With All-Star Weekend slowly approaching, five NBA players have positioned themselves for an invitation few if anyone saw coming before the season.
Breaking down the starters for the upcoming 2020 NBA All-Star Game is hardly a challenging activity. Sure, injuries to the likes of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have thrown a small wrench in what have become predictable lineup choices in recent years.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
Still, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are locks to qualify, as are Joel Embiid and James Harden. Rarely, if ever, is the announcement met with much shock from the masses. Where the excitement lies is in the selection process of the reserves.
Seven players from each conference are asked to come off the bench at the All-Star Game and the criteria are far more rigid than the popularity contest that takes place for the starting units. Each coach selects two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards.
Both numbers and team success are taken into account with appropriate context assigned to each category. Some, like the starters, are nearly guaranteed a spot, but there’s always several virtually up for grabs.
Everyone had a list of potential All-Stars before the season, and none of these five players — ok, maybe one of them — were on more than a handful of them at best.
And yet, 2020 is upon us and they’ve proven otherwise with incredible effort on both an individual and team level.
Whether that lands them in the All-Star Game is something we’ll have to wait and see.
Simply being in the conversation, though, is a win in and of itself given the preseason expectations they’ve soared past.