The Eastern Conference Second-Team NBA All-Stars

Forget snubs, let’s pick a full 12-man Second-Team All-Star roster. Do Pascal Siakam or John Collins make the cut?

NBA All-Star Weekend is nearly upon us, and the All-Star rosters are locked and loaded. It’s an annual February tradition: we select 12 stars from the West and 12 from the East, then spend most of All-Star Weekend complaining about the guys we left out. So why not include them in the fun? We pick Second- and Third-Team NBA guys at the end of the season. Why not select Second-Team All-Stars too?

If the 24 guys selected to the official All-Star teams were off the board, which of the remaining players would be chosen as All-Stars? I’m starting with the actual All-Star rosters, not the ones I already selected myself a couple weeks ago. We’re following all the usual rules, which means picking a starting five that includes a center and a balanced 12-man roster, and it means 12 from the East and 12 from the West. We’ll start with our East picks today where we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel, then return tomorrow with the West where it’s another problem entirely. Off we go!

The Second-Team Starters

The starters won’t need much introduction because we’ve already been talking about them. They’re the guys that almost made the actual All-Star team, the snubs we’re making this Second-Team to recognize.

F Jimmy Butler, Philadelphia

Butler was not an All-Star snub. He tanked a team’s season for a month and has only played 35 of 57 Philly games. But now that he’s trying again, he’s producing as his same peak production with a career-best 59% true shooting. We’ll see how he adjusts to an even smaller role going forward, but he’s an All-Star talent worthy of a Second-Team berth this year.

F Al Horford, Boston

Al Horford is producing the same per-36 numbers as ever, he’s just playing four fewer minutes a game. That’s fine on a team this deep. Horford is still central to everything the Celtics do on offense and defense, and that means far more than a 12/7/4 line can ever represent. Horford was the top snub from my East All-Star picks. He’s an easy starter choice here.

C Myles Turner, Indiana

The numbers aren’t blowing anyone away, much like the rest of these starters, but 14 points and 7 boards underrates Turner’s contributions. He leads the league with 2.7 blocks per game and is a real contender for Defensive Player of the Year, and he’s found an expanded role on offense too, adding a three pointer a game at an impressive 41% clip.

G Eric Bledsoe, Milwaukee

It’s impressive that Bledsoe has a career-best 59% true shooting despite a 32% three and his lowest free throw rate ever. That’s all thanks to an awesome 60% on twos, way up from the 48% he sported before coming to Milwaukee. It turns out Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t the only guy benefiting from all that Bucks spacing. But buyer beware if he ends up leaving this summer.

G Marcus Smart, Boston

Smart is officially the Draymond Green of the East. You already know about his defense, as good and important as ever, but did you know Marcus Smart is making 37% of his threes this season? It’s true, I triple checked. He’s taking better shots in fewer minutes and has suddenly raised a sub-100 career offensive rating to a legitimately good 114. If this is real and we suddenly have a top-10 defender that’s a positive on offense, I regret to inform you that the Celtics now have another top-35 player on a long, cheap contract they just signed this summer. I’m sorry you had to find out this way.

Second-Team Reserve Locks

Since we’re picking 12 players to form a proper All-Star team, there are a few more pretty easy, consensus type picks. I see three of them in the East, so we’re locking them in to get to eight Second-Team All-Stars.

F Pascal Siakam, Toronto

If you want to start Siakam over Horford, I’ll allow it. I give the benefit of the doubt to the guys who’ve done it longer, but that’s not to take anything away from Siakam, a true Most Improved Player candidate. It’s not just that Siakam’s minutes are up 50%. It’s that his minutes are up and against starters now, and his per-minute production has stayed the same or increased. His free throws are up, and his scoring rate is way up. He’s become a player every team in the NBA wants now. Teams will scour the G League and the NBA Draft looking for “the next Siakam.” That’s how good and how important he is.

F John Collins, Atlanta

There are easy reasons to doubt John Collins. He’s missed 16 games, and he’s getting a lot of easy buckets and boards in meaningless Atlanta games. But he’s also putting up a 19/10 each night with good shooting, routine highlight plays, and a 122 offensive rating on a team with a rookie point guard. And this is the East we’re talking about. Collins probably wouldn’t make the West Second-Team, but neither would anyone else going forward.

