Voting for the NBA 2020 All-Star Game has opened up. We examined who should be the starters in the East on Wednesday, now let’s take a look at who deserves the starting nod in the Western Conference.
Backcourt Selections
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Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James , Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Kawhi Leonard , Los Angeles Clippers
The frontcourt in the Western Conference has a clear-cut top three, and perhaps the only way to unseat the future Kawhi Leonard-Anthony Davis- LeBron James trio is for one to miss significant time between now and when voting ends for the All-Star starters. James could miss time with his nagging groin injury over the next month, but it’s fair to wonder whether another frontcourt player has the resume to supplant James regardless of how many games he misses.
Both Karl-Anthony Towns and Paul George have also missed chunks of time with various ailments. And while Brandon Ingram should certainly earn an All-Star spot with the numbers he’s putting up this season, LeBron’s campaign to date is arguably more impressive than anything his former teammate could do between now and the end of January to close the gap.
In year 17 of our King from Akron, only four players have a higher win share than the soon-to-be 35-year-old; and if you exclude Doncic, Harden and Giannis, no player has a higher VORP. Not to mention the raw stats: 25.7 ppg, 10.6 apg, 7.6 rpg. LBJ has likely done enough already to earn a starting spot in the Western Conference regardless of how many games he misses over the next month.
