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Picking the most deserving All-Star reserves

Rocky Widner / National Basketball Association / Getty

The starters - and snubs - for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game have been revealed, with 14 reserves to be named next Thursday.

Here are the two guards, three frontcourt players, and two wild cards from each conference who deserve an invite to join the 10 starters in the Feb. 19 game.

Eastern Conference

Guards

Kyle Lowry, Isaiah Thomas

Lowry is the best player on the Eastern Conference's second-best team, but DeMar DeRozan's old-school scoring exploits have overshadowed that somewhat. Turnabout is fair play, though: Lowry started the last two All-Star games while close friend DeRozan joined him off the bench last year. This season, it's the other way around. - John Chick

The only knock on Thomas is that he's physically incapable of guarding 80 percent of players in the league, but his offense more than makes up for any deficiencies on D. Thomas leads the East in scoring and leads the NBA in fourth-quarter points. - William Lou

Frontcourt

Kevin Love, Paul George, Paul Millsap

George may never be good enough to build a true contender around, but he's as valuable a contributor as any superstar in the league. Indiana has once again relied heavily on its three-time All-Star to remain a top-eight team in the East, performing close to 11 points per 100 possessions better with George on the court. - Patrick Britton

Love may never again enjoy the usage he shouldered in Minnesota, but the star big man is posting his best statistical season as a Cavalier thanks to an increased role in his first full season under Tyronn Lue. Love is one of only five players - and the only one from the East - averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. - Joseph Casciaro

Millsap will never get the credit he deserves, but his all-around impact is the main reason why the Hawks sit near the top of the East year after year. Though his shooting percentages are down from a year ago, the 6-foot-8 forward is still putting up big numbers across the board, averaging 17.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.9 steals, 1.6 steals, and a block this season. - Patrick Britton

Wild cards

John Wall, Kemba Walker

The Wizards have won 16 of 22 to climb into the East's top five, and no one is more responsible for that surge than Wall, who's averaging a career-high 23.1 points, 10.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and a league-leading 2.3 steals on a true shooting percentage of 55.1. - Joseph Casciaro

Walker represents the Hornets' only hope of cracking 100 points on any given night. His ability to pull up for threes around screens forces bigs to come up, and that threat creates the advantage with which Charlotte can initiate its attack. He combines that deadly jumper with a lightning-quick crossover and pesky on-ball defense. - William Lou

Toughest snub: Joel Embiid

Western Conference

Guards

Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul

Westbrook's exclusion from the West's starting lineup was an abomination, so it's obvious that he's the first guard off the bench. On the day Donald Trump is inaugurated as president, it's worth pointing out that the last player to average a triple-double over the course of the NBA season - as Westbrook is doing so far - was Oscar Robertson ... during the John F. Kennedy administration. - John Chick

It's a shame that Paul injured his thumb because the Point God was enjoying one of the most efficient seasons of his career. Paul leads the entire league in Real Plus-Minus and remains as efficient as ever on both sides of the ball. His consistency makes it easy to overlook his brilliance. - William Lou

Injury replacement: C.J. McCollum

McCollum's strong season shouldn't be minimized. While the Blazers are Damian Lillard's team first, McCollum has picked things up when Lillard has struggled, and they wouldn't be in the playoff race without him. McCollum remains one of the NBA's top 3-point threats, hitting 42.2 percent from beyond the arc. - John Chick

Frontcourt

DeMarcus Cousins, Draymond Green, Marc Gasol

Cousins, the best traditional center in the game today, will almost certainly get his third All-Star nod. He's averaging a career high in scoring through Thursday, and while the loss of Rudy Gay hurts, the Kings are still fighting for a playoff spot in January. - John Chick

Green's brilliant play can sometimes be overshadowed by his on-court antics, but make no mistake, the Warriors' Swiss Army knife is as deserving of an All-Star spot as any player on this list. The outspoken power forward ranks first in Defensive Box Plus-Minus, third in defensive rating, third in steals per game, and fourth in defensive win shares. - Patrick Britton

Gasol is somehow still getting better in his age-32 season. In addition to anchoring the league's No. 4 defense, the Grizzlies center is averaging a career-high 19.6 points, six rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.4 blocks, and a steal, while converting a stunning 38.3 percent of his 3.4 3-point attempts per game. - Joseph Casciaro

Wild cards

Rudy Gobert, Klay Thompson

Gobert was always the backbone of Utah's defense, but the French Rejection has also grown into a terror on offense. Gobert ranks second in field-goal percentage and has become the deadliest lob threat in the league. He is the only Jazz starter who has started every game on a team that will finish with a top-four record. - William Lou

Thompson may not be a top-three player on his own team, but he still ranks as one of the best two-way guards in the league. He's followed a slow start to the season with two months of stellar play, flirting with a 50-40-90 line since mid-November. - Patrick Britton

Toughest snubs: Gordon Hayward, DeAndre Jordan, Mike Conley

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