G Josh Richardson, Miami

I’m a huge Josh Richardson fan, but his presumed breakout season is being a bit overrated. The 18ppg are mostly just an increase in shooting volume, and despite the nice three, he’s still making a terrible 44% of his twos, about in line with his career rate. Still, 18ppg on one end and outstanding perimeter defense on the other as the top player on an East playoff team? Sure thing.

A Few Eastern Also-Rans

That leaves four more roster spots, and it’s starting to get ugly. I texted Adam Silver to see if we can just add Marc Gasol and Tobias Harris to the East Second-Team All-Stars, but I haven’t heard back yet.

A few guys who wouldn’t be included and weren’t even considered very closely: Zach LaVine, Trae Young, Brook Lopez, Aaron Gordon, and Hassan Whiteside. I don’t feel the need to defend any of those omissions.

J.J. Redick got some All-Star buzz, but All-Star games are for stars and Redick is a very good role player. He makes defenses work hard and hits a lot of threes, but the fourth best guy on a non-Warriors team isn’t supposed to be an All-Star. The same goes for the ever-underrated Thaddeus Young, but let’s appreciate an excellent 3-and-D four. Let’s throw Malcolm Brogdon into this group, too. He’s putting up 16, 5, and 3 shooting 41% from deep and 94% from the line. All three of these guys are unrestricted free agents this summer. You should hope your team signs them.

You’re waiting for Jayson Tatum talk, and he feels like a future All-Star but we’re not there yet. He’s at 16 and 6 on good-not-great shooting with good-not-great defense which makes him a good-not-great player. Give it time. Marcus Morris has been the better Celtics forward, matching Tatum’s line with better shooting numbers and more defense. Bojan Bogdanovic is Indiana’s version of Tatum but with last year’s shooting. I’m never a fan of letting guys shoot their way onto an All-Star team with a couple hot months.

Serge Ibaka is a lazy choice. His move to center has led to an increase in scoring, but it’s all been twos as his three is pretty well gone. Toronto’s system always makes centers look great. Jarrett Allen is a more traditional center, a poor man’s version of someone like Steven Adams or Clint Capela. Worthy considerations, but I ultimately settled on three final Eastern picks.

The Final Four Picks

G D’Angelo Russell, Brooklyn

I thought Russell making the real-life All-Star team as a Victor Oladipo injury replacement was a bit of a joke after a hot January gave him exactly one positive month for his career, but we need more guards and he’d make my Second-Team so I’m including him here where he’s earned his spot.

C Andre Drummond, Detroit

I’m not very excited either, but it’s hard to quibble with 17 points, a league-leading 15 rebounds, and 3+ stocks a game. Drummond even has a passable free throw now. Is Drummond even a top-20 NBA center? It’s close, but it’s the East, so he’ll have to do.

C Domantas Sabonis, Indiana

We’re taking two actual bench players to fill out our bench, and no East sixth man has been as good as Sabonis. His production is undeniable; it’s just in 25 minutes a game against a lot of backups. Still, how do you argue with 21 points, 13 boards, and 4 dimes per 36 minutes? Besides, Sabonis would be a fun add to any All-Star team.

G Spencer Dinwiddie, Nets

Dinwiddie is my final pick, because I feel like it. He’s missed a little time but is still averaging 17 and 5 on 54/37/80 shooting, a sparkling 60% true shooting. He may not be starting on his own team, but that doesn’t mean he’s not the best Nets point guard. I say Dinwiddie is the best player on the sixth best team in the East, and I say a guy that was bouncing around the G-League just three years ago is worth celebrating.

The Eastern Conference NBA Second-Team All-Stars

G Eric Bledsoe G Marcus Smart F Jimmy Butler F Al Horford C Myles Turner

BENCH: Pascal Siakam, John Collins, Josh Richardson, D’Angelo Russell, Andre Drummond, Domantas Sabonis, Spencer Dinwiddie

Thanks for reading! Come back tomorrow for the Western Conference Second-Team NBA All-Stars!

Stats are updated through February 11. An earlier version mistakenly included Kyle Lowry, who is already an actual All-Star!

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