2023 NBA All-Star Game Roster Predictions
The 2023 NBA All-Star Game is set to take place in Salt Lake City, Utah on February 19, but on Thursday night, the NBA will reveal the two captains and the starters for this year’s All-Star Game live on TNT ahead of their broadcast of the New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics.
Across the league this year, there is so much talent and it is really hard to pick a list of just 12 players from each conference to be All-Stars this season because if we are being honest, there are at least 30 players in total that are deserving to be called an All-Star with the way they have performed for their respective teams.
Obviously stars like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic will highlight the pool of players starter in this year’s All-Star Game, but who could fill the other spots and who will get some of the final reserve/wild card spots in both the Eastern and Western Conference?
Maybe you will agree or disagree with some of the following picks, but here is my ballot for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game:
EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
Starters:
G Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets)
G Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)
F Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
F Giannis Antetokounmpo (Captain, Milwaukee Bucks)
C Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
Let’s just start with the captain in the Eastern Conference because in the final fan vote, Giannis Antetokounmpo had passed Kevin Durant for the conference lead in votes and with Durant currently being injured, it seems likely that Giannis will be the captain representing the Eastern Conference.
Currently averaging a career-best in points (31.0 PPG) and rebounds (12.0 RPG), Antetokounmpo is putting together a resume to possibly win his third MVP award and he has the Milwaukee Bucks within striking distance of the 1-seed in the East heading into the second half of the season.
It seems very likely that Antetokounmpo will be a captain, but in the event that he is not, Giannis will still be starting in this year’s All-Star Game.
As for the other names in frontcourt for the East, Durant is certainly a possibility to start, but I am going with Jayson Tatum from the Boston Celtics given that they are the top team in the entire league and Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid.
Tatum is amongst the league leaders in scoring, plus he is the leader of the best team in the league as mentioned before, and Embiid ranks right behind Luka Doncic for the league-lead in scoring.
In the backcourt is where things get interesting, because while Donovan Mitchell seems like a lock to be a starter given his impact on the Cleveland Cavaliers this season, there are some who will not want Kyrie Irving to start in the All-Star Game.
To me, Irving’s impact has been immeasurable for the Nets this year and while Kevin Durant is certainly the best player on the Brooklyn Nets' roster, they would not be a top team in this league without Irving, as he is averaging 26.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.
Reserves: G Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks), G James Harden (Philadelphia 76ers), F Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets), F Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors), F Julius Randle (New York Knicks), G Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), G/F Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
There are so many All-Star-like players that are deserving of recognition in the East this season, but above are my picks for the seven reserve spots available.
Kevin Durant occupying one of these spots is a given if he is not named a starter, but the rest are really up for discussion. Trae Young and James Harden are both All-Stars in my mind given that they rank third and first, respectively in assists per game.
Looking at the frontcourt reserves, I have Pascal Siakam and Julius Randle alongside Kevin Durant for a couple of reasons.
Yes, the Toronto Raptors have struggled this season, but Siakam has had a career-year and has proven to be one of the best all-around talents at the power forward/center position in this league. As for Julius Randle, the New York Knicks are looking like a playoff team because of him, as he has recorded at least 10 rebounds in 30 of the 49 games he has played in this season.
What does it for me in regards to Randle being an All-Star is the fact that he is averaging 26.3 points and 14.5 rebounds per game in the month of January and he has recorded a double-double in 20 of the last 22 games he has played in.
For the final two reserve spots, giving one to Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is a no-brainer in my mind, especially given that he is amongst the league leaders in assists like Young and Harden, and Jaylen Brown is one of the most underappreciated players in the league.
Averaging 26.9 points per game this season while shooting 49.2 percent from the floor, Brown is oftentimes looked at as the “Robin” to Jayson Tatum’s “Batman,” but the point is that Boston would not be the top team in the league without either of them.
They are the best scoring duo in this league and it is just hard to fathom the thought of the NBA not having the two best players from the best team in the league be present at the All-Star Game.
Just Missed The Cut: F Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat), G Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), F Kyle Kuzma (Washington Wizards), G/F DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls), C Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), G Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks)
WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
Starters:
G Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
G Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
F LeBron James (Captain, Los Angeles Lakers)
F/C Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings)
C Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
LeBron James has been the leading vote-getter in the NBA for this year’s All-Star Game since voting began and for the sixth consecutive year, he will be a captain for the All-Star Game.
At 38-years-old, James continues to amaze us and very soon, he will pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the top spot on the league’s all-time scoring list, a spot that many thought Kareem would hold forever! What is even crazier is that LeBron will be making his 19th All-Star Game appearance, tying Kareem for the most All-Star appearances all-time.
Joining LeBron in the frontcourt will undoubtedly be Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, the favorite to win this year’s MVP award past the halfway point in the season, and while some may look at other options, I am giving all of my roses to Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings here.
Say what you want about the Western Conference, but to see the Kings in the 3-spot right now makes me want to cry because of how happy I am for this franchise. It has been quite some time since this fan base had something to cheer about and now, they have a head coach that has revitalized the energy within this organization, a GM and president of basketball operations that actually cares and best of all, this franchise has a beam that they light after every win.
Anytime we can celebrate the Kings we need to take it and given that he leads the league in double-doubles, it would be really hard to come up with an argument as to why Sabonis should not be starting in the All-Star Game.
In the backcourt, Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry are my picks as starters because they are Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry, two of the greatest players not just of this generation, but in league history.
There really is not much to explain about this group of five players and if you did need some explanation, I simply advise you to watch the NBA more.
Reserves: G Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), F Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans), F Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz), F/C Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), G Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), G De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)
Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Zion Williamson and Lauri Markkanen are all locks for the All-Star Game this season in my mind, as all four of these young talents have been having career-years.
Having the Memphis Grizzlies near the top of the Western Conference standings, Morant continues to grow into one of the faces of the league and while the Oklahoma City Thunder are outside the Play-In Tournament picture right now, Gilgeous-Alexander ranks fifth in the league in scoring, second in 30-point games and tied for second in 25-point games.
Williamson has only played in 29 games, but the New Orleans Pelicans have gone 17-12 with him on the floor and Zion has averaged 26.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 60.8 percent from the floor, making him one of the most efficient scorers in the entire league.
For Markkanen, the All-Star Game is being hosted by the Utah Jazz this season, the NBA always likes to have one player from the host team in the All-Star Game and the 25-year-old has been sensational, averaging 24.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor, 43.0 percent from three-point range and 87.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Nearly having a 50-40-90 season and possibly leading the Jazz to the playoffs this year after many thought they would finish near the bottom of the league standings, Markkanen will not only be a first-time All-Star, but he will win this year’s Most Improved Player award.
Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard and De’Aaron Fox are the three question marks for me all for different reasons.
Lillard has turned things on as of late, averaging 34.2 points per game in January and scoring at least 50 points twice this month, one of which was a 60-point game, but the Portland Trail Blazers have struggled.
Davis has only played in 26 games for a struggling Los Angeles Lakers team, but his 27.2 points and 12.1 rebounds per game averages are hard to ignore, as is the dominant stretch he had prior to his foot injury in December.
For Fox, he is not a common name being brought up in All-Star discussions and there are other star players who will steal votes from him given their namesakes, but the Kings own the third-best record in the West and De’Aaron Fox is their leading scorer.
To me, team record and missed time definitely factors into whether or not a player should be an All-Star, but Lillard, Davis and Fox have all gone above and beyond this year, which is why they get the final three spots here in my mind.
Just Missed The Cut: G/F Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers), F Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), G CJ McCollum (New Orleans Pelicans), G Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), F Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), G/F Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)
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