Will Mitchell And Gobert Make The All-Star Team?

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – On Thursday night, the starting lineups for the NBA All-Star Game were announced, and despite owning the best record in the league, neither Donovan Mitchell nor Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz were selected.

In the Western Conference, Steph Curry (GSW), Luka Doncic (DAL), Kawhi Leonard (LAC), LeBron James (LAL), and Nikola Jokic (DEN) will start, leaving the Jazz stars on the outside looking in.

With the starters already named, how likely are Mitchell and Gobert to make the All-Star team?

Breaking: No @utahjazz players will be starting in the #NBAAllStar game despite owning the best record in the NBA. #TakeNote https://t.co/jM6SYU5svf

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 19, 2021

All-Star teams have 12 roster spots in total, made up of five starters and seven reserves. A combination of fan voting, media voting, and player voting combine to name the starters, while NBA coaches are left to determine the final seven bench players.

The reserves consist of three frontcourt players, two backcourt players, and two wildcard spots going to the players receiving the most votes from NBA coaches, regardless of their position.

So what do the odds look like for Mitchell and Gobert — how confident should they feel about making the roster?

Will Mitchell Make The All-Star Roster?

In his fourth season, Mitchell is averaging 24.2 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.1 rebounds with shooting splits of .427/.391/.832, and is the leading scorer on the best team in basketball.

That alone is a good enough argument that the Jazz guard deserves to be chosen to represent the Western Conference in the All-Star game.

But more indicators are working in Mitchell’s favor than his stats alone.

Will #DonovanMitchell make his second straight #NBAAllStar appearance?

He has the reputation as the best player on the best team. What do you think?

Remember, RTs equal All-Star votes!#TakeNote https://t.co/biIZZeHEAp

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 3, 2021

First, Mitchell earned the fourth-most votes among backcourt players in Thursday night’s final All-Star vote. Only starters Curry and Doncic, and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard received more combined votes from fans, players, and the media.

That means if the league’s coaches agree with the first round of voters, Mitchell and Lillard should makeup the reserve guard line for the West in the March 7 event.

Second, Mitchell was chosen to represent the West last year despite a tougher field of competitors and a worse resume to his name.

Mitchell made the team last year even with perennial All-Stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook playing in the West, both of whom now play for Eastern Conference teams.

What about @spidadmitchell they have the best record in the NBA winning 21 out of there last 22!!! Come on now https://t.co/jtIHG6nclg

— Damon Jones (@D19J) February 19, 2021

Last year the Jazz guard was competing with Lillard, Westbrook, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, and then Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul and still earned a nod from the league’s coaches.

With Harden and Westbrook out of the running, and Paul unlikely to earn a bid, Mitchell should coast into one of the two reserve backcourt spots. If he isn’t selected for those, it’s almost certain he’d earn enough votes to win one of the two wildcard spots.

Will Gobert Make The All-Star Roster?

Like Mitchell, Gobert is having a strong statistical season that on its own warrants selection to the All-Star game. For the year, the Jazz center is averaging 14.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and shooting 64 percent from the floor.

More importantly, the Jazz own the NBA’s second-best defensive rating, and Gobert appears to be in line to win his third Defensive Player of the Year award in the last four seasons.

Unlike Mitchell, Gobert didn’t fare nearly as well in the combination voting for starters in the Western Conference.

Want to see #RudyGobert in the #NBAAllStar game?

Retweet this and read why the @utahjazz center should be a shoo-in for the honor. #TakeNote https://t.co/Q0sugOqGRQ

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 4, 2021

Where Mitchell came in ranked fourth in the backcourt, Gobert finished ninth in total voting behind the three starters, and Anthony Davis (LAL), Paul George (LAC), Zion Williamson (NOP), Brandon Ingram (NOP), and Christian Wood (HOU).

If NBA coaches chose reserves in the same order of the league’s combination vote, Gobert would not be named to the All-Star roster either as a reserve frontcourt player or as a wildcard.

The good news for Gobert, it’s unlikely the coaches’ vote will resemble the overall combination vote.

Gobert suffered greatly in the combination vote thanks to NBA fans who deemed the Jazz center to be the 12th best frontcourt player in the West this season.

Had Gobert’s ranking been based on player and media vote alone, he would have received the sixth-most votes in the West, placing him behind the three starters, and Davis and George, but firmly in line to earn the final reserve spot among frontcourt players.

Rudy Gobert is now the NBA's leader in plus-minus.

He overtakes Mike Conley at +279. Mike is +265 this season and hasn't played in six games (all wins for the Jazz.)

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) February 18, 2021

Coaches’ votes are far more likely to resemble the players and media, meaning Gobert should feel confident that he’ll earn one of the early reserve spots.

Making Gobert’s All-Star selection even more likely is that the Lakers’ Davis is unlikely to play in the game as he continues to recover from an Achilles injury that has kept the big man out of the last two games, and is expected to sideline him through the All-Star break.

That means there should be one additional spot in the Western Conference frontcourt, making it all the more likely Gobert hears his name called on Tuesday night.

Will Any Other Jazz Players Be Selected?

Despite an early push for the All-Star team from guard Mike Conley, his latest hamstring injury that has forced him to miss the last six games likely means he’ll be left out of the All-Star game once again.

As it stands, Conley owns the title of best NBA player to never be named an All-Star and looked to have a real chance to disown that burdeb this season. However, having missed this latest run of games, the guard hasn’t been able to generate the same buzz around his name that he did early in the season and will likely be on the outside looking in once again.

Jazz sixth-man Jordan Clarkson has also received some recognition for his play this season and has an outside chance of making the All-Star team.

TNT broadcaster and NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said he would place Clarkson on the All-Star team this season over the Lakers’ Davis based on their play this year.

"You're comparing him to himself, you've got to compare him to the field."

Kenny debates Chuck's decision to put Jordan Clarkson over AD on his #NBAAllStar reserves list. pic.twitter.com/R4BIh0gs8F

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 19, 2021

Clarkson leads all bench scorers in the NBA at 18.2 points per game, but was the 15th highest rated guard in the league’s combination vote, meaning any selection would be a massive upset over other backcourt players expected to make it ahead of him.

Though the Jazz didn’t have any player named as a starter in the West and are unlikely to see three players selected to the All-Star team for the first time in more than three decades, fans should feel confident that in addition to coach Quin Snyder being named to lead team Lebron, both Mitchell and Gobert will be named All-Stars on Tuesday night.