NBA All-Stars - 2025

It is All-Star Weekend in the NBA, with the actual game coming tomorrow, and while the game itself is completely meaningless, especially in recent years, the title of All-Star still holds some meaning, so I have made my list of which players deserve to be All-Stars this season, and which ones deserve to be the 5 starters from each conference. I've also included injury replacements for Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who are injured and will not be participating. Here are the players who deserve the honor, with actual starters in bold, reserves underlined, and injury replacements in italics:

Eastern Conference

Starters

PF - Giannis Antetokounmpo - MIL

C - Karl-Anthony Towns - NYK

PF - Jayson Tatum - BOS

PG - Trae Young - ATL

PG - Cade Cunningham - DET

Reserves

PG - Jalen Brunson - NYK

PG - Darius Garland - CLE

C - Nikola Vucevic - CHI (starting replacement for Giannis)

PF - Evan Mobley - CLE

C - Jarrett Allen - CLE

PG - Damian Lillard - MIL

PG - Tyrese Maxey - PHI

Injury Replacement

SF - Donovan Mitchell - CLE

Trae Young was finally made an All-Star, after years of deserving a starting spot, even though he had to be added as an injury replacement. Vucevic was overlooked this year, but deserves to be starting in place of Antetokounmpo, but is instead not on the team, joining Jarrett Allen and Tyrese Maxey, who should also be there. Jaylen Brown, Tyler Herro, and Pascal Siakim should have been left off the team.

Western Conference

Starters

C - Nikola Jokic - DEN

SF - LeBron James - LAL

C - Domantas Sabonis - SAC

PG - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - OKC

PG - James Harden - LAC

Reserves

C - Victor Wembanyama - SAS

PF - Anthony Davis - DAL

SG - Devin Booker - PHX

SG - Anthony Edwards - MIN

C - Alperen Sengun - HOU

PG - Stephen Curry - GSW

C - Jaren Jackson Jr. - MEM

Injury Replacement

PG - De'Aaron Fox - SAS

Domantas Sabonis, the league leader in rebounds for the third straight season, was once again left off the All-Star team, but he should have been starting instead of sitting at home. Devin Booker should have made the team rather than teammate Kevin Durant, who was named a starter, and De'Aaron Fox should have been included instead of Kyrie Irving. Jalen Williams should have been left off to make room for Sabonis.

All-Time Player Rank Updates

Kevin Durant has passed John Stockton to move up to #12

Nikola Jokic has passed Dirk Nowitzki to move up to #27

Giannis Antetokounmpo has passed George Mikan to move up to #31

Anthony Davis has passed Kevin Johnson to move up to #49

Damian Lillard has passed Clyde Drexler to move up to #53

Jimmy Butler has passed Louie Dampier to move up to #81

NBA MVP Rankings - 30 Mar

Entering the final couple of weeks of the regular season, the MVP race is down to 4 players, and it is the tightest race I have seen in a decade. 3 of the contenders have their teams among the top 3 in their conference, and the other has pulled his team out of the play-in and into the playoffs. Here are my current rankings for MVP and ROY, along with some updates to the all-time player rankings, including a new player joining the all-time top 100:

