NBA All-Star Game 2019: Western Conference predicted selections

The NBA All-Star Game voting began officially on Christmas Day 2018, and we're all waiting with bated breath for the first televised All-Star roster draft that will take place after all 24 selected players are announced in late January.

With LeBron James moving to the Western Conference, the Eastern Conference will have its first non-James captain in a long time in 2019, while LeBron himself is basically a shoo-in as a captain given his own rabid fanbase has now been married to legions of Lakers supporters.

This year, there are few clear-cut All-Stars in both conferences other than the usual suspects. Read on to find who we at Sportskeeda think are going to make the cut for the All-Star Game:

Starting backcourt:

Stephen Curry

The Skyfucker may have missed 11 games due to injury, but you would still be deemed a wild lunatic if you responded with any name other than Stephen Curry for the following two questions:

A - Who's the best point guard in the NBA?

B - Who's the greatest shooter of all time?

Curry started the season off averaging 50/50/90 splits for the first month or so before an injury and a cold streak ensured that his 3-point percentage has fallen to a still-absurd 45.5 percent on 10.9 attempts per game. MVP talks may or may not cool down, but Curry has been a fans' darling ever since his breakthrough All-Star season and will be in contention to captain another All-Star game.

James Harden

It's about time we started respecting James Harden for what he is. The reigning MVP is averaging better numbers this season than he did last season, and the Rockets have won 9 of their last 10 games and are among the hottest teams in the league without having "Point God" Chris Paul for the past week or so.

Over the last 10 games, Harden has been averaging Kobe Bryant-like numbers, with his lowest score being 32 points over this period. If the Rockets keep winning with Harden balling like this, sportswriters will be forced to acknowledge him as a favourite for a back-to-back MVP.

Fans themselves have shown him plenty of love, as he's instantly recognisable given his iconic beard and Adidas kicks. He was a starter last year and will be one this year barring injury.

Starting frontcourt:

LeBron James

As things stand, LeBron is the prohibitive favourite to be captaining the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. Already a pretty big legend on his own, James added the biggest fanbase in all of basketball to his side by signing with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, making it all but certain that he'll receive the highest number of votes for another year.

James has been playing at a high level, which is why the Lakers have looked like a top-tier playoff team with their full complement of players. If they manage to snag a top-3 seed in the Western Conference, James will definitely be an MVP favourite given his stats this season and his impact on the Lakers' fortunes.

Kevin Durant

Signing with the Warriors was all but a death sentence to Kevin Durant's hopes of winning any more individual accolades voted on by journalists as long as he stayed with the franchise, but anyone performing at the Slim Reaper's level this season would unarguably be a top MVP candidate in any era of NBA basketball.

Durant was second to Steph in terms of fan voting last season, given the Warriors' huge bandwagon of new fans. His popularity as an accessible superstar on social media and the 2-time Finals MVP will get him starter votes, that's for sure.

Anthony Davis

The biggest barrier to Davis' MVP push is the fact that he's stuck on a middling team that doesn't look likely to crack the Conference Finals, structured as it is. On top of that, they're reeling off injuries to key role players and are a good distance behind the 8th seed right now with a 17-22 record.

But Davis is putting up his usual MVP-level numbers this season once again, averaging 28.7 points, 13.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.6 blocks per game through 34 appearances. A starting berth is all but assured for him.

Backcourt reserves

Westbrook and Lillard deserve a spot in the All-Star game

Russell Westbrook

Russel Westbrook has been on a shooting slump ever since getting injured against the New Orleans Pelicans in a victory during mid-November, but that's still not stopping him from averaging a 20-point triple-double for the third straight season. Granted, he still has a terrible shot selection (as was made evident by his 1-19 jump shooting night over the Mavericks two nights back), but he is an improved decision-maker in comparison to two seasons back.

His defence is now up to the levels one would expect from the most athletic point guard in NBA history, as Russell leads the league in steals per game right now and looks primed to make his debut All-Defensive Team selection this season (if he keeps up this level of play).

