Image Source: Dan Devine
Key Takeaways
- The NBA All-Star Game voting process has changed again, with a round-robin tournament featuring two teams of American players and one "world" roster.
- The voting remains the same, with fan voting accounting for 50% of the final result, and player and media ballots accounting for 25% each.
- The ballot has gone fully positionless, allowing voters to pick five players from each conference without considering positions.
- The author’s Western Conference starting five includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Dončić, and Anthony Edwards.
- These players have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance, with Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić being top contenders for the Most Valuable Player award.
Introduction to the Voting Process
The NBA All-Star Game voting process has undergone another change, with a new round-robin tournament format featuring two teams of American players and one "world" roster. Despite the changes, the voting process remains the same, with fan voting accounting for 50% of the final result, and player and media ballots accounting for 25% each. As a media member, the author was given the opportunity to vote for the starting players, and they have shared their selections for the Western Conference. As the author notes, "You vote for five guys in each conference, with fan voting accounting for 50% of the final result, with player and media ballots accounting for 25% each."
Western Conference Starting Five
The author’s Western Conference starting five includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Dončić, and Anthony Edwards. These players have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance, with Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić being top contenders for the Most Valuable Player award. Gilgeous-Alexander has been on a "legitimately historic run," averaging 31.9 points per game on 55/39/89 shooting splits, and is on pace for his fourth straight 30-point season. As the author states, "Only three guards in NBA history have averaged 30 points and five assists per game while shooting 50% from the floor. Stephen Curry did it during his unanimous MVP season in 2015-16. Michael Jordan did it five times. Gilgeous-Alexander, in Year 8, is on pace for his fourth … in a row."
Nikola Jokić’s Exceptional Performance
Nikola Jokić has also been having an incredible season, leading the league in rebounding and assists, and is on pace to join Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to average a 30-point triple-double for a season. Jokić’s performance has been "consistently pronounced," with the Nuggets scoring an absurd 130.1 points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions in his minutes. As the author notes, "Missed games be damned: The list of players who’ve had a more consistently pronounced on-court impact than Jokić this season is either one name long or it doesn’t exist."
Victor Wembanyama’s Impressive Season
Victor Wembanyama has been a key factor in the Spurs’ rise to third place in the West, averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists per game on 51.4% shooting at age 22. Despite missing games due to injury, Wembanyama’s performance has been impressive, and he has earned a starting spot on the author’s ballot. As the author states, "Dude’s averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds and three assists per game on 51.4% shooting at age 22 — no one’s done that since Kareem, 56 years ago — while also profiling as the most menacing defensive force on the planet."
Luka Dončić and Anthony Edwards
Luka Dončić leads the NBA in scoring at 33.4 points per game, and has been instrumental in the Lakers’ success, with the team scoring like the Thunder with him on the floor and like the Pelicans with him off it. Anthony Edwards has also had an impressive season, averaging a career-best 28.9 points per game on.626 true shooting, and has been a key factor in the Timberwolves’ rise up the standings. As the author notes, "The two-way play, the growth as a facilitator, the ongoing scaling-up of his scoring and efficiency and that close-and-late excellence — all in service of keeping the Wolves in the hunt in the West — earned Edwards the last spot on my ballot."
Conclusion
In conclusion, the author’s Western Conference starting five includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Dončić, and Anthony Edwards. These players have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance, and have earned their spots on the author’s ballot. As the author states, "I landed on Edwards, in recognition of both his role in fueling Minnesota’s rise up the standings — just a game out of second in the West entering Thursday’s games, with the NBA’s best record and fourth-best net rating since Thanksgiving — and his scintillating individual production."
https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/nba-all-star-2026-picking-the-western-conference-starters-201414563.html