Most Valuable Player

1 (1) Nikola Jokic - C - DEN

26.1 Pts (#11), 12.2 Reb (#4), 8.9 Ast (#3), 1.3 Stl (#12), 0.9 Blk, .579 FG% (#12), .345 3P%, .826 FT%

2 (3) Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF - MIL

30.7 Pts (#2), 11.5 Reb (#6), 6.4 Ast (#14), 1.2 Stl (#20), 1.0 Blk, .616 FG% (#7), .288 3P%, .657 FT%

3 (4) Luka Doncic - PG - DAL

33.8 Pts (#1), 9.1 Reb (#16), 9.8 Ast (#2), 1.5 Stl (#7), 0.5 Blk, .487 FG%, .376 3P%, .785 FT%

4 (2) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG - OKC

30.4 Pts (#3), 5.6 Reb, 6.3 Ast (#16), 2.1 Stl (#1), 0.9 Blk, .540 FG% (#19), .367 3P%, .871 FT% (#17)

5 (5) Domantas Sabonis - C - SAC

19.6 Pts, 13.6 Reb (#1), 8.3 Ast (#5), 0.9 Stl, 0.6 Blk, .603 FG% (#8), .403 3P%, .706 FT%

6 (6) Jayson Tatum - PF - BOS

27.3 Pts (#6), 8.2 Reb, 4.9 Ast, 1.0 Stl, 0.6 Blk, .472 FG%, .378 3P%, .832 FT%

7 (NR) Jalen Brunson - PG - NYK

27.9 Pts (#4), 3.6 Reb, 6.5 Ast (#13), 0.9 Stl, 0.2 Blk, .479 FG%, .401 3P%, .847 FT%

8 (7) Tyrese Haliburton - PG - IND

20.3 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 11.0 Ast (#1), 1.2 Stl (#18), 0.7 Blk, .476 FG%, .365 3P%, .857 FT%

9 (NR) Damian Lillard - PG - MIL

24.4 Pts (#15), 4.4 Reb, 7.1 Ast (#10), 1.0 Stl, 0.2 Blk, .426 FG%, .358 3P%, .923 FT% (#2)

10 (10) Anthony Davis - C - LAL

24.7 Pts (#14), 12.7 Reb (#3), 3.6 Ast, 1.2 Stl, 2.4 Blk (#2), .553 FG% (#16), .286 3P%, .816 FT%

Honorable Mention: Anthony Edwards - SG - MIN, LeBron James - PF - LAL, Victor Wembanyama - C - SAS, Joel Embiid - C - PHI, Trae Young - PG - ATL, Kevin Durant - PF - PHX

Rookie of the Year

1 (1) Victor Wembanyama - C - SAS

21.0 Pts, 10.5 Reb (#12), 3.6 Ast, 1.2 Stl, 3.4 Blk (#1), .468 FG%, .324 3P%, .796 FT%

2 (2) Chet Holmgren - C - OKC

16.8 Pts, 7.9 Reb, 2.6 Ast, 0.6 Stl, 2.4 Blk (#3), .536 FG%, .377 3P%, .803 FT%

3 (3) Dereck Lively II - C - DAL

8.9 Pts, 7.0 Reb, 1.1 Ast, 0.6 Stl, 1.4 Blk (#13), .746 FG%, .506 FT%

4 (4) Keyonte George - PG - UTA

12.7 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 4.6 Ast, 0.5 Stl, 0.1 Blk, .391 FG%, .335 3P%, .842 FT%

5 (NR) Amen Thompson - SF - HOU

9.2 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 2.4 Ast, 1.2 Stl, 0.6 Blk, .530 FG%, .145 3P%, .674 FT%

All-Time Player Rank Changes

Kevin Durant has passed Julius Erving to move up to #14

Giannis Antetokounmpo has passed Elgin Baylor and David Robinson to move up to #31

Damian Lillard has passed George Gervin to move up to #56

Kawhi Leonard has passed Paul Pierce to move up to #59

Jimmy Butler has passed Ray Allen to move up to #83

Luka Doncic has moved into the top 100 at #99, passing LaMarcus Aldridge and knocking out Andre Miller.

NBA All-Star Teams - 2024

 

The full NBA All-Star teams have been announced, including injury replacements, and overall the players picked were largely deserving. I've analyzed every player's performance so far this season to determine which players should have been All-Star starters and reserves, along with which players were snubbed, and which players should have been left off to make room for them. Actual starters are in bold, reserves are underlined, and injury replacements are in italics, with an asterisk next to players who will miss the game due to injury. There are also a few updates to the all-time player rankings at the bottom:

Eastern Conference

Starters

PF - Giannis Antetokounmpo - MIL

PG - Trae Young - ATL

C - Joel Embiid - PHI*

PG - Tyrese Haliburton - IND

PF - Jayson Tatum - BOS

Reserves

PG - Jalen Brunson - NYK

PG - Damian Lillard - MIL

SG - Donovan Mitchell - CLE

PG - Tyrese Maxey - PHI

PF - Julius Randle - NYK*

PF - Paolo Banchero - ORL

PF - Pascal Siakim - NYK

Injury Replacements

SG - Scottie Barnes - TOR

PG - Cade Cunningham - DET

The East team is pretty much correct. Trae Young was by far the biggest snub originally, as he should have been starting over Lillard, but he was added as an injury replacement, so at least he made the team. Siakim would have been my choice for the final spot over Jaylen Brown, and I would have added Cunningham as an injury replacement while leaving Bam Adebayo off the team.

Western Conference

Starters

C - Nikola Jokic - DEN

PG - Luka Doncic - DAL

PG - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - OKC

C - Domantas Sabonis - SAC

C - Anthony Davis - LAL

Reserves

PF - LeBron James - LAL

PF - Kevin Durant - PHX

C - Victor Wembanyama - SAS

PG - Stephen Curry - GSW

PG - Devin Booker - PHX

C - Alperen Sengun - HOU

SG - Anthony Edwards - MIN

Injury Replacements

PG - De'Aaron Fox - SAC

PF - Lauri Markkanen - UTA

The West team has a few more issues, including 3 big men who were snubbed, most notably Domantas Sabonis, the second-best center in the West, who should have been starting, but didn't even make the team. Wembanyama was likely left off due to being a rookie on a bad team, but he is very deserving of a spot, and Sengun is being overlooked by everyone playing for a mediocre Houston team. I would have left Kawhi Leonard, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Paul George off the team, especially George, who isn't close to being an All-Star this year.

All-Time Player Rank changes

Russell Westbrook has passed Chris Paul to move up to #18

Kawhi Leonard has passed Kevin McHale and George McGinnis to move up to #60

Joel Embiid has passed Wes Unseld to move up to #92

NBA MVP Rankings - 20 Jan

Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player in the NBA, and has been for the past few years, and as long as he is able to keep the Nuggets near the top of the standings, he will probably stay at the top of my MVP rankings, where he sits again this week. LeBron and Lillard dropped from the top 10 this week, letting a couple of younger stars jump in, while another rising star made a move up to #3 this week, passing the defending MVP and sitting right behind two former 2-time MVPs. Here are my current MVP and Rookie of the Year rankings, along with a few changes in the All-Time Player rankings:

Most Valuable Player

1 (1) Nikola Jokic - C - DEN

25.7 Pts (#15), 11.9 Reb (#4), 9.1 Ast (#4), 1.1 Stl, 0.9 Blk, .583 FG% (#14), .350 3P%, .821 FT%

2 (2) Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF - MIL

31.2 Pts (#3), 11.4 Reb (#6), 5.9 Ast, 1.3 Stl (#15), 1.1 Blk, .608 FG% (#9), .235 3P%, .677 FT%

3 (5) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG - OKC

31.0 Pts (#4), 5.7 Reb, 6.3 Ast (#18), 2.2 Stl (#1), 0.8 Blk, .552 FG% (#19), .324 3P%, .891 FT% (#15)

4 (3) Joel Embiid - C - PHI

35.1 Pts (#1), 11.4 Reb (#5), 5.9 Ast, 1.2 Stl, 1.9 Blk (#10), .538 FG%, .364 3P%, .885 FT% (#17)

5 (4) Luka Doncic - PG - DAL

33.6 Pts (#2), 8.3 Reb, 9.2 Ast (#3), 1.4 Stl (#9), 0.6 Blk, .485 FG%, .376 3P%, .778 FT%

6 (6) Tyrese Haliburton - PG - IND

23.6 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 12.6 Ast (#1), 1.1 Stl, 0.6 Blk, .496 FG%, .400 3P%, .862 FT%

