Western Conference All-Star Reserves Revealed
While the actual teams in the All-Star game won't be grouped by conference as they have been in years past, the player pool to be drafted still consists of an equal number of players from each conference that will then be picked one by one by team captains Steph Curry and LeBron James. With the starters already announced previously (you can take a look at my breakdown here: https://steemit.com/nba/@brandonp/2018-nba-all-star-starting-lineups-announced), let's take a look at the reserves for the Western Conference.
The One's We Knew Would Make It
Russell Westbrook - G - Oklahoma City Thunder
Jimmy Butler - G - Minnesota Timberwolves
LaMarcus Aldridge - F - San Antonio Spurs
I'll start with the guards because both of these guys had the potential to make the team as a starter. While neither Russ nor Jimmy had a real shot at eclipsing James Harden and the incredible season he is having, both are having fantastic seasons. Westbrook is averaging a near triple double again (25 PPG, 10 APG, 9.6 RPG) as well as two steals per game. While Russ isn't nearly as efficient as Steph Curry has been, I can see the argument that Russ hasn't missed a game and his raw numbers are incredible yet again. Butler is also having an amazing season in his first year in Minnesota. So far, Butler has led the Timberwolves to the fourth seed in a very competitive Western Conference. While Butler has been averaging less in terms of raw numbers, his lockdown defense and leadership earned him a spot on this year's All-Star team.
After a tumultuous off-season, the Spurs have figured out a way to get the most out of LA in San Antonio. Averaging a full five more points than he did a year ago, Aldridge is looking like the player he was in his final years in Portland. Aldridge has led the Spurs to the third-seed in the Western Conference despite superstar Kawhi Leonard missing most of the season with injury. While Aldridge didn't have the numbers to compete favorably with either of the Pelicans' frontcourt starters, he was a virtual lock to make the team as a reserve.
The One's We Thought Would Make It
Karl-Anthony Towns - F - Minnesota Timberwolves
Klay Thompson - G - Golden State Warriors
Draymond Green - F - Golden State Warriors
Many folks will probably scoff at the fact that Golden State has four All-Star selections this year, but it's honestly hard to argue with any of the selections. I think the one that might be the least defensible is Draymond Green, but he is having a superior defensive season and is fifth in the NBA in assists per game as a forward. While I believe Draymond probably should have been a bubble guy, knowing that the coaches are the ones that vote for reserves and that they tend to give players on winning teams a boost, I was almost positive Green would make the team. I also think there's an argument for Chris Paul or Lou Williams over Klay Thompson, but again, you can look at the people who vote for the reserves and it's not surprising.
Karl-Anthony Towns on the other hand is having a tremendous season. He's been playing inspired defense since All-Star Starter Joel Embiid gave him the business. In only his third season, the former first overall pick is currently averaging 20/12 while shooting 54% from the field and a remarkable 41% from three. Towns is well deserving of his spot on this year's squad.
The Bubble Guys
Damian Lillard - G - Portland Trailblazers
Part of me wonders whether Lillard only made it because coaches didn't want to hear his bitchin about not making the team. I'll get to a couple of snubs in a second that I think could have made the team ahead of Lillard, but Dame is having a solid season and definitely deserves his spot on the team. Averaging 25/5/7, Lillard is having the season that we all expected from him and currently has his Trailblazers team in the 7th spot in the West.
The Snubs
Lou Williams - G - Los Angeles Clippers
The biggest reason that Williams didn't make the team is the fact that his season numbers aren't great. A lot of this is due to the fact that he started the year on the team's bench which kept his averages down. In the month of January though, Williams has been on a tear averaging 28.4 PPG, 6.1 APG and 2.1 RPG. He also had a ten steal game against the Jazz, which shows he is not just a volume scorer. I can see why Williams didn't make the team this year, but there is certainly an argument to be made for the Clippers guard.
Paul George - F - Oklahoma City Thunder
George is one of the best two way players in the league and he definitely had a chance to make the team this year. It really comes down to him or Draymond Green and while George is far superior of a scorer, Draymond gets the edge in defending and being a facilitator. I'm not too upset with George not making the team and I think that if he were playing on a team without Russell Westbrook he would have been a sure-fire All-Star, but such is life when you play with one of the most ball-dominant players in the league.
And there you go! I hope you enjoyed this post and would love to hear your thoughts on the Western Conference All-Stars. If you liked this post, consider signing up for my weekly NBA newsletter by entering your email here: mailchi.mp/dfef9429318a/swish-weekly-signup. Please also consider following 