NBA: Early Backcourt Favorites To Make The All-Star Game
Christmas has come and gone which means the NBA season is about to ramp up, with now less than two months remaining until the 2015 All-Star Game.
This year’s actual contest will be held at Madison Square Garden for the first time since Michael Jordan won MVP of the game in 1998.
Below, we’ve highlighted players in the back court who are worthy of playing on Feb. 15 in the 64th annual All-Star Game.
*Please note – the stats used are from games played through Dec. 25.
POINT GUARD
Eastern Conference– Kyle Lowry, John Wall, Kyrie Irving
At this pace, Lowry is set to make his first All-Star appearance, averaging 20 points, 7.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game, all while leading the Toronto Raptors atop the conference. Wall is having another spectacular season building off of last year’s playoff appearance while the Washington Wizards are currently the third seed.
It took a while for Irving to make the kind of impact most expected playing alongside The King, he is still a work in progress but is now averaging over 20 points per game, scoring a season-high 37 points against the New York Knicks earlier this month.
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Western Conference– Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard
Curry has been the catalyst behind the Golden State Warriors’ sensational season under rookie coach Steve Kerr. The Warriors had won 16 straight until losing to the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 16 but still remain the top seed in the West.
In only 16 games, Westbrook has looked like a top MVP candidate, where on Christmas day he jolted the Oklahoma City Thunder past the San Antonio Spurs finishing with 34 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and five steals with no Kevin Durant.
Lillard ranks third in three-pointers made (82) and continues to build off his postseason success last season against the Houston Rockets. The result? The Portland Trail Blazers only trail the Warriors in the Western Conference, as Lillard’s career continues to sky rocket towards superstardom.
SHOOTING GUARD
Eastern Conference– Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan
Miami Heat fans can only hope that what they witnessed on Christmas was just a preview of what Wade can give the team come playoff time. It was Wade who out-did former teammate and good friend LeBron James on Christmas, scoring 31 points and showcasing a put-back dunk over Kevin Love reminding every body of a young “Flash” back in his prime.
His last five games played, Wade is averaging 30.4 points. Butler is having the best season of his four-year career, averaging 21.6 points and is one of the top two-way perimeter players in the game. DeRozan was selected to last year’s game but unfortunately has missed 13 consecutive games with a torn adductor longus tendon.
He still remains one of the game’s bright young stars, pairing with Lowry to form a lethal one-two punch in the Toronto back court.
Western Conference– James Harden, Kobe Bryant, Klay Thompson
Without Dwight Howard for 11 games, Harden literally carried the Houston Rockets on his back. Because of that, the Rockets are the third seed and Harden is the clear-cut MVP favorite, averaging LeBron-type of numbers with 27 points (league-leader), 6.2 rebounds and seven assists.
Bryant, who recently passed Jordan to become the NBA’s third all-time leading scorer, is also third in scoring this year with 24.6 points and even though he’s 36 years old, he is tops in field goals attempted. Lastly, Thompson is the second half of the “Splash Brothers” as what Mark Jackson deemed last season as the greatest shooting backcourt of all-time.
After signing a four-year extension worth nearly $70 million, Thompson continues to progress as an all-around playmaker and is currently fifth in three-pointers attempted.