7 (7) Trae Young - PG - ATL

27.2 Pts (#8), 3.1 Reb, 10.9 Ast (#2), 1.4 Stl (#8), 0.2 Blk, .421 FG%, .359 3P%, .858 FT%

8 (NR) Domantas Sabonis - C - SAC

20.1 Pts, 12.6 Reb (#1), 8.0 Ast (#7), 0.8 Stl, 0.6 Blk, .614 FG% (#8), .413 3P%, .668 FT%

9 (NR) Jayson Tatum - PF - BOS

26.9 Pts (#10), 8.4 Reb, 4.4 Ast, 1.0 Stl, 0.5 Blk, .472 FG%, .367 3P%, .812 FT%

10 (10) Anthony Davis - C - LAL

25.2 Pts (#16), 12.1 Reb (#3), 3.8 Ast, 1.2 Stl, 2.5 Blk (#4), .557 FG% (#17), .318 3P%, .810 FT%

Honorable Mention: Damian Lillard - PG - MIL, LeBron James - PF - LAL, Anthony Edwards - SG - MIN, Tyrese Maxey - PG - PHI, Kevin Durant - PF - PHX, Jalen Brunson - PG - NYK

Rookie of the Year

1 (1) Victor Wembanyama - C - SAS

19.8 Pts, 10.1 Reb (#13), 2.9 Ast, 1.1 Stl, 3.1 Blk (#1), .461 FG%, .293 3P%, .806 FT%

2 (2) Chet Holmgren - C - OKC

17.4 Pts, 7.2 Reb, 2.8 Ast, 0.6 Stl, 2.5 Blk (#5), .542 FG%, .385 3P%, .787 FT%

3 (3) Dereck Lively II - C - DAL

8.9 Pts, 7.8 Reb, 1.3 Ast, 0.6 Stl, 1.4 Blk (#17), .735 FG%, .000 3P%, .568 FT%

4 (5) Ausar Thompson - SF - DET

8.2 Pts, 6.8 Reb, 2.0 Ast, 0.9 Stl, 1.0 Blk, .455 FG%, .130 3P%, .654 FT%

5 (4) Keyonte George - PG - UTA

11.1 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 4.4 Ast, 0.5 Stl, 0.1 Blk, .373 FG%, .328 3P%, .806 FT%

All-Time Player Rank Changes

Nikola Jokic has passed Isiah Thomas to move up to #36

Kyrie Irving has passed Maurice Cheeks, Deron Williams, and Ben Wallace to move up to #68

Joel Embiid has passed Bob Lanier and Amare Stoudemire to move up to #93

NBA MVP Rankings - 18 Mar

We're down to the final weeks of the NBA season, and it looks like a two man race for MVP, with Joel Embiid trying to make a late push to join the party as well. Here are my current rankings for MVP, with previous rank in parentheses, along with some changes to my All-Time Player rankings:

