All Star ‘Weak’end

Another year, another disappointing all star roster: it seems like the league couldn’t decide whether to actually choose the bestplayers or base it completely off name value. 

In a season anything but successful for Damian Lillard (24 ppg – lowest since 2014-15), he still found himself slithering into the starting lineup ahead of multiple backcourt MVP candidates. The same can be said for Lebron James out west, making it over his LA counterparts Paul George and Kawhi Lenoard despite “leading” his team to only the 9th seed. The NBA was picking and choosing when to consider team success in their choices, benching Steph Curry for the first time in 10 seasons after being the only player on his team remotely living up to his expectations.

Luckily, the ASG reputation was somewhat redeemed after being bailed out by injuries that slotted deserving players into reserve spots. After both Julius Randle and Joel Embiid went down after lineups were announced, Scottie Barnes and Trae Young took their place. 

Midway through his 3rd season, Barnes is seeing career highs in points, assists, rebounds, fg %, 3pt %, steals, and blocks as the Raptors #1 option. And Young, consistently putting up 27 and 10 seasons, can never seem to get recognized at the break (unless there’s no other options, apparently).

And when it comes to the Dunk Contest, the rosters are even less put together. When people think of the contest, legendary battles featuring Julius Erving, Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, and Vince Carter – an illustrious showcase of the leaping ability of some of the best players in the world – come to mind. The NBA would try to encapsulate this magic every season, right? Not really.

For an association hungry for and dependent on viewership counts, they seem to make little effort to headline its events with players that fans actually want to watch. And even though this years’ dunk contest lineup of Jaylen Brown, Jaime Jacquez Jr, Mac Mcclung, and Obi Toppin’s brother is trending in the right direction, it can be a lot more enticing.

New Arrivals in the West

For the first time since the Warriors dynasty rose in the early 2010’s, the Western Conference is led by new blood – The Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Minnesota faced scrutiny after packaging almost half their team for Rudy Gobert last offseason, but their new lineup is paying off. Anthony Edwards has jolted himself into the elite tier of shooting guards, averaging career highs in ppg and apg and earning his 2nd all star appearance. The Timberwolves former franchise player Karl Anthony Towns is again the best shooting big man in the league, allowing them to find success even with Gobert being an offensive liability outside the paint. Their 2nd unit headlined by spark plug Naz Reid and sharpshooting wing Nickeil Alexander Walker is also a key part in the team’s newfound success, as they rank top 10 in bench net rating.

While Minnesota sits atop the west with their combination of young stars and veterans, the Thunder have fully leaned into their young core – and they’re not far behind. 6 ‘5 guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ability to find his spots inside the arc has made him one of the most versatile scoring threats the league has to offer, and he has 30+ points per game to show for it. Besides SGA, 2nd year stars Chet Holmgren (technically) and Jalen Williams have put this team over the edge, with Williams rising to a 20 ppg 3 level scorer and Chet as an underrated DPOY candidate.

Cleveland’s Win Streak

After losing both Evan Mobley and Darius Garland for 4+ weeks, the Cleveland Cavaliers were written off as contenders. But the losses of two of their best players seemed to ignite a fire under the organization, as they became the best team in the league in the new year with a record of 18-3. On the back of Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs have surged into the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference – slowly proving that they can still see success without Lebron James.

Revival in the Garden

For years, New York Knicks fans have suffered under a slew of underperforming players and incompetent coaching and front office moves. But this year, hope surges through the basketball mecca as they pave their path to title contention. 

After the Mavericks fell flat in the playoffs in 2022, Jalen Brunson jumped ship to the big apple and never looked back. He seemed to learn a lot under Luka Doncic as a Mav, with his slow and methodical playstyle cutting up opposing defenses and bolstering him to an MVP candidate. The Knicks front office finally went all in at the trade deadline, acquiring a premier 3 & D threat in OG Anunoby and 40% 3pt shooting specialists Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic. With one of the deepest teams in the league, the Knicks are striving to restore the glory in Madison Square Garden