Last week the NBA announced the All-star starters for each conference. In the east, Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell were the two starters at guard, and Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Karl Anthony-Towns were the three frontcourt starters. This week the seven reserves will be announced for each All-star team. Figuring out the bench players for the east seems relatively easy compared to the western conference as these seven players are having outstanding seasons.
Of all the players that were deemed as snubs for the starting lineup, Cade Cunningham has the best case to be a starter. He is averaging career highs in all three major statistical categories with 25 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 9.4 assists a night on career-high shooting percentages from the field and from three. He is on pace to play in the most games he has played in a season he has played in 41 of the Pistons 45 games thus far.
His numbers are elite, but that is not even his best argument to be a starter. The Pistons have been one of the league’s worst teams for a long time, and they are currently the number 6 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 23-22 record at the time of this writing. That is 9 more wins than the Pistons had all of last year. Cade has finally turned the corner from former number one pick who has flashes of good play, to a bona fide number-one option on a good team. He has been nothing short of elite this year and is seemingly a lock to make the all-star team for the first time.
Despite the ongoing Jimmy Butler trade situation, and a major offensive regression from Bam Adebayo, and constant trade rumors over the off-season, Tyler Herro has taken a massive leap and has helped keep the Heat afloat as they work through their issues. He is averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, and assists with averages of 24, 5.5, and 5.2. He is also shooting a career-high 40.5% from three despite taking almost 10 attempts a game. He went from a player who operated a lot in the mid-range, to a player who almost exclusively shoots threes or shots in the paint. He has evolved into an elite go-to scorer for the Heat.
Miami is currently in 8th place in the east with a 22-22 record. The backcourt position is full of worthy candidates in the east, but Herro has been consistently great all year long and has taken as big of a leap as anyone has this season. He deserves to make the all-star team for the first time, and he should be a no-brainer selection.
Injuries to multiple frontcourt players have opened up some slots for other players to make the all-star game, but Jaylen Brown would be in regardless. He is averaging 23 points, 6 rebounds, and a career-high 4.8 assists a night. The Celtics have the third-best record in the league and Brown is a large reason why. Jayson Tatum gets all of the spotlight for the Celtics, but without Jayle Brown, Boston wouldn’t be anywhere close to as good as they are now. He has become one of the most consistent wings in the entire league and is more than deserving of an All-star selection.
Between injuries to players such as Joel Embiid, Paolo Banchero, and Franz Wagner, as well as a regression from Bam Adebayo, the door is open for a player like Evan Mobley to make his first All-star game. He is averaging a career-high 18.3 points per game to go with 9 rebounds a game, as well as anchoring the defense for the 36-9 Cavaliers. Cleveland has been great all year and they should have at least two All-stars in not more this season.
Mobley has the easiest path to make it out of the remaining Cavs players, but that isn’t a slight as he is having a very good season. It would be a stunner if his name was not announced as a reserve for the All-star game due to his success and his team’s success thus far.
Zach Lavine is listed as a shooting guard, but considering both Coby White and Josh Giddey are starters for the Bulls, Lavine is the small forward in the starting lineup. He is having arguably the second best season of his career with averages of 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on career-high shooting percentages as he is shooting 44% from three, and 51% from the floor.
After hearing he is a negative asset for multiple off-seasons, it is nice to see Lavine have a bounce-back season and get recognition for his play. He may not get in if he is only listed as a guard, but if he has forward eligibility, he should be a lock for the all-star game given the year he’s had.
Despite being listed as a wildcard, Damian Lillard feels like as lock to make the All-star game. He is averaging 25 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists a night, and he is having his best three-point shooting season since 2020-2021. After a horrid start the season, the Bucks have turned things around and are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference.
He and Giannis Antetokounmpo have fit much better together this year than they did last year and it has shown with the teams improvement, and Lillard’s statistical improvements. He had a great case to be a starter, but given the team success of Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell, he just missed out. Regardless, he should hear his name called as a reserve.
After a nighmarish season last year due to injuries and a regression, it is nice to see Darius Garland have a major bounce back this year. He is averaging just under 22 points and 7 assists a game while shooting a career-high 43% from three. With Donovan Mitchell seeing less usgae this year to stay fresh for the playoffs, Garland has had to step up and he has done so.
The Cavs are 36-9 this season and have been the best team in the east all year. Mitchell was announced as a starter and Mobley is likely to be named an All-star, but with the season Garland is having, he is deserving of a spot as well and it would be a bit of a surprise if he didn’t get a spot due to his team success and his importance to that success.
Players such as LaMelo Ball, Trae Young, and Pascal Siakam have very strong cases to be a part of this years All-star game, but the seven players listed above simply have better cases. Both Herro and Cunningham have broken out and putting up career-highs in multiple categories. Young and Ball are having good seasons, but they haven’t made massive leaps to reach the next level of their games, and their teams have worse records than Herro and Cade’s.
Ball is averaging 29 points per game, but it is on 24 shots a game on terrible efficiency, and Trae is averaging 23 point and 11.5 assists, but he too is doing so on poor efficiency. Lillard and Garland are also putting up similar numbers on better efficiency and better teams. There isn’t much of a case for Ball or Young compared to the rest of the guards out east.
The frontcourt on the other hand does have players with legitimate cases. Pascal Siakam has been the Pacers best player this year as he is averaging 20 points and 7 rebounds, and they are currently fifth place in the east. He is likely the next man up if someone were to get hurt prior to the game. Franz Wagner would have been a lock had he not suffered an injury that forced him to miss 20 games. The same goes for Paolo Banchero, but he has played just 13 games all year.
Jalen Johnson has taken a major leap for the Hawks this season, but if anyone makes it from Atlanta it would be Trae. Despite his down season offensively, Bam Adebayo is still playing elite level defense and is averaging a 15 point double-double. If Zach Lavine is not listed as a forward, it will open up a spot for a player like Siakam or Wagner, but if he is listed as a forward, he should be the favorite.
Other notable snubs are Tyrese Maxey, Tyrese Hailburton, Scottie Barnes, and Mikal Bridges.
The seven players named as reserves in this piece are more than deserving of their spot in the All-star game, and if would be a surprise if any of them didn’t hear their name called as a reserve.
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