Picking which players from would make an All-Star weekend made up of only current or bound lottery teams.
In just a few short weeks, the NBA’s biggest and brightest stars will be shining in New Orleans for All-Star Weekend. Fans across the nation will get to see their favorite players compete in events such as the three-point shooting contest, slam dunk contest, skills challenge, rising stars challenge, and the All-Star game itself.
While the NBA is loaded with All-Star talent, some players are overlooked for their achievements because they play for a lottery team. So we asked ourselves: What would All-Star Weekend look like if it were composed of lottery players?
New writers Gabriel Allen and Russell Hodges give us their takes.
Lottery player who deserves to start the all-star game
GA: Actually one could easily make the argument that the only current lottery player who was remotely worthy of starting in the All-Star game was indeed chosen by the fans in Kevin Love. The Wolves are 20-21, currently 11th best in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, but Love has been sensational, averaging 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. Given that the game is in New Orleans (and the Pelicans have been ravaged by injuries), one could easily make a case for Anthony Davis to make his All-Star debut despite the fact that he missed several weeks with a broken hand, but I can’t say with a straight face he should be starting. In the East, two lottery teams already have a starter in the big game that were far from worthy starters in Kyrie Irving and Carmelo Anthony. John Wall and Roy Hibbert were definitely snubbed big time by the fans.
RH: John Wall. While the Wizards look to be in the running for a playoff spot this season, they have been stuck in the lottery for the past few years. Nevertheless, Wall is a huge piece to this team’s success. Wall is averaging career-highs in PPG (20.2) and APG (8.5) while remaining one of the league’s best defensive guards (he is averaging 1.9 SPG, another career-high). Compared to Cleveland Cavaliers point guard and Eastern Conference starter Kyrie Irving, Wall is much more deserving of the spot. Irving, whose numbers are down across the board this season, has been inconsistent offensively and has failed to lead the Cavs, one of the NBA’s most disappointing teams.
Eastern Conference Lottery All-Star Team
GA:
- Guard: Kemba Walker – OK, so the Bobcats are currently in 8th place and have actually won a few games in a row since Walker went down with an ankle injury. Still, Kemba is probably the main reason (apart from their solid team defense) the Cats have been able to hang around this long anyways, as Al Jefferson has only recently turned up his game and started performing like an All-Star.
- Guard: Arron Afflalo – 20 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4 assists, 47%FG, 42% 3ptFG. The Assassin is making Kendrick Lamar proud, turning in his best season as a pro in this his seventh season.
- Frontcourt: Evan Turner – Averaging nearly 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game while shooting a career high 44% from the field, Turner has officially turned to a new page after struggling to live up to expectations during Doug Collins’ reign as head coach in Philly.
- Frontcourt: Thaddeus Young – 17 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals per game, and has added the three-point shot to his arsenal. Thad is the ultimate veteran energy/glue guy, and he is playing so well that the Sixers may be forced to trade him as soon as possible or risk a rise in the standings and potentially miss out on a top pick in the draft.
- Frontcourt: Anderson Varejao – Coming off of a season which he was forced to miss nearly the last 60 games with a blood clot in his lung, Varejao has provided the usual energy and hard-nosed intangibles that don’t produce All-Star type numbers (9 points, 10.5 rebounds per game) but help keep Cleveland in range to make a playoff push if they start to gel and play better soon.
RH:
- Backcourt – John Wall, Washington Wizards – For the reasons stated above; Wall has been the best point guard in the East this season.
- Backcourt – Aaron Afflalo, Orlando Magic – Afflalo is putting up a career-high 20.2 PPG for a struggling Magic squad looking to be headed for the lottery.
- Frontcourt – Jeff Green, Boston Celtics – Coming off a 39-point effort against Washington, Green has been inconsistent, but clutch offensively.
- Frontcourt – Greg Monroe, Detroit Pistons – The Monroe-Drummond combo has been deadly at times in Detroit, but Monroe possesses the interior skillset Drummond lacks.
- Frontcourt – Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic – Despite his recent concussion, Vucevic has played great basketball for the Magic, averaging 13.0 PPG and 11.5 RPG through his first two seasons with the franchise.
Western Conference Lottery All-Star Team
GA:
- Guard: Isaiah Thomas – 19.5 points, 6.3 assists per game, 45%FG, 40% 3ptFG. Thomas has been stellar especially since Sacramento traded Greivis Vasquez and freed him to start and play heavy minutes.
- Guard: Nick Young – Everyone likes a little flair in these games, and Swaggy P definitely brings that to the table. After spending much of his time last season in 76ers Coach Collins’ “Doug-house,” Young is second in the league this year among reserve scorers at 17 ppg, but due to a plethora of injuries Jamal Crawford (top reserve scorer) has actually started 14 of the Clippers’ 44 games.
