We have reached the agreed date and the NBA has announced which players from each conference will participate in the next All-Star Game as substitutes. We know the ten players who will be on the court from the initial jump for a week, and now it’s the turn to meet those who will be biding their time from the bench.
The seven reservists who were announced in the afternoon of Tuesday, were selected by the coaches of each conference. The seven places were divided between two outside players, three inside and two spaces with wild cards so that the rosters were completed with 12 athletes per team.
For the Eastern Conference, those selected were: James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers, Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls, Julius Randle of the New York Knicks and Nikola Vucevic of the Magic of ‘Orlando.
While for the Western Conference they were selected: Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns, Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans, Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, and Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers.
As every year, controversies are already starting to develop in the media and social networks. The most notable absences from the Western Conference may be those of Mike Conley, Devin Booker, DeMar DeRozan, or even young people Ja Morant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Mike Conley’s case will surely be one of the most memorable. The Utah Jazz point guard, currently the best team in the league, is widely regarded as the best active player to ever make an All-Star Game. But all will still have a chance to be nominated by the NBA as reservists; due to the injury suffered by Anthony Davis which will cause him to miss the event.
At the Eastern Conference, for their part, they are not immune to controversy. With so many names worth picking up, it’s inevitable that good players will be left out. This is the case of Domantas Sabonis, Trae Young or Jimmy Butler; that despite their good seasons, they will not be able to participate in the All-Star Game (except for a few injuries to players already chosen).
Remember that these teams will not play divided by conferences. As has been the case for the past three years, the top-voted players from each conference will hold a televised draft on March 4 where they will choose who to play with. In this 2021 edition, LeBron James and Kevin Durant will be in charge of the team selection.
The LeBron team will be led by Quin Snyder, coach of Utah Jazz, the team with the best record in the Western Conference. While the Durant team will report to Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers, the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Finally, it should be noted that in this edition of the All-Star we will have four newbies, who could be more dependent on a new player included to cover the injured. For now, those making their debut will be Zion Williamson, Jaylen Brown, Zach Lavine and Julius Randle.
(Cover photo by Jonathan Daniel /.)
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