markkanen De’Aaron Fox, Stephen Curry.
Just Missed: Domantas Sabonis, Paul George, Alperen Sengun, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, James Harden, Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama, Kyrie Irving, Jamal Murray.
