NBA All-Star Game: What if every team was required to have an All-Star?

With the NBA All-Star game just days away, the rosters set, and the teams chosen, we’re all in for quite the show. However, the NBA All-Star game could look quite different with a couple of minor tweaks. The first is a long-overdue expansion of the rosters from 12 to 15 players, allowing for 30 worthy All-Stars as opposed to just 24.

Another interesting one would be borrowed from Major League Baseball. In MLB, each team is required to have at least one All-Star representative. While it makes more sense with MLB considering there are 27 players on each team, what would the NBA All-Star game look like with a similar rule? Let’s find out.

Every year, the best NBA teams often get at least two, sometimes three, All-Stars. However, under this hypothetical, teams such as the Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, and Milwaukee Bucks would be limited to just one player. That would ensure that every team has a representative in the All-Star game, and it would produce some interesting results. Take a look:

East NBA All-Stars (hypothetical All-Stars are in bold)

Boston Celtics: Jayson Tatum
Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid
Cleveland Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell
Brooklyn Nets: Mikal Bridges
New York Knicks: Julius Randle
Miami Heat: Bam Adebayo

Atlanta Hawks-Trae Young
Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam
Washington Wizards: Kristaps Porzingis
Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine
Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton
Orlando Magic: Paolo Banchero
Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball
Detroit Pistons: Bojan Bogdanovic

West NBA All-Stars (hypothetical All-Stars are in bold)

Denver Nuggets-Nikola Jokic
Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant
Sacramento Kings: Domantas Sabonis
Phoenix Suns: Kevin Durant
Los Angeles Clippers: Paul George
Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards
Dallas Mavericks-Luka Doncic

New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson
Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry
Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Utah Jazz: Lauri Markkanen
Portland Trail Blazers—Dame Lillard
Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James
San Antonio Spurs: Keldon Johnson
Houston Rockets—Jalen Green

Of the two conferences, the East would see the biggest shift with seven new All-Stars including LaVine, Banchero, Bridges, Bogdanovic, Young, Ball, and Porzingis. Most of those theoretical selections are fine, and five of those seven players have already made the All-Star team. Though players with better seasons were ultimately voted in, Young likely has the best case of being snubbed after averaging 27 points per game and failing to make the team.

On the other hand, Ball hasn’t played enough games to warrant consideration, and while Bogdanovic is having a career season, the Pistons are the worst team in the NBA. Players from very bad teams don’t normally make the All-Star team, nor do rookies. As for the West, there would actually be very few changes, save for Johnson and Green. Like Bogdanovic, they wouldn’t typically make the team given their team’s place in the standings.

Based on this, if the NBA ever implemented the strategy, there would undoubtedly be some controversy. After all, very good players would make the team while great players would be left off.