12/10/2023 0 Comments Nba east and west![]() ![]() With the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis missing most or all of the season due to injuries, this could have been the year Gobert cracked the starting lineup for the first time. Utah is 12th in the league on that end of the floor without strong perimeter defense to back up what Gobert brings in the paint-a testament to just how dominant he is there. The individual numbers are there (16.0 points, 15.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game), as is the defensive impact. Regardless, Gobert was clearly the more deserving selection here. This may have been due to it seeming counterintuitive to vote for two centers in the small-ball era of the NBA, and it could have been seen as an either-or choice between him and Jokic even though that isn't the way the actual ballot is broken down. ![]() The addition of player and media votes was supposed to keep the starters from being a pure popularity contest, but Gobert couldn't make up the ground in either case. Gobert is the obvious loser of the surprising announcement that Wiggins got the third Western Conference frontcourt spot. ![]() But Doncic's case to be a starter for the third year in a row was legit. More goes into these selections than individual stats, and Morant had Doncic beat among the fan, player and media voting that determined his status as a starter. And while their scoring numbers are virtually the same, Doncic's counting stats in other categories outpace Morant's (8.9 rebounds per game to Morant's 5.9 8.7 assists to Morant's 6.9). Both have missed around the same amount of time due to injuries (Doncic has missed 15 games Morant has missed 13), and the Mavs are 6-9 without Doncic while the Grizzlies are 11-2 without Morant, suggesting that Doncic is more essential to his team's success. The case for Doncic: He has the Mavericks sitting at fifth out West with a much weaker supporting cast than the one Morant has. There are strong arguments on both sides of this debate. Until the Wiggins curveball, the biggest question about the Western Conference field was which of Doncic and Morant would get the second backcourt spot next to Curry. Non-playoff teams have had All-Star starters before, but the edge is usually given to the player on the winning team if all else is equal, making it something of a surprise LaVine didn't get the nod here. The Bulls are currently half a game out of first in the East but have spent much of the year atop the conference, while Young's Hawks are currently on the outside looking in at the expanded 10-team play-in tournament pool. Team success is the other factor that many argue should give LaVine the edge over Young. He's proved more than capable of sharing touches with DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Nikola Vucevic over a full season, and his own production has stayed right where it was last season, when he made the All-Star team for the first time in his career. ![]() LaVine's teammate, DeMar DeRozan, got a spot in the backcourt, and LaVine has a strong argument that he should have been the one to join him instead of Atlanta's Trae Young.ÄeRozan is the one getting fringe MVP buzz, but LaVine has been just as important to Chicago's surprise success. Four of the five Eastern Conference selections were clear-cut and non-controversial. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |