NBA All-Star Predictions

Tim Forde, Staff Writer

Due to a massive shift in the NBA’s landscape, this year’s All-Star game is expected to look quite different. This is especially true for the Eastern Conference where a surplus of past All-Stars have moved out West over the last few seasons and a new generation of players are now stepping up and are trying to prove themselves amongst the league’s best talent.

Eastern Conference Starters:

1. Kemba Walker (Bos)
2. Bradley Beal (Was)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Mil)
4. Pascal Siakam (Tor)
5. Joel Embiid (Phi)

None of these should come as a surprise to any basketball fan, as these players are all having a phenomenal season, worthy of being an All-Star Starter. The only controversial prediction here would be Beal, who is having a career season with leagues third most efficient offense. The only problem with playing with such an emphasis on offense, is that your team might forget how to defend and you lose games, which is something the Wizards have become very good at.

Western Conference Starters:

1. Luka Doncic (Dal)
2. James Harden (Hou)
3. Kawhi Leonard (Lac)
4. LeBron James (Lal)
5. Anthony Davis (Lal)

These predictions are difficult to argue, as these five players are the best of the best.

The real controversy will come with the deciding of the All Star Reserves for both conferences. There are multiple factors that play a role in what decides if a player is worthy of an All-Star selection. These factors include the impact that they have on their team and how that translates to their teams record, as well as their individual statistics, and how healthy they have remained throughout the season (so far). Therefore, there are a few players in both conferences that are more than deserving of participating in the game, as they are more than likely returning All-Stars. But with only 12 players per conference being selected, it means that there are a lot of guys that are in the conversation to become All-Star that do not make the cut.