I feel like the NBA is becoming more and more talented each year. With only 12 spots available in each conference for the NBA All-Star Game, some players and fans may feel hurt. The 2024 NBA All-Star starters have been announced, and the lineup includes both obvious picks and some controversial decisions.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James are again the leaders in fan voting for their respective conferences. Last year, James and Antetokounmpo were All-Star draft captains. That format will be scrapped this year, with the game returning to East vs. West for the first time since 2017.
The NBA determines All-Star starters with 50% fan voting, 25% player voting, and 25% media voting. Each conference will select three frontcourt players and two backcourt players as starters, with positions determined by voting. All-Star reserves will be announced on TNT on February 1st. The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will be held in Indianapolis on Sunday, February 18th.
Here are the 2024 NBA All-Star starters.of east and West The starters were announced by NBA insider Shams Charania.
NBA Eastern Conference All-Star Starter 2024
Joel Embiid, C philadelphia 76ers: Embiid is having one of the best scoring years in league history, and that's no exaggeration. Embiid is averaging 36.12 points per game, the eighth-best single-season scoring record in league history and the third-best, excluding Wilt Chamberlain's season. Embiid scores with incredible efficiency, posting a ridiculous 65.1 shooting percentage. In addition to having the best scoring season in history, Embiid is also having the best passing season in history, increasing his assist percentage by 10 points from last year. He's even better than last year when he won league MVP.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, F. milwaukee bucks: Antetokounmpo may be having his best offensive season to date this year at age 29, but it's wild to think that when you remember he's already won two MVPs and an NBA championship. is. The Bucks superstar is currently setting career highs in scoring (31.3 points per game) and field goal percentage (60.5 percent). The scariest sight in the NBA is Giannis attacking the open floor with an unparalleled combination of speed, power, and ball-handling. He's a top three player in the world along with Embiid and Nikola Jokic, so if you wanted to put him No. 1, he wouldn't get a ton of backlash here.
Jayson Tatum, F. boston celtics: Tatum is the best player on the best regular-season team in basketball. For some reason, he still doesn't turn 26 until March. Tatum's scoring is down a bit now in Boston with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis next to him, but he feels like a more complete player and has improved his game back-to-the-basket. has improved, focusing a little more energy on defense and rebounding. Tatum is a true three-level scoring threat who can finish at the rim, make mid-range pull-ups and hit threes, especially off the catch. He'll need a playoff breakout to truly cement his legacy, but there's plenty of time for that. I feel like Tatum is still getting better.
Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Indiana Pacers: No player in the NBA has improved as dramatically as Haliburton this season. The Pacers point guard has emerged as one of the league's best offensive players with a high-level blend of scoring and playmaking on an Indiana team that currently has the most efficient offering in league history. Haliburton leads the NBA in assists by a mile (12.6 per game) and is one of the league's best 3-point shooters, knocking down 40 percent of his shots from deep on 8.6 attempts per game. It's down. Players like this are just selected for All-Stars, even if they weren't playing in their home arena. Get ready for lots of alley-oops and bold full-court passes in the East, where Haliburton is in charge.
Damian Lillard, G, Milwaukee Bucks: Lillard's move to Milwaukee just before this season will ultimately be judged by his and the Bucks' performance in the playoffs, despite a shaky start that led to the firing of Adrian Griffin. , there is still plenty of reason to be optimistic.Lillard Remains one of the league's great clutch scorersAnd there aren't many players alive who can match his combination of rim pressure and high-volume pull-up 3-point shooting. Expect Doc Rivers to run two-man games with Dame and Giannis more often and with more variety. The pairing that started during last year's All-Star Draft has come full circle.
NBA Western Conference All-Star Starter 2024
Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets: Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to their first championship in franchise history last season, establishing himself as a front-runner for the mythical title of the world's best player in the process. Jokic's combination of skills is unlike anything we've seen before. He's the league's best post scorer, best passer, and best defensive rebounder. He put together another great season by anyone's standards this year, but for the first time in years he feels like he's not a top two or three candidate for MVP. At this point, Jokic is only playing for championships. We may not really see his best level until the playoffs.
LeBron James, F. Los Angeles Lakers: James is 39 years old and may no longer be the best player in the world, but he can still turn back the clock and perform like a true Tier 1 superstar on any given night. LeBron's performance in his 21st year is almost incomprehensible. He is having the second-best 3-point shooting season of his career while scoring nearly 25 points per game on 61.2 percent shooting. For James to earn the starting spot this year feels like a lifetime achievement award. That's because he wasn't one of the three best frontcourt players in the West voting this season. But if there's any doubt, it's LeBron. . I'm happy to still be able to watch him play at such a high level.
Kevin Durant, F. phoenix suns: Even at age 35, Durant remains one of the greatest scorers alive. KD is averaging 29 points per game and is shooting 45.5 percent from 3-point range, a career high. Durant helped keep the Suns afloat when Devin Booker was out with an injury, and since both Booker and Bradley Beal returned to the lineup, the trio has become one of the NBA's most unstoppable offenses. is formed. Booker may be the engine, but Durant is the player who will take Phoenix to the next level and give them a puncher's chance in a series against any team in the league. Even after all these years, he is still an unstoppable scorer.
Luka Doncic, G. dallas mavericks: Luka Doncic is a one-man offensive machine. Just shy of his 25th birthday, Doncic has already proven to be a killer in the playoffs and a wizard with the ball in his hands. He's too strong, too smart, too skilled for a single defender to stop him. Doncic's improvement as a 3-point shooter this year (he's shooting 37.3 percent from 3-point range on a career-high 10.4 attempts per game) creates a no-win scenario for opposing defenses. was created. He is also a liability towards the rim who can get off a step-back three at any time and can throw passes to open shooters or rollers at any time. Doncic has been one of the best players in the game since early in his career, and he's not done adding pieces to his game yet.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G, Oklahoma City Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an amazing performance last season, earning him a first-team All-NBA selection. What he has accomplished this year is even more impressive. SGA lifted the Thunder from the play-ins to the top of the Western Conference standings. He is the driving force behind the team, a score-scoring assassin at his best, and too cunning and bold for an individual defender. SGA doesn't shoot or make many threes, but he toyed with defenders with his crazy tight handles, perfect footwork, and belief that he'll make it no matter what he tries. His 64.7 true shooting average is monumental for a player with a usage rate over 30 percent. He has also had success defensively, leading the league in stolen bases. Embiid may be destined to win MVP, but Gilgeous-Alexander also has a pretty good case. The more the Thunder keep winning, the better they get.
