The NBA Eastern Conference All-Star reserves will feature seven players from seven different teams, a tribute to the parity in the conference. They include one experienced All-Star player and two newcomers crashing the party.
NBA All-Star Game 2016 roster: John Wall, Jimmy Butler lead East reserves
Seven different players from seven different teams will make up the East reserves.
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Miami’s Chris Bosh will be there for the 11th time in his career, and he’ll be joined up front by Atlanta’s Paul Millsap and Detroit’s Andre Drummond, who is making his first appearance in the game. The rest of the team will be made up of guards. Chicago’s Jimmy Butler and Washington’s John Wall will be on the roster as expected, while Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan also gets a spot.
That left Boston’s Isaiah Thomas to claim the final spot on the team. The 5’7 guard beat out Detroit’s Reggie Jackson, Charlotte’s Kemba Walker and Chicago’s Pau Gasol to make his first All-Star appearance.
Here is the Eastern Conference All-Star Team
STARTERS: Kyle Lowry, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony
RESERVES: John Wall, Jimmy Butler, Paul Millsap, Andre Drummond, Chris Bosh, DeMar DeRozan, Isaiah Thomas
This will be Bosh's 11th All-Star Game appearance, and it's well deserved. Bosh hasn't lost a step this year despite missing nearly the entire second half of last season due to a blood clot illness. He's averaging 20.4 points and eight rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from the field and playing his usual strong defense. The Heat have struggled a bit lately and slipped in the standings, but they remain in playoff contention thanks in large part to Bosh's strong, consistent play.
He also remains one of the league’s greatest personalities.
Millsap is having his best NBA season and has established himself as the Hawks' best player. He's averaging career highs across the board -- 18.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 blocks, 23.6 PER -- and has the Hawks comfortably in the top half of the Eastern Conference despite down seasons from Kyle Korver and Jeff Teague. This will be Millsap's third All Star Game.
Had All-Star Game starters been determined by a coaches vote as opposed to fan voting, Butler would have undoubtedly been selected. Instead he'll appear in his second All-Star Game as a reserve. Butler earns this nod as a reward for leading the Bulls in scoring at 22.5 points while remaining one of the league's top perimeter defenders. Butler is also averaging five rebounds and four assists and is leading the NBA in minutes played for the second straight season.
Read our Paul Flannery on how Butler is carrying the Bulls into a new future.
Wall got off to a slow start this season, but has quickly turned things around and has the depleted Wizards back in the hunt for a playoff spot. He's averaging a career-high 19.9 points to go along with 9.7 assists and 2.1 steals, both fourth-best in the league. He is also connecting on 35 percent of his three-pointers, a major uptick from last season. This will be the 25-year-old Wall's third All-Star Game.
In just his fourth season in the league, the 22-year-old Drummond has transformed into one of the NBA's top centers. He's averaging 17.3 points and a league-leading 15.4 rebounds and has the Pistons in contention for a playoff spot, something they haven't earned in six seasons. This is Drummond's first All-Star Game selection.
Get ready for a lot of this:
This is Thomas' first All-Star Game selection. He's averaging 21.7 points and 6.6 assists, both career-highs, and has become the Celtics' primary ball-handler on the offensive end. That Boston has found itself towards the top of the Eastern Conference standings for most of the season no doubt boosted his candidacy.
Entering this seventh season, DeRozan was thought of as a finished product. The Raptors’ wing had always been a productive if not efficient scorer that relied too much on his mid-range jumper. This season, he’s taken his game to a new level by trading those in-between shots for drives to the basket, which have added a new dimension to his game. He’s averaging a career-best 23 points per game on 44 percent shooting and getting to the free throw line over eight times a game. This will be the second All-Star appearance of his career.
Read our Jesus Gomez on how DeRozan has excelled going to the hoop.
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