Written by Josh Cornelissen at The Lottery Mafia
While All-Stars often come from the more successful teams, every year a few players from teams outside of the playoffs find their way onto the squad. Who is likely to get the nod, and who is most deserving?
The 2016 NBA All-Star Game will be held this year in Toronto, and the first batch of votes are up on NBA.com. Some surprising names grace that list, as well as some newcomers.
Absolute Lock
Kobe Bryant – Out of all of the players on this list, Kobe is least deserving of an All-Star berth based on this season’s on-court play. But the All-Star Game is for the fans, and the current system allows fans to vote the starters in. That means Kobe, who has an NBA-leading 719,000+ votes at the first return of voting numbers, will be in Toronto come February. One last dance for the Black Mamba.
Near Locks
Anthony Davis – The reality that Davis is not in the above category seems astounding, as he was a popular MVP pick before the season and has two All-Star appearances in his first three seasons. His statistical totals of 23-11 with almost three blocks seem worthy as well. But his team is playing well below expectations, with injuries and defensive issues leaving the Pelicans at 11-22, 14th in the West. The voters have responded to this, dropping “the Brow” to sixth among West forwards, behind deserving players Blake Griffin, Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant, all of whom are surely All-Star locks (Kobe, playing as a small forward this year, is first). The success of Davis’ team is hurting him, but even so he should be added to the roster by the coaches after starters are announced.
John Wall – Wall suffers from a similar effect as Davis – a former All-Star getting docked for his team’s failure to meet expectations. The former Kentucky Wildcat is second in the league in assists with 9.9, third among East point guards in scoring, and second in steals. But the Wizards have had to claw their way back towards .500 after a porous start. If Washington can get back into the playoff picture in the East, Wall will easily be assigned to the squad.
Andre Drummond – A double-double machine, Andre Drummond leads the league in rebounds by an astounding number; 16.1 is almost three more than the next player (DeAndre Jordan) and would be the most by a player since 1995 (Dennis Rodman)! The only reason Drummond could get left off the roster is a glut of prominent forwards in the East on good teams. If Detroit (ninth in the East) stays outside of the player picture and Carmelo Anthony catches Drummond as a starter, former All-Stars in Pau Gasol, Kevin Love, and Chris Bosh could join LeBron James and Paul George in Toronto. While that’s possible, it’s very unlikely; so we should see Drummond make his first All Star appearance.
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