NBA All-Star Game 2019: Western Conference predicted selections

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.