The Pick and Pop: Picking the Eastern Conference All-Star reserves
The Pick and Pop is where theScore's NBA editors discuss the week's biggest stories in the Association. This week, on the heels of Thursday's announcement of All-Star starters, we collaborate to fill out the All-Star rosters of the respective conferences.
Related: Picking the Western Conference reserves
Eastern Conference
William Lou: Jimmy Butler, Guard
Butler's been the one constant in a whirlwind season in Chicago. Derrick Rose has struggled, the frontcourt rotation has been a mess, and Fred Hoiberg's largely been marginalized in his first season as head coach. Despite all that, Butler has his Bulls in fourth place and he's single-handedly carried the team to victory on many occasions (see his 42- and 53-point games).
Chris Walder: Andre Drummond, Frontcourt
The Pistons losing Greg Monroe created a gaping hole around the rim for Drummond to step into and gobble up more rebounds. He's leading the NBA in that department with a staggering 15.4 per game, while also upping his productivity on the offensive end. Simply put, the 22-year-old giant has been beasting for a Pistons squad right in the thick of the playoff picture.
Sam Morsy: DeMar DeRozan, Guard
DeRozan has added to his game each year of his career, becoming the blue collar driving force of the second-seed Raptors that's before us today. He is deadly from anywhere inside the arc, unafraid to take the last shot, and will - incredibly - put Rudy Gobert on a poster. Presently the best 2-guard in the East after Butler.
John Chick: Chris Bosh, Frontcourt
Bosh has been Miami's best player this season and frankly deserves a spot more than the rapidly aging Dwyane Wade or the misleading statistics of Hassan Whiteside. Some of Bosh's advanced stats rank as the best of his career, which isn't bad for a 13-year vet who faced a life-threatening medical condition last season. Returning to Toronto for the event has a nice feel to it as well.
Patrick Britton: John Wall, Wild card
The injury-riddled Wizards have failed to reach expectations this season, but Washington is still in the hunt for a playoff spot almost solely thanks to Wall. One of the league’s most explosive players, Wall ranks second among East-point guards in ESPN’s real plus-minus, third among all point guards in assists, and is the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Month.
Joe Wolfond: Isaiah Thomas, Wild card
This spot came down to Thomas or Reggie Jackson, two point guards thriving on overachieving teams. While Jackson has the benefit of playing with a pick-and-roll monster in Drummond, Thomas has to work harder to create for himself and his teammates. He's kept Boston's offense afloat all season (they score 10.4 more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor) by puncturing defenses time and again with his speed, crafty ballhandling, and masterfully controlled aggression.
Joseph Casciaro: Paul Millsap, Frontcourt
The fact that six reserve selections were made without any mention of Millsap further underlines that the Hawks' power forward - a deserving All-Star starter - remains the most underrated player in the game. Millsap has been the unquestionable best player on the East's third-best team and has evolved into one of the most devastating two-way big men over the last few years in Atlanta.
Who we snubbed: Al Horford, Reggie Jackson, Kemba Walker