Shaq, Kenny, Charles and Adam reveal who they'd tab as Western Conference reserves in 2023.
Periodically, NBA.com’s writers will weigh in on some of the most important topics around the league.
Who are your All-Star reserves from the Western Conference?
Editor’s Note: The All-Star reserves will officially be announced on Thursday night on TNT (7 ET).
• Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
• Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
• Paul George, LA Clippers
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
• De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
No offense to Zion Williamson and his fan popularity, but either Sabonis or Markkanen deserved the third starting spot in the West frontcourt after Nikola Jokic and LeBron James. Sabonis has been a double-double machine for the Kings. Meanwhile Markkanen, in addition to his breakout scoring prowess, has that hometown appeal for an All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. Compared to Kawhi Leonard, George has been the more available and productive of the Clippers’ star wings. Morant is the Joel Embiid of West backcourt players, eminently worthy of a starting spot but bumped by Luka Doncic and Steph Curry. Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t far behind, boosting his scoring average for the fourth consecutive season at a Most Improved Award pace. Lillard continues to work wonders without a reliable second All-Star teammate, at least since LaMarcus Aldridge left eight years ago. Fox has been as valuable to Sacramento from the backcourt as Sabonis has been up front, with speed and slithery moves that torment opponents. Other possibilities for this ballot: Anthony Davis, Aaron Gordon and Anthony Edwards.
NBA TV's Chris Miles, Channing Frye and Sam Mitchell share their picks in the West reserves.
BRIAN MARTIN:
• Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
• Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
• Paul George, LA Clippers
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
• De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
Similar to the Eastern Conference, my Western Conference starters ballot included two players that were not named starters and thus are locks on my reserve list: Memphis’ Ja Morant and Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis. Morant not only leads the league in break-the-internet plays while also averaging 27.3 points and 8.2 assists per game. Those rank 12th and fifth in the league, respectively, while Sabonis leads the NBA in rebounds (12.4 rpg), double-doubles (38) and ranks third with six triple-doubles while serving as the conduit of the league’s top-scoring offense.
Over the NBA’s first 76 seasons, there have been 75 instances of a player averaging 30 ppg over the course of a season — while meeting the statistical minimums to qualify as a league leader. Only one of those 75 times did a player average 30 ppg and not be named an All-Star in the same season: Bradley Beal in 2019-20 (he averaged 29.1 ppg pre-All-Star and 36.5 ppg post-All-Star). There are currently seven players averaging at least 30 ppg this season and four have already been named All-Star starters (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic and LeBron James).
The other three should be headed to Salt Lake City as well. Joel Embiid is on my East list, which leaves OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30.9 ppg) and Portland’s Damian Lillard (30.4 ppg, helped by last week’s 60-point game). Markkanen is not only a prime candidate for Kia Most Improved Player — he’s increased his scoring average by more than 10 ppg from last season (24.9 ppg this season, 14.8 last season) — he is also on track to make his first All-Star team in his sixth NBA season.
Another potential first-time All-Star that may be up for an end-of-season award is Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox, who has been spectacularly productive and efficient in clutch situations. He leads the NBA in total clutch points (119) and clutch field goals made (48) while shooting 60% from the field in clutch situations. The final spot goes to Paul George, who leads the Clippers in both scoring (23.5 ppg) and assists (5.3 apg). George earned the nod over teammate Kawhi Leonard (27 games played), Phoenix’s Devin Booker (29 games played) and Los Angeles’ Anthony Davis (27 games played), who have all missed more than 20 games this season.
De'Aaron Fox has elevated his game and found a new level to help the Kings rise up.
• Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
• Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
• Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
• De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Let’s start with the easy part: Morant, Markkanen and Sabonis are sure-fire picks. All three received significant consideration as All-Star starters, are all set to surpass their career averages in points, rebounds and assists per game, and each plays on a winning team.
Fox and Gordon also earned a spot partly because the top NBA teams traditionally have at least two All-Stars. But Fox and Gordon aren’t just checking that box. Fox has developed strong chemistry with Sabonis in the Kings’ two-man game and the duo shares shooting or playmaking duties on pick-and-rolls, dribble handoffs and post-ups. Gordon has made Nikola Jokic’s life easier by providing an additional post-up, rebounding and play-making presence. Despite missing 16 games, Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. deserves a nod for being valuable on a winning team, but Fox and Gordon became more available.
Now, the hard part: choosing between Devin Booker, Gilgeous-Alexander and Lillard. Despite all three players playing at an All-Star level, one of them would miss the cut.
Gilgeous-Alexander has the edge over Lillard and Booker as he ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring (30.9 ppg) and is shooting a career-best 51%. He has appeared in 46 of the Thunder’s 50 games and although Oklahoma City has hardly reached championship-contending status, the Thunder are hovering around .500.
