NBA All-Star Game 2019: Western Conference predicted selections

Starting frontcourt:

The two best players on the planet

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.