NBA Twitter was rattled when the league revealed the list of reserves for the 2021 All-Star Game on Wednesday. Some fans agreed with the selections, most did not. Some say several players were overlooked and were more deserving of a spot.
To make things more interesting, the NBA.com Philippines crew decided to create alternate versions of the East and West squads made up of players who weren’t selected but are having impressive seasons -- two groups who could give the real All-Star teams a run for their money.
EAST
Russell Westbrook, Washington Wizards
It’s been almost four years since Russell Westbrook was named the league MVP. And after all this time, Westbrook is still an elite triple-double maestro who can shred defenses. Sure, maybe we’ve all been desensitized with the game evolving and it seems like every night there’s somebody getting a triple-double, but that shouldn’t take away the grandeur of filling up three statistical categories like they’re nothing. The guy nearly has a triple-double in half of the games he’s played this season for Washington. After just 21 games, he has eight under his belt, which is already second all-time in Wizards history. The Wizards were one of the teams hit hardest by COVID-related issues and postponements but they’re slowly making their stride. Star Bradley Beal is rightfully an All-Star starter, but Westbrook also deserves appreciation for being the team’s engine. — Yoyo Sarmenta
Tobias Harris, Philadelphia 76ers
There has to be recognition for leaders on a team. For the 76ers, Tobias Harris has served as chaperone for their young team. Statistically, Harris’ All-Star case is solid with averages of 20.6 points on a career-best 51.3 field goal percentage to go with 7.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Record-wise, the Sixers' East-leading 21-11 tally should merit them multiple All-Star slots. They already have MVP front-runner Joel Embiid and Defensive Player of the Year favorite Ben Simmons on the team, and they could have had Harris on the squad as well. As talented Embiid and Simmons are, Harris is still Philadelphia's go-to crunch time option and he often delivers. It's just that Harris' consistency is often overlooked with other stars producing glitzier stats or highlights, when he's the glue that holds one of the best teams in the league together. — Miguel Flores
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Fresh from a Cinderella-like run in the playoffs last season, Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo has only gotten better this season. With averages of 19.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists this season, Bam has been the one constant in what has been an extremely rocky season for the Heat. With injuries and COVID affecting the availability of key players like Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, and Tyler Herro all season long, Adebayo has been forced to be the focal point of the Heat on both ends of the floor. Their record (14-17, 10th place) is probably not what it should be, but that's no fault of Adebayo’s. The Heat would be in much worse shape if he weren’t around. — Chuck Araneta
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
A week ago, in a game against the Sacramento Kings, Jimmy Butler pulled off one of the boss moves: spinning to the baseline, then slamming the brakes for a pump fake, baiting the defender to jump, then through the small window of opening, pulled up for a jumper. Plus, a foul. On the next play, Butler plucked the rebound and flung a full-court pass to an open teammate for a dunk. To recap that 30-second sequence: Butler scored a basket like a boss, grabbed a rebound like a forward, and tallied an assist like a point guard. He finished the game with a 13-10-13 stat line. It was his third straight triple-double. Butler isn’t an All-Star, but he sure moves, hustles, drips, sneers, thinks, and talks like one. He also has the numbers to back it up. In 19 games he’s played this season, he’s averaging 19 points, almost eight rebounds, and eight assists per game. Last season—when he was officially named an All-Star—he averaged 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Jimmy Butler probably goes to sleep thinking—check that, knowing—that he’s an All-Star. Doesn’t matter if he plays in the All-Star Game or not. — Jon Carlos Rodriguez
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
This Lithuanian-American big man has had quite a season considering he has been playing it practically alone. In the first half of the season, the Indiana Pacers had Victor Oladipo who was finally back in shape after being injured for more than a year. The team also had T.J. Warren who played like a man on a mission inside the NBA bubble. A few months passed by and some big news hit the Pacers. Oladipo was traded, Warren was injured, and the new guy Caris LeVert had his very unfortunate kidney surgery. Things started changing and the Pacers were left with no one but Sabonis. And you know what? It still worked out. Averaging 21.5 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists, Sabonis was the dominant force behind the 4th place ranking of the Pacers. In fact, the team still looks like a playoff team despite having so little compared to the other Eastern squads. Even more, Sabonis has been a former-All Star and is playing this year with more weight on his shoulders. Sabonis has 23 double-doubles this season so far, which is second most in the NBA, and out of the top 6 players with the most double-doubles, he is the only one who was not selected as an All-Star. — Renee Ticzon
WEST
DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs
Of course, coach Gregg Poppovich and the San Antonio Spurs are oblivious to the hoopla around All-Star selections. But then again, we have to appreciate the Spurs who are quietly sneaking their way to the top of the Western Conference echelon without a shout nor a whisper. They are currently sixth in the Wild West with a 16-12 record and have won seven of their last 10 games. And if we are going to give a name to recognize the Spurs, it’s got to be DeMar DeRozan. He’s the team’s top scorer with 19.8 points per game, and get this: he’s averaging a career-high 6.9 assists, leading his team in that department as well. DeRozan isn’t an All-Star snub per se, but we have to give a nod to the Spurs who are one of the top teams in the West that’s not being talked about. — Yoyo Sarmenta
De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
- Player A: 24.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5.2 apg, 0.9 spg, 43.0% FG, 51.6 eFG
- Player B: 22.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 7.1 apg, 1.7 spg, 46.6% FG, 51.7 eFG
Those are two impressive and comparable stat lines, both are borderline All-Star numbers in any given year. Yet, Player A Donovan Mitchell very easily gets a second All-Star nod, while Player B De'Aaron Fox barely makes anyone's conversation regarding players who were left off. Fox and Mitchell are also comparable because they were drafted in 2017. Mitchell luckily landed on a winning team needing a new lead scorer while Fox was picked by a perpetual lottery team. It's fair to say that Mitchell should be rewarded for the Jazz's success, but Fox also deserves some recognition for making the most of a challenging situation in Sacramento. — Miguel Flores
Mike Conley, Utah Jazz
In full transparency, you could probably make a case that a youngster like De’Aaron Fox or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are more All-Star worthy. After all, the counting stats favor the two by a mile. But there is something about Mike Conley and his low-key, ground-based, fundamentally-sound, genius-level basketball IQ that makes me wish that he could get the nod one day. The reality is that this season, where he has played a key role in leading the Jazz to the top of the NBA standings, is his best remaining shot as he approaches the twilight of his career. He has balled out in relative obscurity for his entire career, as part of the “Grit and Grind” Grizzlies and now with the Jazz. In every season, he has flown under the radar, but has been indispensable to his team’s success. This season, he has ceded the spotlight (as always) to teammates Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, even congratulating them on Twitter. But for basketball Twitter tambays, those that consume every second of every quarter, we sure wish Mike Conley was also heading to the All-Star Game. — Chuck Araneta
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
There are two ways to celebrate the Ja Morant Experience: a) get hyped after Ja puts dudes taller than him on a wallpaper, or b) get hyped for the potential of Ja putting dudes taller than him on a wallpaper. Either way, it’s a win. The West’s elite guards list is a stacked one, and Ja—despite his asthma-inducing, Top Shot-friendly energy—won’t breach the top five. But tweak that list to prioritize pure athleticism and overall explosiveness, Ja shoots up to top 3. And where does the All-Star Game get its legs if not from pure athleticism and overall explosiveness. Come back down to earth and Ja still holds up as a legit star: 19.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 7.9 assists per game in a season where his Memphis Grizzlies are a whiff away from .500. Consider this a friendly reminder, All-Star Game festivities: make room for Ja for the next x number of years. — Jon Carlos Rodriguez
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder
Okay, let’s start off by recognizing that the Oklahoma City Thunder is not in a good place. They are not winning many games, their lineup is average at the very least, and their chances of making the play-in looks murky. Analysts say this time and time again, the Thunder is in a rebuild -- so you have to expect a few seasons that will be filled with disappointment and anger. But the bright spot has been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has clearly been the focal point of this extremely young roster. He is already considered the franchise player at only 22 years old. His team relies heavily on him, and is arguably the single reason why his team is getting wins. His talent cannot be contested — he is extremely talented and he can only get better from here. Because of this, he becomes the focus of his opponents’ defense. If you stop SGA, you stop OKC. But even with that crazy amount of pressure, this guy averages 22.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.5 assists. Not bad at all for a guy who has only been in the league for two and a half years. Unfortunately, OKC is in the West, and we all know this conference is stacked with amazing guards. But if you consider his talent today, there is no doubt that a few years from now he could become an All-Star starter. — Renee Ticzon
