What the NBA All-Star rosters should look like

Western Conference Reserves

Chris Paul, PG Los Angeles Clippers – The decline of Chris Paul is greatly exaggerated. The now 30-year-old point guard enjoyed an incredible season a year ago, playing in all 82 games while leading the Clippers to an impressive record, but a “dip” from Paul still allows him to be an elite player. He ranks among the top 10 of the league in PER while averaging 18.0 points and 9.6 assists per game, and efficiency on both ends is wildly impressive. Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook have now certainly surpassed Paul in any “best point guard in the NBA” talk, but he remains a solid number three in my eyes, and Paul is playing at an unquestioned All-Star level.

James Harden, SG Houston Rockets – If not for last year’s performance in a near-MVP win, Harden would be receiving more attention for his 2015-2016 effort. His raw numbers are incredible at 28.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, and in a vacuum, a 24+ PER looks quite good as well. However, Harden is knocked down a peg according to his lack of defensive intensity and, well, the disaster that has been the Rockets (21-19 record) this season. It remains to be seen if the player from the 2014-2015 campaign will ever return in full, but even if he doesn’t, James Harden is an All-Star lock at his current production level.

Klay Thompson, SG Golden State Warriors – The “final” backcourt spot in the West came down to a battle between Thompson and Portland PG Damian Lillard, but Thompson’s recent play has been spectacular and that, in conjunction with Golden State’s ridiculous performance, pushed him over the top. Thompson averaged just 16.9 points per game in November, but since that time, he has averaged more than 25 points per game, and as it sits now, he is averaging 20.9 points per game with obscene shooting splits of 47/44/81. Thompson is “only” the third-best player on his own team, but when that team is 36-3, that doesn’t seem like an insult.

Blake Griffin, PF Los Angeles Clippers – There has been some debate concerning Griffin’s inclusion, but I don’t really understand it. Yes, Griffin is currently out of the lineup with an injury, but if the season ended today (one of the great phrases in sporting culture), he would have participated in 30 of his team’s 39 games, and that is plenty. Griffin ranks among the top 10 players in the West in PER (23.68) while averaging 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and a wildly impressive 5.0 assists per game, and most would agree that he has taken over the mantle as the best player on the Clippers roster. That, of course, isn’t a shot at Chris Paul, but Griffin’s ceiling is undeniably higher right now given the age of both players, and as we saw in the 2015 NBA Playoffs, Griffin is capable of big things.

Dirk Nowitzki, PF Dallas Mavericks – Frankly, I have no idea how the Dallas Mavericks are doing it. The Mavs sit with a 22-18 record on the year, and while much of the credit goes to Rick Carlisle, Dirk’s rejuvenation has been a lot of fun to witness. The now 37-year-old Nowitzki is averaging 17.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 30.9 minutes, and he has been incredibly efficient in doing so, compiling 46/40/89 shooting splits to go along with a sparkling 20.41 PER. It is fair to point out that Nowitzki’s defense isn’t exactly stellar, but in the absence of other overly qualified candidates, he has been tremendous and has earned yet another nod in this space.

Anthony Davis, PF/C New Orleans Pelicans – It’s not your fault, Anthony Davis. There is no question that the now 22-year-old big man hasn’t been quite as dominant as he was during his breakout 2014-2015 campaign, and that is reflected in his numbers. Still, the hate has gone a bit too far based on the wild struggles (12-26 record) of his team this season, and Davis is still posting per-game averages of 22.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks this season. It would be nice to see his efficiency return to the jarring levels of a year ago (when he posted a PER of 30.89 over the full season), but in this space, we are concerned with handing out All-Star selections, and Davis is an obvious choice.

DeMarcus Cousins, C Sacramento Kings – The Kings stink (again), but Boogie is so good. Admittedly, it has been a small step back from the 2014-2015 season for Cousins, but his per-game averages (25.8 points, 10.8 rebounds) are certainly elite. Defensive issues have always plagued Cousins since his arrival in Sacramento, but he is at least passable on that end most of the time, and Cousins is borderline unguardable against most opponents. He isn’t as close to the starting lineup as his talent suggests he should be, but Boogie Cousins is an All-Star without question.

Next: East Starters