Booker and Lillard each have a legitimate case. Want a player that has played remarkably consistent? Lillard is averaging 30.1 ppg — a career-best — while shooting 46.3%. Booker has averaged a career-high 27.1 ppg on 47.7% shooting. Want a player that had a breakout performance? How about Lillard’s 60-point night on 21-for-29 shooting against Utah? Or maybe Booker’s 58-point performance in a 24-point comeback against New Orleans? Both Lillard (12 games) and Booker (23) have missed substantial time with injuries, which makes the choice even trickier. The Suns (27-25) and Blazers (24-26) have played below their expectations partly because of their star player’s absence. Consider the Suns’ record with Booker (18-11) and without him (9-14) and the Blazers with (19-19) and without (5-7) Lillard.
Should Booker be penalized for missing more games? Or should he receive recognition that the Suns have sorely missed him? I chose Lillard because of his current availability and his relatively superior numbers. But I still feel conflicted over the choice.
• Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
• Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
• Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
• Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
• De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
In the West, there’s less drama and suspense. Morant, Gilgeous-Alexander, Sabonis and Markkanen are slam dunks as each is the lead singer of their team and, in the case of Sabonis and Markkanen, the key reason for the surprising first halves enjoyed by the Kings and Jazz. Gilgeous-Alexander, too, has gone next-level and fits that description as well, making himself one of the game’s best-scoring guards. Lillard went through a stretch where he struggled with his efficiency but has rallied strongly since returning from injury. Fox is arguably the league’s best player, so far, in clutch time with his scoring and efficiency. Overall, he’s having a breakout season. It was a close call for Davis, mainly because of his missed games due to injury. But pre-injury, he was delivering on an MVP-type level … that counts for something.
Take a look back at Lauri Markkanen's 48-point game this season vs. Houston.
• Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
• Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
• Paul George, LA Clippers
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
• Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Four of these seven were put into ink with no hesitation, having received serious consideration for starting spots: Gilgeous-Alexander, Markkanen, Morant and Sabonis. The Western Conference standings make the “team success” element of All-Star selections much more nebulous, but Gilgeous-Alexander has simply been one of the 10 best players in the league. Morant is the clear leader of the second-best team in the West, while Sabonis has been the best player on the third-place Kings. Markkanen has been productive, efficient and durable.
Then it becomes a mix of very good players on teams that aren’t so great vs. great players who haven’t played nearly as much. And to make things easier, I blindly created an arbitrary cut-off of 1,000 minutes, eliminating Anthony Davis (896) and Kawhi Leonard (844) from consideration. Devin Booker just barely makes the cut, but he’s an obvious All-Star when healthy and the Suns are 18-11 when he’s played. The final two spots go to Paul George and Damian Lillard. George has provided terrific two-way play for what is now the fourth-place team in the West, while Lillard is back to being a star and the Blazers have been good (plus-4.0 per 100 possessions) with him on the floor. The toughest omission was Anthony Edwards, carrying a heavy load for a team that’s hanging in there. (They should expand All-Star rosters to 13.)
• Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
• Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
• Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
• De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
Set to make his first All-Star team, Gilgeous-Alexander would be right in the thick of the Kia MVP conversation if Oklahoma City owned a better record. That said, he’s probably the breakout star of 2022-23, ranking fifth in scoring (30.9 ppg) while shooting 51.3% overall. Based on team success, Morant should probably be the starter in the West backcourt over Doncic, who earned the nod due to his ridiculous production and a seemingly never-ending stream of must-see highlights.
Sabonis took a spot on this writer’s official ballot as a starter over Zion Williamson, who hasn’t played since Jan. 2 due to a hamstring injury that could keep him out of the All-Star Game. It’s impossible to overlook Sacramento’s record and Sabonis’ contribution to it as the team’s leader in rebounding and assists. In fact, the Kings probably deserve two All-Stars on this team, and Fox is the obvious choice here with Devin Booker likely unavailable due to a groin injury that has kept him out since December.
Booker played lights-out before his latest setback, as Phoenix is 18-11 with him in the lineup this season. Without Booker, the Suns are 8-14, so leaving Booker off this ballot is more a matter of expected availability in Salt Lake City.
Davis’ inclusion here is difficult considering he’s played 27 games (Williamson has played in just 29) for a team four games below .500. The 29-year-old finally returned to the Lakers’ lineup on Jan. 25, but he’s still not yet carrying his usual workload.
Like Gilgeous-Alexander, Markkanen falls into that breakout star category. Many considered the Finnish forward an afterthought in the summer trade that sent Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland. But Markkanen quickly earned designation as Utah’s top option on offense, averaging career-highs in scoring (24.9 ppg), assists (1.8), field-goal percentage (52%), 3-point percentage (43.2%) and free-throw percentage (87%).
Lillard, who missed most of last season due to an abdominal injury, returned this season with a vengeance. The 32-year-old continues to demonstrate he’s still capable of dropping 50 points like it’s nothing. (His 60-point masterpiece on just 29 attempts last week provided the latest evidence.) Besides, the NBA All-Star Game is all about scoring and you’ll find few better scorers than the six-time All-Star.
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