ESPN Writer Thinks Gobert Will Be Named An All-Star
Jan 23, 2019, 5:53 PM | Updated: 5:59 pm
Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz blocks a shot attempt by Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers during their game at the Vivint Smart Home Arena on December 25, 2018 in Salt Lake City , Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – ESPN Senior NBA Writer Zach Lowe released an article on his All-Star selections and who is on the fence and who is locked in for the All-Star game on Sunday, February 17 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The format has changed in the All-Star game in the last two seasons. It is now two players who received the most votes from fans and media members will be named captains. The two selected captains will draft among the eight starters that were voted by the fans and media. After that, they will draft the remaining 14 players that were selected by the coaches in the NBA, who always decided the reserves of the All-Star game. Two guards and three forwards get selected as starters.
The draft will take place on Thursday, February 7 at 5 p.m. on TNT.
Lowe mentions who he thinks will be the starters from each conference, who the five “locked” reserves are and the two players that are on the fence.
He lists the following players as the starters from the Western Conference:
- James Harden, Houston Rockets
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
- Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
- Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
The five players that Lowe lists as locks for the All-Star game as reserves are the following:
- Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
- LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
- Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
- Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
- Karl Anthony-Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Now the thing about having LeBron James as a reserve is this will almost certainly not happen. He is the current leader among all NBA players in votes, which means he will be a starter. Gobert is not listed in the top 10 of the Western Conference frontcourt players in the latest voting results – neither is Donovan Mitchell.
Lowe has 18 possible players in the west to take the last two spots on the All-Star roster. Mitchell is listed among his 18 players but wasn’t selected by the ESPN writer to fill the last two spots. Those slots go to Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder and LaMarcus Aldridge of the San Antonio Spurs.
My full 12-man All-Star rosters for the 2018-19 season – -starters and reserves. (I am among the official media voters for the starters, so those count. The rest are just for fun/torture): https://t.co/BnApxqJLzp
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) January 22, 2019
If Gobert or Mitchell get selected to the All-Star game, it will be the first time for either player.