Most Valuable Player

1 (1) Nikola Jokic - C - DEN

24.8 Pts (#17), 11.9 Reb (#3), 9.9 Ast (#4), 1.2 Stl, 0.7 Blk, .633 FG% (#7), .402 3P%, .816 FT%

2 (3) Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF - MIL

31.4 Pts (#4), 11.9 Reb (#2), 5.5 Ast, 0.7 Stl, 0.8 Blk, .542 FG%, .284 3P%, .651 FT%

3 (6) Joel Embiid - C - PHI

33.5 Pts (#1), 10.2 Reb (#8), 4.1 Ast, 1.1 Stl, 1.7 Blk (#6), .545 FG% (#20), .355 3P%, .856 FT%

4 (7) Trae Young - PG - ATL

27.0 Pts (#10), 3.1 Reb, 10.1 Ast (#3), 1.1 Stl, 0.1 Blk, .436 FG%, .338 3P%, .891 FT% (#12)

5 (4) Luka Doncic - PG - DAL

33.0 Pts (#2), 8.6 Reb, 8.0 Ast (#6), 1.5 Stl (#11), 0.5 Blk, .500 FG%, .349 3P%, .736 FT%

6 (10) Domantas Sabonis - C - SAC

19.0 Pts, 12.6 Reb (#1), 7.1 Ast (#11), 0.8 Stl, 0.5 Blk, .609 FG% (#10), .360 3P%, .766 FT%

7 (2) Jayson Tatum - PF - BOS

30.2 Pts (#6), 9.0 Reb (#20), 4.7 Ast, 1.0 Stl, 0.7 Blk, .458 FG%, .345 3P%, .861 FT%

8 (5) Ja Morant - PG - MEM

27.1 Pts (#9), 6.0 Reb, 8.2 Ast (#5), 1.1 Stl, 0.2 Blk, .463 FG%, .316 3P%, .744 FT%

9 (NR) Damian Lillard - PG - POR

32.4 Pts (#3), 4.7 Reb, 7.2 Ast (#10), 0.9 Stl, 0.3 Blk, .467 FG%, .377 3P%, .915 FT% (#4)

10 (NR) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG - OKC

31.3 Pts (#5), 4.8 Reb, 5.5 Ast, 1.7 Stl (#4), 1.0 Blk, .511 FG%, .351 3P%, .906 FT% (#6)

Honorable Mention

De'Aaron Fox - PG - SAC; James Harden - PG - PHI; Tyrese Haliburton - PG - IND; Darius Garland - PG - CLE; Jrue Holiday - PG - MIL

All-Time Player Rank Changes

James Harden has passed Jason Kidd to move up to #22

Giannis Antetokounmpo has passed John Havlicek to move up to #40

Damian Lillard has passed Chauncey Billups to move up to #55

Nikola Jokic has passed Sam Jones to move up to #62

Anthony Davis has passed Alex English, Maurice Cheeks, Deron Williams, and Ben Wallace to move up to #66

Draymond Green has passed Alex English to move up to #70

NBA All-Stars 2023

The NBA All-Star Game will take place this weekend, and while most of the players who were selected belong there, there are always several snubs, as well as some players who just don't belong. Using my player rating formula, these are the players who deserve to be All-Star starters and reserves for their play so far this season, with actual starters in bold and actual reserves in italics:

Eastern Conference

Starters

PF - Giannis Antetokounmpo - MIL

PF - Jayson Tatum - BOS

C - Joel Embiid - PHI

PG - Trae Young - ATL

PG - Tyrese Haliburton - IND

Trae Young wasn't even selected to the All-Star team, even though he's the best guard in the East right now. Embiid and Haliburton should have been voted starters (Embiid was named an injury-replacement starter), rather than Kevin Durant (who is injured and won't play), Kyrie Irving (who is a borderline reserve), and Donovan Mitchell (deserving All-Star, should be a reserve).

Reserves

PF - Kevin Durant - BKN*

PF - Julius Randle - NYK

SF - DeMar DeRozan - CHI

PG - James Harden - PHI

PG - Darius Garland - CLE

PG - Jalen Brunson - NYK

SG - Donovan Mitchell - CLE

C - Kristaps Porzingis - WAS (injury replacement)

Bam Adebayo, Jrue Holiday, Pascal Siakim, and Jaylen Brown are the reserves I would leave off the team, though the first 3 on that list are all right on the edge of being reserves.

Western Conference

Starters

C - Nikola Jokic - DEN

PF - LeBron James - LAL

C - Domantas Sabonis - SAC

PG - Luka Doncic - DAL

PG - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - OKC

Ja Morant and Lauri Markkanen were named as injury-replacement starters for Stephen Curry and Zion Williamson, I would have left both on the bench and put Sabonis and SGA in the starting lineup, but I understand Markkanen being named a starter on his home court. Williamson should not be on the All-Star team, he has missed far too many games.

Reserves

C - Anthony Davis - LAL

SF - Lauri Markkanen - UTA

C - Deandre Ayton - PHX

PG - Damian Lillard - POR

PG - Ja Morant - MEM

PG - Stephen Curry - GSW*

PG - De'Aaron Fox - SAC

PG - Russell Westbrook - LAL (injury replacement)

Anthony Edwards, Paul George, and Jaren Jackson Jr are the reserves I would leave off the team, though Edwards is the next player I would choose behind the ones listed above. Davis has missed a lot of games, but has been so dominant when he plays that he deserves a spot, and Ayton has come on very strong over the past several weeks to keep Phoenix afloat as they fought injuries.

