The U.S. media commented on the All-Star 24-man list: James Durant was not selected as a starter Harden was not nominated
As the 2024 All-Star Game starters and bench lists are announced, Michael Pineer, an expert from The Ringer in the American media, has launched a column to select the 24-man All-Star squad. It should be noted that Pina's selection of this list was purely based on hard power and performance, and did not consider emotional factors. Therefore, there will inevitably be some controversy in his selection, such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant not being selected as starters.
Western starting backcourt: Doncic, Alexander
Doncic averaged 22.6 points, 9.2 assists, and 8.3 rebounds per game, while Alexander averaged 31.1 points, 6.3 assists per game, and led the league with 2.2 steals.
Western starting frontcourt: Davis, Leonard, Jokic
Western subs frontcourt: James, Durant, Gobert
The controversy in the Western Conference frontcourt is that Durant and James are not selected to start, and Pina says he respects James, but now Davis is the toughest character in the eyes of opponents, and their scouting report will target Davis. Davis has scored 1.13 points per game on his low-post offense this season, which ranks fourth in the league, and his defensive deterrence goes without saying.
Pina also said that James and Durant are good enough to start, that they can still play super efficiently at this age and that they are also expected to have a high attendance rate this year. It's just that Davis and Leonard do a better job of both offense and defense.
Western Conference Bench Backcourt: Fox, Curry
Fox has played a career masterpiece this season. Although Curry began to decline in December, the basic market is still there, and the flaw is that the team's record is not ideal.
Western Wildcards: Markkanen, Edwards
Markkanen continued to improve on last season's performance, and Edwards also made a leap forward and the team finished first in the West.
Western Jewels: Booker, George, Sabonis Jr., Zion, Shin King, Bane, Towns, Ingram, Murray, Jalen Williams, Wembanyama
The call for Harden to return to the All-Star this season was high, and Draymond Green thought Harden deserved it, but Pina did not nominate Harden.
Eastern starting backcourt: Haliburton, Brunson
Haliburton averaged 23.6 points and 12.6 assists per game, leading the Pacers to the best offense in the league, and there was no suspense that he would be selected as the starter.
Another spot is difficult to pick, in addition to Brunson, Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young and others can also be nominated, but based on this season's performance and defense, Brunson qualifies as a starter.
Eastern Conference starting frontcourt: Embiid, Antetokounmpo, Tatum
There is no suspense in the starting frontcourt in the East, everyone deserves the starting position, they are all MVP candidates, and they are both offensive and defensive types.
Eastern subs backfield: Maxey, Mitchell
Maxey has improved dramatically this season, with Mitchell leading the team to a good record with injuries to Garland and Mobley, and the two deserve to be selected as All-Stars off the bench.
Eastern subs frontcourt: Scottie Barnes, Jaylen Brown, Adebayo
The Eastern Conference bench frontcourt is a bit short and pulls the general, Barnes has improved a lot, but the Raptors have a poor record. Brown has regressed this season, Bam Adebayo has averaged attendance this season, and the Heat's recent record has also declined.
Eastern Wild Card: Lillard, Young
Eastern Jewels: Randle, Banchero, Siakam, Jarrett Allen, Derrick White, Butler, Mikal Bridges