The true and deserving 2024-25 All-Stars
Starters, reserves, and snubs for the Eastern and Western Conferences
It’s time for All-Star Selections! These are not predictive; they are, in objective fact my opinion, the most deserving All-Stars for the first half of the season.
2024-25 has been a weird year. The Western Conference guards and Eastern Conference frontcourt players, in particular, have been a little lackluster compared to years past, and so many players have missed time with injuries.
(A quick note on that front: I don’t value games or minutes played particularly highly for All-Star selections. If you’ve played 70% of your team’s games, I’m letting you in. That’s a lower proportion than the 65 required from a full season of play for All-NBA and All-Defensive teams (79%), but if we’re only judging on half the season, one bad ankle sprain could knock you out of contention. That seems unfair, so I’m erring on the side of leniency.)
That said, plenty of players deserve praise! As always, hard decisions had to be made; I lost sleep mulling over numbers and film. After all, imagine the consequences if I make the wrong selection on my imaginary ballot!
I followed the real format of two backcourt and three frontcourt starters, the same positional limits for reserves, and two wild-card selections. I also mentioned who my first injury replacement would be (there’s always an injury replacement or two by the time the All-Star game rolls around).
We find out the actual starters tomorrow and the reserves next week. In a just world, they’ll look something like this:
Eastern Conference All-Star Starters
BC: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
BC: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
FC: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
FC: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
FC: Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
Let’s not waste time with the obvious guys. Giannis might end the year as the league’s first unanimous third-place MVP finisher (I have no idea if that stat is true). Jayson Tatum will catch plenty of stray MVP votes himself. Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson have been fantastic offensive engines for the second-ranked attack of the New York Knicks individually and nearly unstoppable jointly. Those four should be locks as starters.
The second Eastern starting backcourt spot is trickier. Donovan Mitchell is the tentpole offensive piece for the dominant Cleveland Cavaliers, the guy whom every opponent schemes against. I’ve heard reasonable-ish people claim he’s become the Cavs’ third-best player, behind Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. I strongly disagree, and the raw counting stats (23/5/5 with rounding while shooting 45% from the field and 40% from three) are close enough to his peers that solid defense and sheer winning tip the scales in his favor.
Eastern Conference All-Star Reserves
BC: Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks
BC: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
FC: Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
FC: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
FC: Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
WC: Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
WC: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
First Injury Replacement: Derrick White, Boston Celtics
Damian Lillard is averaging 25/7/4 while shooting 39% from deep; he’s been nearly everything the Bucks could have hoped for offensively, although the defensive struggles remain. He’s a lock on here and in real life.
It’s a similar story with Young. You feel him more this year even as he struggles to put the ball in the basket, probably because Atlanta is an eyebrow-raising 6-2 against Boston, New York, and Cleveland. Averaging nearly 12 assists per game will do that, too, I suppose.
Evan Mobley is another easy selection, and he might get more than a few starter votes over KAT. After a year spent enduring the quiet agony of small improvements, Mobley has evolved in louder ways: his three-point shooting is nearly a weapon now (or at least an off-speed pitch), and his discovery of the shoulder as battering ram has elevated his finishing. Even when he misses, he clears enough space for an easy follow-up:
Mobley’s defense is notoriously elite, and I probably was remiss not to consider him more for Interior Defender of the Quarter, non-Wemby edition.
To make room for all the guards, I’m sneaking Cade Cunningham in here as a frontcourt player (the Pistons are comfortable putting him as a forward defensively when the matchups make sense). His significant flaws remain, but the load he’s had to carry on a Detroit team still lacking much surrounding talent is even more impressive when you consider they’re winning games. I thought the Pistons were still a year away, but so far, at least, I’ve been proven wrong. They’re making a legitimate charge for not just the play-in but a top-six seed! Cunningham has to be on here somewhere.
Jalen Johnson continually pulls new skills out of his top hat like a magician. His 19/10/5/1/1 stat line is utterly unique in the NBA this season, and although the shooting has fallen off of late, he’s still a two-way force to be reckoned with. I’m not sure his candidacy is receiving the attention it deserves. He’s a legitimately nasty passer, a Dyson v15 on the boards, and a dangerous ballhandler and defender.
I went long on Herro a few weeks ago. The short version: he’s scoring with efficiency, rebounding, and playmaking while carrying a surprisingly effective Heat offense that almost literally can’t score when he’s not on the court. I’m not sure he makes it in real life, but he’s an easy choice on merit.
That brings us to the final wild card slot. What do we do with LaMelo Ball? (He seems likely to start in real life, so this is all a relatively moot discussion.) Ball is the fourth-leading scorer in the NBA while taking the most shot attempts by a mile. If you look up “efficiency” in the dictionary, you will find no photos of Ball.
But while he takes at least two blood-curling yucks per game, there is more than a hint of a man seeking his boundaries. Too much flavor for a La Croix. Do we honestly think that if Ball were in his most optimized form, it would make the Hornets significantly better? That team is horrific, and we can’t totally pin it on him. People love to call Ball “unserious,” as if this game of grown men putting a sphere through a metal ring is some life-or-death affair. Is there not room for some fun in the All-Star game?
