The NBA All-Star Game reserves were announced on Thursday night, and to nobody’s surprise, no Hornets were selected to participate in the event. For the second straight season, Charlotte will be without an all-star game representative, as the teams take the floor on February 18th in Indianapolis.
With LaMelo Ball not playing in nearly enough games to make the team, it became clear that no Hornet would make it. This became even more abundantly clear once the likely leading candidate, Terry Rozier was traded in January.
However, despite the 12-man Eastern Conference All-Star squad being finalized, it’s looking like multiple players will miss the game due to injury, thus requiring a replacement player. Julius Randle will definitely miss the game and it looks increasingly likely that Joel Embiid will as well.
So who would be the most likely Hornet?
Due to Ball missing too many games and Rozier being traded, the player with the best case to make it would have to be Miles Bridges. Bridges is having a nice year, with 21 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, but putting up those numbers with unspectacular defense on an awful team is not much of a case at all.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver gets to make the selections for replacement players, so there are no set criteria, just whoever he thinks is most deserving. I can’t pretend to know what Silver is thinking but here is my completely unbiased list of every player in the Eastern Conference that I would offer an invitation to before I would get to Bridges.
- Trae Young, Hawks
- Kristaps Porzingis, Celtics
- Scottie Barnes, Raptors
- Derrick White, Celtics
- Jarrett Allen, Cavaliers
- Coby White, Bulls
- Pascal Siakam, Pacers
- Jimmy Butler, Heat
- Mikal Bridges, Nets
- Franz Wagner, Magic
- DeMar DeRozan, Bulls
- Dejounte Murray, Hawks
- Cam Thomas, Nets
- Terry Rozier, Heat
So assuming there are two replacement spots available, if 13 out of those 14 players declined my invitation, I would offer Miles Bridges a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. In a 15-team conference, 26 players are having a better year than the best-performing Hornet this season.
Sure, if LaMelo had played more he’d be higher up this list, but he’s on pace to play in under 52 games for the third time in his four-year career. Let’s hope he can stay healthy going forward, and Brandon Miller can keep improving, and then maybe we’ll see Hornets players become fixtures at the All-Star Game for years to come. We deserve it.