All-Time Player Rank Changes

Chris Paul has passed Russell Westbrook back to move up to #17

Giannis Antetokounmpo has passed Dwight Howard to move up to #41

Damian Lillard has passed George McGinnis and Paul Pierce to move up to #56

Kawhi Leonard has passed Ben Wallace and Bob McAdoo to move up to #64

Draymond Green has passed Carmelo Anthony to move up to #71

NBA MVP Rankings - 21 Jan

There is a new leader in the MVP rankings today, even though Jayson Tatum is still the best player on the best team. The best player in the league right now is playing for the best team in the West, which put him on the top of the rankings, making him a real threat to win his 3rd MVP award in a row. Here are my full current rankings, with previous rank in parentheses:

Most Valuable Player

1 (4) Nikola Jokic - C - DEN

25.1 Pts (#15), 11.0 Reb (#5), 9.9 Ast (#2), 1.4 Stl (#13), 0.6 Blk, .626 FG% (#7), .372 3P%, .821 FT%

2 (1) Jayson Tatum - PF - BOS

31.2 Pts (#3), 8.5 Reb, 4.3 Ast, 1.1 Stl, 0.8 Blk, .468 FG%, .351 3P%, .871 FT%

3 (2) Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF - MIL

31.0 Pts (#4), 11.9 Reb (#2), 5.3 Ast, 0.8 Stl, 0.9 Blk, .524 FG%, .245 3P%, .653 FT%

4 (NR) Luka Doncic - PG - DAL

33.7 Pts (#1), 8.9 Reb (#18), 8.8 Ast (#4), 1.5 Stl (#10), 0.6 Blk, .497 FG%, .355 3P%, .731 FT%

5 (8) Ja Morant - PG - MEM

27.2 Pts (#10), 5.6 Reb, 7.9 Ast (#6), 1.0 Stl, 0.3 Blk, .463 FG%, .317 3P%, .748 FT%

6 (NR) Joel Embiid - C - PHI

33.6 Pts (#2), 9.8 Reb (#13), 4.2 Ast, 1.0 Stl, 1.7 Blk (#6), .537 FG%, .352 3P%, .856 FT%

7 (5) Trae Young - PG - ATL

27.1 Pts (#11), 2.8 Reb, 9.7 Ast (#3), 1.0 Stl, 0.1 Blk, .424 FG%, .324 3P%, .897 FT% (#12)

8 (9) Kevin Durant - PF - BRK

29.7 Pts (#5), 6.7 Reb, 5.3 Ast, 0.8 Stl, 1.5 Blk (#8), .559 FG% (#16), .376 3P%, .934 FT% (#1)

9 (6) Jaylen Brown - SF - BOS

26.9 Pts (#12), 7.1 Reb, 3.2 Ast, 1.1 Stl, 0.5 Blk, .495 FG%, .328 3P%, .787 FT%

10 (NR) Domantas Sabonis - C - SAC

18.8 Pts, 12.6 Reb (#1), 7.2 Ast (#11), 0.7 Stl, 0.5 Blk, .609 FG% (#9), .373 3P%, .757 FT%

Honorable Mention: James Harden - PG - PHI, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG - OKC, De'Aaron Fox - PG - SAC, Tyrese Haliburton - PG - IND, LeBron James - PF - LAL

All-Time Player Rank Updates

Russell Westbrook has passed Chris Paul to move up to #17

James Harden has passed Dwyane Wade to move up to #23

Damian Lillard has passed Manu Ginobili, Reggie Miller, and Kevin McHale to move up to #58

Nikola Jokic has passed Draymond Green, Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Alex English, Kawhi Leonard, Maurice Cheeks, Deron Williams, Ben Wallace, and Bob McAdoo to move up to #63

Anthony Davis has passed Carmelo Anthony to stay at #70

Kyrie Irving has passed Sam Cassell and Dominique Wilkins to move up to #73