Besides Curry, who will be the Warriors’ next All-Star?
For the seventh time in his career, Stephen Curry will start in the NBA All-Star Game. At 32, he’s showing no signs of slowing down and it’s realistic he could break the franchise record for All-Star honors (Paul Arizin, 10). The Warriors are banking on Curry doing just that, and playing at an MVP level to keep the title window open. But for Golden State to be considered a championship contender again, Curry will need All-Star teammates.
It’s unlikely any will join Curry
at this year’s scaled-down showcase. Draymond Green has been important, but he is not putting up All-Star type numbers. Andrew Wiggins is having a career renaissance but not yet deserving of quite an honor.
So, who will be Curry’s next teammate to make an All-Star game? Here are the possibilities.
DRAYMOND GREEN » Though he made three straight AllStar games from 2015 to 2018, Green isn’t the player who puts up All-Star caliber statistics and, at 30 years old, that isn’t likely to change. At this phase of his career, Green is content to manage the game and, while he’s undoubtedly one of Golden State’s most impactful players, that won’t show up in the box score. KLAY THOMPSON » A fivetime All-Star (2014-2019), Thompson will need to be close to the player he was prior to an ACL tear and Achilles tear that robbed him of two years of his prime when he returns next season. Even if he’s not the elite on-ball defender he was during Golden State’s Finals runs, he should still be a productive and efficient shooter. Will that be enough to garner All-Star consideration? Especially in a conference with youngsters who have made an All-Star game more recently than Thompson in Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell, and up-and-coming guards such as Ja Morant, De’Aaron Fox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seeking to make their first All-Star appearances. ANDREW WIGGINS » A year ago, the idea of Wiggins making an All-Star game seemed impossible. But in Golden State, he’s turned his career around — he’s never shot better and has emerged as a trusted perimeter defender. However, that newfound efficiency has come at the cost of usage, and, unless his team is on pace to win 60-plus games, it’s rare that a third (or fourth) option on offense is named an All-Star. That said, if Thompson takes a step back and Wiggins takes a step up, and can improve his scoring numbers from 18 points per game to something closer to 24, he could have a chance to make it as a reserve. JAMES WISEMAN » Wiseman has All-Star potential, and smart money would be on him eventually reaching that potential. The question for the Warriors is: how soon will that be? Rudy Gobert didn’t make his first All-Star game until he was 27. It took Chris Bosh three seasons. Anthony Davis — who was much more of a sure-thing prospect than Wiseman — made it his second year. For All-Star voting purposes, big men and forwards are lumped into the same category, and anywhere from six to eight are voted in. Unfortunately, that may not help Wiseman, who will have to also compete with the likes of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Zion Williamson, among others.