Damian Lillard

Another year, another year of Damian Lillard putting the Portland Trail Blazers on his back and dragging them to a playoff berth. Lillard is playing at the same level as he did last year, and in fact, his 3-point percentage is currently at a career-best 39.4 percent on 7.8 attempts from downtown per game.

The Blazers are treading a couple of games above a .500 record right now because of the efforts of the 2018 All-NBA First Teamer, although he has sturdy support from the likes of CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic (Nurkic became the first player in NBA history to compile a 20-point, 20-rebound night in addition to a 5x5 stat line yesterday).

Frontcourt reserves:

Jokic has been impressive since last year

Paul George

PG-13's intent to sign with the Thunder became apparent in February 2018, when he said to reporters that 'Russ had made the decision really easy for him'. But there were people perplexed by his disappearance in Game 6 of the first round last season against the Jazz, and whether that would be reason enough for the Thunder to decline from offering him a supermax.

Since then, he's signed a 4-year, $137 million deal that could be extended to a total of 7 years, $290 million two summers from now, and he's playing MVP-calibre on both ends of the floor to absolutely justify this price tag. George has been unequivocally the Thunder's best player this season, and deserves to considered a top-5 MVP candidate based on his performances thus far.

Nikola Jokic

The Nuggets are two losses clear of the second-placed team in the Western Conference right now, despite losing 3 of their starters for large chunks of the 2018-19 season thus far. The propelling force behind their Conference-best record has been a centre who belies the stereotype of a traditional big man in more ways than one, Nikola Jokic.

The Joker leads the league in Rel Plus-Minus (RPM) among centres and is fourth overall, while he has a complete scoring arsenal that makes him a nightmare matchup for every single big man across the league on offence.

He's also the anchor of a top-10 defensive team in the league now, changing tack and improving his pick-and-roll defence by a country mile in comparison to last season. It won't be long before Jokic is in the thick of the MVP conversation if he keeps playing at this level and the Nuggets finish in the top 2 of the Conference.

Karl-Anthony Towns

Towns was caught in the middle of the Jimmy Butler saga that plagued the Timberwolves organization at the start of the season, and has been the butt of a plethora of internet jokes since then. These jokesters, however, won't tell you that Towns has rebounded from that initial stretch with a robust 23.3 points, 12.1 rebound average through the month of December on nearly 48 percent shooting, including 37 percent from the three-point line.

Wildcard selections

Doncic has been sensational in his rookie season

Mike Conley Jr

The Grizzlies currently sit at 10th place in the Western Conference standings with an 18-19 record. After briefly taking over the #1 spot in the West in mid-November, the strength of their schedule increased considerably, and the Grizzlies' lack of depth around franchise players Conley Jr, Marc Gasol and budding youngster Jaren Jackson Jr has cost them a number of close encounters.

Conley Jr, nevertheless, has been setting himself apart in the packed Western Conference guard All-Star sweepstakes. The Grizz's schedule eases up considerably in the month of January, and if they can pull themselves a few games clear of a .500 record, Conley should be able to land his first All-Star game selection of a chequered career.

Luka Doncic

The Dallas Mavericks won the draft night in a manner reminiscent of a franchise that knows how to build a winning culture. Trading up to acquire the reigning Euroleague MVP aged just 19 years old at the time of the draft has proved to be nothing less than a masterstroke, all things considered.

Luka Doncic is already quite clearly a borderline-elite playmaker in the league. He has the offensive ability of the very greatest swingmen of all time, and is actually playing one of the best rookie seasons by a 19-year-old ever. His buzzer-beating, game-tying shot against the Trail Blazers just about a week back will be reverberating for a long time in the annals of NBA history if he continues on this trajectory.

Backing a rookie to make the cut for the All-Star game is always a very high-risk bet, but given the plethora of mid-level guards on losing teams and borderline elite competition on winning teams with smaller roles, we'd rather pick a player who's the reason his team is still in the playoff hunt.