NBA: 5 West players who could become first time All-Stars this season

After forfeiting the hosting rights for the 2017 NBA All-Star game, the city of Charlotte will host it on 19 February, 2019, at the Spectrum Center. As usual, there are going to be 12 players each from the Eastern and Western Conference with the format remaining the same as last season.

Unlike in the East, making the All-Star game in the West is not easy unless your name is Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, or James Harden. Add LeBron James to the mix and it will be even harder for other players to make it into the roster.

Last year, Karl-Anthony Towns was the lone debutant from the Western Conference but it seems like there is going to be at least a couple of new ones this season. It is very possible because some teams are struggling like the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets.

Here are five players from the West who have a shot at making their first All-Star game appearance this season.

5. Mike Conley

The most underrated and underappreciated NBA star in the past decade, Mike Conley deserves to get an All-Star spot while he is healthy and in his prime. Conley has been snubbed from the All-Star game in the past several years and he deserves it.

After an injury-riddled 2017-18 season, Conley bounced back in an impressive way this campaign. He is averaging career highs of 21.1 points and 6.6 assists while also adding 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Along with Marc Gasol, they are leading the Memphis Grizzlies in a loaded Western Conference.

In the first quarter of the season, the Grizzlies are currently sixth in the West with a 13-9 record. Memphis are doing it with defence and slowing the pace of the game. Conley might not make it due to the number of big names in the West but if the Grizzlies can sustain their position, the coaches could choose him over Gasol as Memphis’ representative in the All-Star game.

4. Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. — Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks

Since 2000, there have only been two rookies who were named All-Stars. They were Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets in 2003 and Blake Griffin in 2011 while he was part of the Los Angeles Clippers. Dallas Mavericks super rookie Luka Doncic could follow their path this season.

Doncic is living up to the hype as he is the front-runner for the Rookie of the Year Award. He is averaging 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. More importantly, he is leading the Dallas Mavericks to a winning record of 11-10 throughout the first quarter of the season.

If the Mavericks can keep it up, Doncic has a realistic shot of making the All-Star game roster especially with struggling teams like the Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, and San Antonio Spurs. Doncic has adapted to the NBA smoothly but he has to withstand the dreaded rookie wall to even have a good chance of being an All-Star this season.

3. Clint Capela

This summer, Clint Capela signed a five-year, $90 million deal to stay with the Houston Rockets. In an interview with The Athletic, Capela believes that he should have been an All-Star last year and he vowed that he will make it this season.

In 22 games this season, Capela is living up to his contract and promise as he is having a career year despite the struggles of the Rockets. He is averaging 17.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game, all of which are career highs. Capela is also shooting 65.9 percent from the field but still struggling at the line, shooting 58.5 percent.

The competition for an All-Star spot in the West is tough but Capela has a legitimate shot at making the team. Rudy Gobert and the Jazz are struggling, LaMarcus Aldridge of the Spurs is having a down year, and Karl-Anthony Towns is still recovering from Jimmy Butler’s mind games.

2. Nikola Jokic

Just like Clint Capela, Nikola Jokic signed a monster extension in the offseason and he was a snubbed at the 2018 All-Star game. Jokic is still the main offensive weapon and creator for the Nuggets this season despite a down year.

Jokic is just averaging 16.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game but the Nuggets are currently atop the Western Conference standings along with the Los Angeles Clippers at 15-7. Denver was expected to make the playoffs and they are on pace to do it.

The 23-year-old Serbian is the best passing big man in the league today and he is the perfect big man in today’s NBA. He can dribble, pass, and shoot the basketball, and he makes it look easy every night. His defence needs some work but the NBA does not really play any defence any more.

If Jokic can improve his production in the next couple of months, it would not be a surprise if he is named an All-Star.

1. Tobias Harris

Tobias Harris of the Los Angeles Clippers

Many people did not expect the Los Angeles Clippers to be atop the Western Conference into the quarter mark of the season. Without a true superstar, the Clippers are relying on each other and they are not even shooting that many threes. They are just plain balling and Tobias Harris is at the centre of it.

An NBA journeyman already, the Clippers are Harris’ fourth team in eight seasons, previously playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, and Detroit Pistons. The 26-year-old is having a career year as the main option of the Clippers with averages of 21.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game.

Harris is playing so well that he is in the MVP conversation early in the season. He will not end up winning it and the Clippers could fall off but he certainly deserves to be an All-Star this season. The West is loaded with top wing players but Harris has a good chance if the Clippers can finish the first half of the season as a top four team.