The 2024-25 NBA All-Star starters have been introduced on Thursday, they usually have been predictable alternatives with Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant — the oldest of the previous guard — all getting the nod within the Western Convention. 

The East was a better name, aside from the LaMelo Ball dilemma. The general voting pool bought it proper by rewarding Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell with the beginning backcourt spots whereas leaving Ball, who earned essentially the most fan votes amongst East guards, to struggle for a reserve spot. Listed below are the complete beginning lineups, as decided by 50% fan votes and 25% every from media and present gamers:

Earlier than we go any additional, let’s do not forget that these “starter” designations are of no sensible goal given the change to the All-Star format this yr, which can break the 24 All-Stars into three groups of eight (the winner of the Rising Stars sport with be the fourth workforce) for a bracketed event or kinds. 

This looks as if a dumb concept, however the NBA is determined to churn up any form of aggressive juice among the many gamers to at the least make the All-Star sport(s) watchable. We’ll see if it really works. However that is one other story. What we’re speaking about is the naming of those starters as a matter of recognizing the ten gamers — with the two-guard/three-frontcourt caveat, after all — who’re having one of the best seasons. 

By means of that lens, the voters missed on a pair high-profile marks by naming Curry, James and Durant as starters over Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama, each of whom deserved the starter distinction. As famous, two guards should be named in every convention, in order that makes the primary one in every of these debates form of straightforward: 

Edwards must be in over Curry

Sure, I perceive the sport is in San Francisco so all of us get the idea and, to a sure diploma, validity of a lifetime-achievement nod. It isn’t like Curry is not having a superb season, both. He’s. He is averaging 22 factors per sport on 40% 3-point capturing with no single different reputable risk to occupy the protection’s consideration. 

It qualifies as borderline felony that the Warriors are leaning on Curry this closely at this stage of his profession, all to be a Play-In workforce at greatest, somewhat than pulling the set off on a commerce to get him the assistance he actually continues to be able to placing to good use. 

Nonetheless, Edwards is having a greater season. For starters, Edwards is scoring considerably extra (26.2 PPG to 22.6). Second, Edwards leads the league with 184 made 3-pointers getting into play on Thursday, with Curry greater than 30 behind at 151; they’re nearly equivalent on a per-game foundation, and Edwards is definitely making them at a considerably greater clip (42.5% to 40.7%). 

That is to say nothing of the defensive hole between Curry and Edwards, who clearly carries extra two-way weight. All of the superior metrics favor Curry, who, once more, is having one other nice season even when the whole counting stats do not actually bounce out. However Edwards is hindered by lots of the identical restraints Curry faces with the Warriors, who even have higher spacing than the Wolves. Edwards has been compelled to bomb away from 3 alongside the ill-fitting Julius Randle, whom defenses do not respect past the arc. 

And but, he is cashing them — once more — at a charge greater than Curry. The Wolves have a greater file than the Warriors, and Edwards has but to overlook a single sport, having suited up 9 extra instances than Curry as of Thursday. All of it provides as much as Edwards. 

It was a tricky climb for Edwards, who was fifth in fan voting, to overhaul Curry, who was second to Gilgeous-Alexander amongst West guards within the fan vote, which accounts for 50% of the starter equation. That stated, the media and gamers voted Curry above Edwards, too, they usually bought that mistaken. 

Edwards was third in each, in order that they did not miss the mark by a lot. However they missed it nonetheless. The followers are actually responsible right here, as they made the hole Edwards wanted to clear too massive, however he deserved the participant and media vote as at the least a nod to the truth that he is having a greater season than Curry. 

Wemby was additionally snubbed

Nikola Jokic was a lock for one of many West’s three frontcourt spots, which left 4 viable candidates for the final two slots: LeBron, Anthony Davis, Durant and Wembanyama. As famous, LeBron and Durant have been the 2 chosen. They’re each having excellent seasons, however inferior to Wembanyama, who has the Spurs 12 wins forward of final yr’s tempo — the league’s second-best year-to-year bounce behind Detroit. 

LeBron, at 40 years previous, was one in every of simply two gamers averaging at the least 23 factors, 9 assists and 7 rebounds getting into play on Thursday, with the opposite being Jokic, so let’s not go overboard in downplaying his worthiness. 

The identical goes for Durant, who’s averaging north of 27 factors, six rebounds and 4 assists on sometimes elite effectivity. However the slight offensive edge Durant, or LeBron for that matter, holds over Wembanyama shouldn’t be practically vital sufficient to cowl for Wembanyama’s large defensive edge. 

On observe to turn out to be the tenth participant in historical past to dam 4 pictures per sport, and simply the fifth to take action whereas additionally averaging at the least 20 factors and 10 rebounds, Wembanyama is the runaway DPOY favourite as he has already established himself because the league’s most impactful defensive participant by an considerable margin. 

Additionally of word, Wembanyama has performed extra video games than Durant (a comparatively negligible 35 to 33, however nonetheless) and is placing up related numbers on virtually three fewer minutes an evening. Per 36 minutes, Wembanyama logs virtually equivalent factors and assists to Durant whereas far clearing him in rebounds, and can also be scoring and rebounding a higher clip than LeBron. 

So whose place ought to Wemby have taken? I’d say Durant, solely as a result of Phoenix has been essentially the most disappointing workforce among the many three concerned and since James is making his twentieth consecutive All-Star begin; there is not any must go breaking that streak when he is nonetheless taking part in at such a excessive degree. Additionally, the followers voted LeBron forward of Durant, so Wemby had a greater shot of overtaking Durant. 

As for who’s responsible for Wemby’s snub, it was firstly the followers, who voted LeBron second and Durant third. That put Wembanyama behind the eight ball, and the gamers sealed his destiny by voting LeBron and Durant right into a second-place tie, making Wemby fourth. The media voted Wembanyama second, which was the proper name, however not sufficient to end result within the appropriate consequence.