- Frontcourt: Gordon Hayward – Hayward has raised his numbers across the board significantly, posting averages of about 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game for the Jazz, and looks set to earn a big contract when he becomes a restricted free agent this summer.
- Frontcourt: Pau Gasol – After some early season friction with Coach D’Antoni, Gasol has been playing stellar basketball for the Lakers. If they’re looking to trade him before the deadline, he has driven his stock way up
- Frontcourt: Nikola Pekovic – The Wolves may have fallen long and hard after a terrific start to the year, but Pek is having easily his best season of his career, posting 18 points and 9 rebounds a night on 53% shooting from the field, and is a great complement to Kevin Love.
RH:
- PG – Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento Kings – Despite his lack of size, Thomas has excelled in his scoring and distribution of the basketball.
- SG – Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz – Hayward has been the MVP for a Jazz team that is currently in rebuilding mode.
- SF – Nick Young, Los Angeles Lakers – Can’t have an all-star game without Swaggy P!
- PF – Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets – The Manimal is a beast on the boards and has a bright future in this league.
- C – DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings – Cousins is averaging career-highs in PPG and RPG for the struggling Kings.
Lottery Rising Stars Challenge
GA: (Picked two teams)
Team 1:
- Michael Carter-Williams – He’s missed his fair share of games this year, but at the halfway point he gets the slightest edge over Oladipo for Rookie of the Year so far.
- Trey Burke – After coming back from injury Burke has at the very least fought his way into the ROY discussion with some solid play for the Jazz.
- Victor Oladipo – An athletic freak who’s already making SportsCenter a couple times a week, Oladipo recently stated that he no longer felt like a rookie anymore halfway into the season, and is ready to turn up his performance in the second half of the year.
- Anthony Davis – the 20 year old is very worthy of an All-Star selection though it will undoubtedly be tough for him to make it in the loaded West. Davis is going to be a superstar in this league one day very soon, and if the Pelicans weren’t so injury-bug-bitten and losing Davis (leading the league in blocks per game) would likely be on his way to winning Defensive Player of the Year.
- Jared Sullinger – After slipping beyond the lottery in the 2012 draft due to health concerns, Sullinger has turned in some monster performances this season for the Celtics and appears to be the player everyone was once raving about when he played for Ohio St.
Team 2:
- Damian Lillard- Lillard will be making his All-Star debut this year after winning Rookie of the Year last season. He has the second best 3 point shooting percentage in the league behind Kyle Korver, and deserves a lot of credit for facilitating LaMarcus Aldridge’s breakout into what should have been All-Star starter.
- Bradley Beal – The sweet shooting two-guard is making 43% of his attempts from downtown for the apparently playoff-bound Washington Wizards.
- Tim Hardaway, Jr. – He’s been one of the few bright spots for the Knicks this year, scoring 8 points in under 19 minutes per game while shooting 45% from the field and 40% from three-point territory.
- John Henson – The former Tar Heel has looked much better in his sophomore season, posting over 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game while shooting 53% from the field for Milwaukee.
- Andre Drummond – After spending half of games on the bench last year, Drummond has emerged sd one of the game’s best young big men this year now that he has been given the opportunity to showcase his skills, posting 12.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game.
RH:
- Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers – As a witness of MCW’s brutalization of Miami, this man has the tools to be an elite point guard in this league.
- Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic – Oladipo is an exciting finisher at the rim and is a great defender.
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats – MKG, who is only 20 years old, already has one year under his belt and will hopefully continue to improve his game.
- John Henson, Milwaukee Bucks – The Bucks are awful this season, but Henson and rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo have Bucks fans excited about the future.
- Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons – My favorite center in the East to watch, Drummond is averaging 12+ points and rebounds a game.
Lottery three-point shooting participants
- Tim Hardaway, Jr. – Rookie for the Knicks is shooting 40% from deep and he definitely isn’t shy about getting his shots up.
- Mike Miller – Career 40% 3-point shooter is shooting 42% from downtown this year for the Grizz.
- Evan Fournier – Shooting 40% from distance for the Nuggets this season and has a quick release.
- Jodie Meeks – Shooting 40% on three’s this year, and still holds the record for most points in a Division-I game with 54 points vs. Tennessee (ten 3-pointers)
- Winner= Jodie Meeks
RH:
- Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans – One of the Pelicans’ primary offensive weapons and a great shooter.
- Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards – The Florida product, when healthy, has been a huge boost for the Wizards.
- Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers – A past winner of the three-point shooting contest.
- Richard Jefferson, Utah Jazz – Veteran who has seen his career resurge in Utah.
- WINNER – Eric Gordon – Got to go with the hometown favorite!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
