NBA · 1 year ago

Ranking the Top 8 2024 NBA All-Star Game Reserves

Ben DiGiacomo

Host · Writer

1. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
After a not-so-great start to the season for the Suns, plagued by injuries, they have found a groove in January, but it's been powered by Devin Booker and not Kevin Durant. Booker earned the Western Conference Player of the Month honors in January, averaging 30 points per game as the Suns posted an 11-5 record. Often overshadowed by some of the Western Conference's other star guards and even his teammate, I expect to see Booker establish himself as a top-ten player in the game as the regular season progresses.
8. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
The ultimate test for Tyrese Maxey will come playoff time once Joel Embiid is back and healthy from his torn meniscus because this season has been the best the Sixers have looked in years. Embiid is better than ever, they have reliable role players, and Maxey has emerged as the No. 2 option that Ben Simmons and James Harden never were. Coming off a 51-point night in Utah yesterday, it will be exciting to see how Maxey performs over an extended period with Embiid sidelined.
7. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
The LA Clippers arguably have been the best team in basketball over the past month and a half, and despite their balanced approach, Kawhi Leonard is the one leading this team. Kawhi's numbers this season may not jump off the page, but his poise and control on the floor do wonders for this team with so many mouths to feed. The Clippers' ultimate test will be to be healthy this postseason, but if we get the version of Kawhi in the postseason we saw in Toronto, this team will be representing the West in the NBA Finals.
6. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
How about the Minnesota Timberwolves? What a season they have, as they are currently the top seed in the Western Conference, but none of what they are accomplishing would be possible without the emergence of Anthony Edwards as a star in this league. Averaging 26-5-5 at just 22 years old, the future is bright for Edwards and Minnesota as the Wolves have themselves the face of their franchise for the next decade.
5. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Everything has gone wrong for this Lakers' season after they made the Western Conference Finals last season, but Anthony Davis isn't to blame. Averaging 25 and 12, AD has arguably been the Lakers' most valuable player this season, so we'll wait and see if the Lakers can drum up anything at the trade deadline to maximize what could be the final season of both LeBron James and AD wearing the purple and gold together.
4. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
The Warriors dynasty appears to be done, as this trade deadline or offseason could see the departures of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, but Steph Curry still has plenty of great basketball left to give, and he's showing that all this season. Dropping 27.5 points per game, Curry still is in the upper class of Western Conference guards, so it will be interesting to see what the Warriors do at the trade deadline to either make a run at the Play-In Tournament or position themselves better for the offseason.
3. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Who would have thought the Knicks would be playing basketball this great? What they are pulling off is genuinely unreal. None of what they are doing would be possible without Jalen Brunson, who has seemed to kick it to another gear lately as the Knicks now find themselves holding the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. We'll all wait to see if the Knicks can keep this up into the playoffs, but as basketball fans, you have to enjoy this.
2. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Amid the Knicks' dominance in the East this month, no one has even discussed how great the Cleveland Cavaliers have been. They've won 12 of their last 13 games as Donovan Mitchell took home the Eastern Conference Player of the Month nod. I mean this as no disrespect to Brunson, but as great as Jalen Brunson has been, I'll lean to Mitchell's direction given that he won the Eastern Conference Player of the Month after all and that I still believe Mitchell is a better all-around offensive player. However, seeing them team up wouldn't be so bad, knowing that Mitchell still calls New York home.
1. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
After a not-so-great start to the season for the Suns, plagued by injuries, they have found a groove in January, but it's been powered by Devin Booker and not Kevin Durant. Booker earned the Western Conference Player of the Month honors in January, averaging 30 points per game as the Suns posted an 11-5 record. Often overshadowed by some of the Western Conference's other star guards and even his teammate, I expect to see Booker establish himself as a top-ten player in the game as the regular season progresses.
8. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
The ultimate test for Tyrese Maxey will come playoff time once Joel Embiid is back and healthy from his torn meniscus because this season has been the best the Sixers have looked in years. Embiid is better than ever, they have reliable role players, and Maxey has emerged as the No. 2 option that Ben Simmons and James Harden never were. Coming off a 51-point night in Utah yesterday, it will be exciting to see how Maxey performs over an extended period with Embiid sidelined.

Ranking the Top 8 2024 NBA All-Star Game Reserves

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