To be clear, this isn’t purely about my lizard brain reacting to highlights. The scoring is real, and despite his field goal percentages, his points per shot attempt number is right around the median (he’s getting to the line a surprising amount and posting a career-high two-point percentage). He’s applying some actual rim pressure despite a lack of space around him, something I once wondered if he would ever be able to do. Like Herro, the offense is still above average when he’s on the court and non-existent without him. I wish he passed more, but the passing itself has ascended to a higher plane of existence:
(Shout out to Jarace Walker and Tyrese Haliburton from the Pacers for similar passes in the last few seasons.)
Certainly, there aren’t many players who resonate with the younger generation more than Ball, as the fan vote shows. Rather than bemoan his lack of seriositude, I’d rather put a guy the kids (and plenty of adults) want to see on a stage he’s destined to shine on. I understand some of you will wrinkle your nose at this, and that’s fine. If I were someone working for a team with my own embossed business card printed on fancy card stock, I wouldn’t be tripping over my wingtips to sign him to a long-term deal. He’ll require some rehabilitation to be a winning offensive engine. But I’m a fan of basketball, and for the All-Star game in particular, I’m a fan of fun basketball. Ball nabs the final spot here.
If his 28 games played aren’t enough for you (72% of the Hornets total, for the record), or the idea of choosing Ball leaves a bad taste in your mouth, I do understand. May I suggest a fine White wine instead?
Derrick White was my toughest cut (and would be my first injury-replacement choice when one of the top 12 inevitably has to miss the game). Choosing White over Jaylen Brown (among others) might surprise, particularly given that White’s shooting has retreated to a more pedestrian 37% from long range (on ginormous volume, it must be noted). His on-ball defense has slipped a bit, too. Like nearly all the non-Tatum Celtics, something seems a little subdued about White’s play this year. But he’s still one of the top help defenders in the NBA, advanced stats love him (particularly in contrast to Brown), and even with his slump, he’s a feared high-volume shooter with plenty of playmaking skills to boot. White might be the best role player in the league. Sadly, I don’t believe he’ll make the team over his teammate or anyone else.
Brown is a prisoner of expectations. If you’ve watched the Celtics closely this season, you’ll know his worst off-ball defensive habits have returned, and his shot has largely abandoned him. I’d bet he still ends up making the team (coaches reward playoff success and scoring), but he wasn’t all that close on my final ballot, particularly given the horrific slump he’s been in since the new year. However, I’ll give a nod to his improved passing, which has impressed in large spurts.
Apologies to Darius Garland. I’ve loved DG since his (far too brief) days at my alma mater, and advanced numbers like EPM adore him. I’d be ecstatic in real life if coaches chose him as a reserve, and given the Cavaliers’ remarkable success so far, it’s a distinct possibility. But he has it easier than a lot of his competition, and he doesn’t have to carry nearly as heavy a load as players like Young and Herro.
Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton (sneakily bouncing back after a horrendous start to the year) both deserve consideration; I’m half-hoping Siakam lucks into an injury replacement spot, as his surprisingly efficient offense and reliable team defense steadied the Pacers until Haliburton found his footing (and Andrew Nembhard returned from injury!).
I forgot to include my Zach LaVine notes when I originally posted this (sorry, Bulls fans!), but despite sterling surface numbers, advanced numbers still don’t like him much — he compares unfavorably to even Ball and Herro. Offensively, at least, he has more talent to work with and take the pressure off around him than those two. Perhaps I’m letting previous seasons’ biases carry over, as he makes a somewhat convincing statistical argument. I may be deep-diving LaVine soon, whether he’s traded or not.
Maxey is putting up big numbers for the 76ers, but inefficiency and the team’s disappointing start likely sink his case — at least, they do for me.
Did Bam Adebayo deserve a spot? The heart says yes. He was miscast on both ends to start the year. Adebayo was stationed in the corner too often as the Heat worked out the kinks in their new offensive system, and defensively, he rarely switches anymore, stuck patrolling the paint to make up for the Heat’s perimeter defensive shortcomings. He is an All-Star player in ability, but he’s only been able to show that in flashes. As with Brown, I think Adebayo is better than several of the players I chose, but this isn’t an honor that goes to the players who should be the best. The brain, sadly, says no. (Although — it’s only been a few games, but keep an eye on how the Heat are using him next to Kel’el Ware. He’s had some defensive moments looking like his old self when he’s allowed to play more of a roamer role:
That video interrupted a parenthetical thought; I’m unsure where to put this ending parenthesis? I guess here. These are the things that make me a slow writer.)
Quick shout-out to Franz Wagner, who definitely would’ve made the team if not for injury. But while Wagner has only played three fewer games than Ball, the Magic have played six more than the Hornets; therefore, Wagner has only appeared in 56% of his team’s games — nowhere near enough. Seems unfair!