The Eastern and Western conference reserves for the 68th NBA All-Star Game were announced on Tuesday night, setting the table for the inaugural NBA All-Star Draft Show.
The reserves were selected by the head coaches from around the league.
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the top vote-getters in both conferences, will have a bevy of players to choose from, including a few first-time All-Stars.
The Eastern Conference reserves: Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards; Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons; Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors; Khris Middleton; Milwaukee Bucks; Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers; Ben Simmons; Philadelphia 76ers; and Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic.
The Western Conference reserves: LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs; Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans; Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets; Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers; Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors; Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves; and Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder.
Westbrook will make his eighth All-Star appearance for the Thunder, the most in franchise history. The former MVP is yet again averaging a triple-double for the third consecutive season — 21.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 10.8 assists.
Simmons, last season’s Rookie of the Year, will be making his first appearance in the All-Star Game. He was also named to the Rising Stars Challenge earlier this week.
Jokic, Middleton and Vucevic will also make their All-Star debuts in Charlotte.
Due to a season-ending knee injury, Oladipo will miss the exhibition and his replacement will be selected by Commissioner Adam Silver.
As the overall top vote-getter, who will James select with the first pick?
Kevin Durant is arguably the best overall player among the pool, so he can’t go wrong there. On the other hand, the Los Angeles Lakers have aggressively trying to acquire Anthony Davis, so maybe this is a chance to offer fans a preview of what could be.
The NBA All-Star Draft show will be held on Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. on TNT, while the NBA All-Star Game will take place on Feb. 17 at 8 p.m.
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