We are in the midst of what Bill Simmons and Tim Legler called a really weird NBA season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder looked like the best team of all time for the first two months of the season, but have since become a pedestrian 14-9 team since December 11. Star players like Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and LeBron James have missed a ton of games. Giannis is finally, maybe, kind of open to thinking about a trade away from Milwaukee. And outside of Oklahoma City, there are at least a dozen teams who might be one deadline trade away from thinking they can make the Finals.
To keep the weird vibes going, the NBA will unleash the revamped All-Star game format on an unsuspecting public in two weeks. The starters were announced last week to little fanfare on whichever broadcast partner is the main one now, I think it’s Peacock.
Anthony Edwards wasn’t named an All-Star starter thanks to losing a tie-breaker with Victor Wembanayma because more fans voted for Deni Avdija than Edwards. He’s a lock to be named an All-Star reserve for the fourth consecutive season when they’re announced on Sunday Night Basketball on Peacock, I guess. It probably won’t happen, but Edwards should be joined in Los Angeles by his teammate, Julius Randle.
Julius Randle is having arguably the best season of his career at age 31 in his 12th year in the NBA. He hasn’t missed a single one of Minnesota’s 48 games this season and is averaging 22.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game on 60 percent true shooting. He’s already a three-time All-Star with the New York Knicks and is the second-best player on a Wolves team that is on pace to win 50 games, and sits a half-game out of fourth place in the congested Western Conference playoff picture. But competition is fierce for the seven reserve slots in the West/American/whichever All-Star roster MrBeast is probably in charge of.
Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Steph Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Victor Wembanyama were named the West starters. The mortal locks to be named reserves include Edwards, Kevin Durant, Jamal Murray, and a late-breaking addition, Deni Avdija, of the surging Portland Trail Blazers. It would be tough to argue for any of those players.
Edwards is the best player on Randle’s own team. Durant is a legend and still one of the best players in the league on one of the best teams in the West at 37 years old. Murray is the best player in the NBA who has never made an All-Star appearance. He has averaged 27.8 points and 8.5 assists per game with the Denver Nuggets since Jokic went down with a knee injury. And Avdija is the betting favorite to win the Most Improved Player award while averaging 25.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on a Blazers team scrapping for a Play-In spot.
The competition for the final three spots could be its own All-Star team. Chet Holmgren is healthy and anchoring the league’s best defense. Alperen Sengun is continuing his ascendance as Baby Jokic. Devin Booker has the Phoenix Suns back in playoff contention. Kawhi Leonard is back to being the Terminator, leading the LA Clippers out of a 6-21 start to the season. James Harden is still doing his thing in Year 18.
And of course, LeBron James is looking to make his 22nd straight All-Star Game. Although he’s missed 17 games already, you have to believe there’s no way the coaches and Adam Silver would keep LeBron off the All-Star roster in what could be his last season.
Holmgren is the second-best player on a Thunder team that is still on pace to win 65 games this season and trying to repeat as champions. Sengun was an All-Star last year and is arguably the best player on one of the top teams in the West. Booker and the Suns are one of the surprises of the season and could get rewarded for winning with a team many thought was destined for the lottery. And Leonard is the star of the host team, playing his best basketball since joining the Clippers and putting the offseason Aspiration controversy behind him (for now).
As things stand right now, Randle is likely on the outside looking in. He’s been a fantastic second option behind Edwards and stepped up as a go-to performer during the 10 games Ant has missed this season. But too many players are having better seasons, playing on better teams, or having higher profiles in the league. There still might be a path for Julius Randle to represent the Timberwolves in Los Angeles in February.
A whole lot of players in the mix for a West reserve spot have had injury issues this season. Jokic has been out since hyperextending his knee against the Miami Heat on December 29. He’ll be re-evaluated in about a week, meaning his status for the All-Star game is extremely uncertain. If Jokic sits, the problem for Randle is that Adam Silver would need to replace him with an international player to keep the teams balanced.
Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards has been dealing with nagging injury issues all season. Edwards missed four games early in the season with a hamstring strain. He’s missed six more games in December and January, nursing a foot injury that looks like it’s not going away anytime soon. It’s entirely possible that Edwards uses the All-Star break to rest his foot and sits out the game.
That would leave an American slot, and replacing Edwards with his worthy teammate could be a good narrative. Booker is currently out with an ankle injury. It should be short-term, but if it lingers, he may miss the game. There are usually a few injury replacements, so if there are two or three this season, Randle could sneak in.
It’s unlikely that Julius Randle will be selected for his fourth All-Star game this season. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t acknowledge him and the season he’s having.