My 2020 All-Star Predictions

Despite a bevy of star injuries, familiar names return to the All-Star game.

It seems like the tail of NBA talent is catching up to the head.

Players who are "snubbed" from making the All-Star team and or as an All-Star starter is an annual discussion, but with each passing year, the list seemingly expands. If so many guys are "snubbed" and playing at an "All-Star level", why does the distinction really matter?

Take a guy like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 6'5 combo guard has been a benchmark of consistency, beyond what his second-year standing should foretell, all for a pleasant Thunder team that sits comfortably as the No. 7 seed in the West. Oklahoma City was considered a surefire lottery team and afterthought following the Paul George trade. But Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging a cool 20/5/3 stat line, has been a high-caliber player working in concert with other veteran bucket-getters in Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari.

My point is that SGA will not make the All-Star team. But all things considered — the Thunders' expectations vs. their actual record, the quality of his teammates, their level of competition, and his actual accomplishments thus far — why wouldn't he be in the conversation?

The talent is still certainly tiered in the league. All-Star starters will rightfully be there. The importance of getting an All-Star nod for a star's legacy is getting more and more obfuscated, though. And that's not even because of how much of a joke the actual All-Star game is. With so much talent in the NBA, it's best to put less weight on the significance of a selection.

So without further a do, here are my All-Star choices!

East

Starters

G - Kemba Walker

G - Bradley Beal

F - Giannis Antetokounmpo

F - Joel Embiid

F - Jimmy Butler

Reserves

Kyrie Irving

Pascal Siakam

Ben Simmons

Kyle Lowry

Trae Young

Jayson Tatum

Domantas Sabonis

Biggest "Snubs": Bam Adebayo, Zach Lavine, Spencer Dinwiddie

West

Starters

G - James Harden

G - Luka Doncic

F - LeBron James

F - Anthony Davis

F - Nikola Jokic

Reserves

Kawhi Leonard

Paul George

Damian Lillard

Donovan Mitchell

Karl-Anthony Towns

Rudy Gobert

Brandon Ingram

Biggest "Snubs": Devin Booker, Russell Westbrook

---

A couple notes I thought were worth sharing.

Some of these players like Kyrie Irving and Karl-Anthony Towns have battled injuries and have played a smaller sample size than others who missed the cut. I deemed it important that if they 1) had played just enough to truly change the team's record and 2) that these players were clearly amongst the best in the league when they were on the court, then they deserve the nod over others. See, this process isn't fair!

I ultimately chose Brandon Ingram over Devin Booker for the last spot in the West because of how Ingram has developed into a key piece of the Pelicans. Booker IS the Suns, but their success has seemed more rooted in Rubio's play and paint defense. I used similar logic picking Domantas Sabonis over Bam Adebayo, though I saw a bigger discrepancy in on-court contributions.

Trae Young is an All-Star, plain and simple. Star is the operative word. All a bit less so.

Nikola Jokic is starting over Kawhi Leonard because of Kawhi's load management, and because the Nuggets are a vastly different team when Jokic is in his bag.

I put Bradley Beal in the East starting lineup over Pascal Siakam because the Wizards run through him. Siakam is a case of someone who is obviously one of the best players when he is on the court, but he missed some time and the Raptors were still doing okay without him.