You can never deny Adam Silver’s ambition to try new things, even when his effort proves futile. This year, he’s outdone himself by introducing yet another wrinkle to the All-Star game, as the 24 players will now be split into three teams: two filled with Americans and the other compri sed of international names. Befuddlingly, the teams are now positionless, and yet, the players selected must still include 12 from each conference, even though the competition is based on nationalities. With the West having a significant talent advantage as usual, there are many more snubs here when compared to the East. Ultimately, I went with six international players from the West and two from the East, given that there’s no requirement to have an equal number of non-Americans selected from each. Sorry, you’re still confused? So is everyone else, but we persevere due to the love of the game. Here are my Western Conference All-Star selections, with the East coming tomorrow. Starters Shai Gilgeous-Alexandar: The reigning MVP, Shai has somehow levelled up again this year. He’s averaging 31.6 points on the highest true shooting percentage of his career (66.5) and could lead OKC to a 70-win season. Even with arguably the deepest supporting cast in the league, Shai is the main reason why the Thunder are title favorites: OKC’s offense drops from a 123.5 rating (94th percentile) to a measly 111.7 (22nd) when he sits. Shai is the rightful MVP front-runner and will go down as an all-time great.  Join the conversation! Sign up for a user account and get: Fewer ads Create community posts Comment on articles, community posts Rec comments, community posts New, improved notifications system! Luka Doncic: Luka is putting up video game numbers as usual, averaging 33.6/7.7/8.7 and leading the Lakers to a surprising 24-15 record. Even so, something seems off with him and the team: maybe it’s LA’s negative net rating, or the fact that Luka’s whining more than ever and is leading the league in free throws per game (11.7) by a wide margin (Deni is second at “just” 9.9). Still, the Slovenian Wunderkind remains one of the league’s four best players and should be in line for another First Team All-NBA appearance. Stephen Curry: Even at 37, Steph remains arguably the game’s greatest spectacle. His 28.1 points per game is the fourth highest of his career, and the Warriors still need his brilliance more than ever. Golden State goes from having an elite 120.5 offensive rating (85th percentile) to just 111.1 (20th) when he sits, and Wardell is once again on track to lead the league in both threes made (4.6) and attempts (11.8). Victor Wembanyama: The numbers might not seem too different compared to last year, but make no mistake: Wemby has levelled up and is now firmly entrenched as the fifth-best player in the league. Prioritizing inside scoring with his added physicality has made the Alien unstoppable, even though there are still times when he should impose more of his will. Only health can prevent Wemby from winning DPOY and being named to First Team All-NBA, and he’s already good enough to be the best player on a championship team.  Nikola Jokic: Jokic is unquestionably the best player on the planet, and in my eyes, he’s in a tier of his own. Before his injury, the three-time MVP was having his best season ever, and maybe the best of all time — something we seem to repeat every year. Don’t believe me? Jokic was scoring 29.6 points per game while leading the league in rebounds (12.2), assists (11.0), AND true shooting percentage (71.3%). It honestly does not make sense how someone can be this good at basketball, and I’ve got no doubt that we’re watching a top 10 player ever at the peak of his powers.  Reserves Anthony Edwards: For the first time in his career, Ant is having an efficient season from every area on the court. The 24-year-old is shooting 56.3% from two while maintaining elite volume from deep as well (40.9% on 8.2 attempts a game). The addition of a post-game has turned Ant into a high-level scorer from all three levels, and his 72% finishing around the rim is also among the league’s best (89th percentile). The Wolves are flying under the radar once again, and another run to the Conference Finals isn’t out of the question. Jamal Murray: Contrary to popular discourse, Murray has never actually deserved an All-Star appearance — until now. The Blue Arrow is having his best regular season by far: his 25.8 scoring average is four points more than his previous career high, and he’s doing it on a career-best 61.6% true shooting too. More importantly, he’s led the Nuggets to a 7-3 record without Jokic, which is somehow a higher win percentage than the one they have with the Joker playing. What in MJ’s name is going on?? Kevin Durant: It’s 2026, and KD is still putting up 26.3 a night on 51.6/40.4/88.7 shooting. The promise of a lighter load in Houston hasn’t materialized, as the Slim Reaper’s minutes (36.5) and field goal attempts (18.0) are still in line with his career norms. Simply put, KD remains one of the league’s most efficient bucket-getters while being the go-to option on a good team, and he’s unquestionably still one of the best players on the planet. Chet Holmgren: The second-best player on a historically dominant team, Chet is averaging 17.9 points on a ridiculous 66.6% true shooting. His self-creation is still lacking, but there’s no question that Chet has become one of the most efficient play finishers in the league, and that doesn’t even account for his DPOY-level defense. OKC also has a +7.1 net rating with Chet playing without Shai, so he’s not just riding the coattails of the MVP frontrunner, either. Deni Avdija: Even after last year’s jump, no one expected Deni to average 26.1/7.1/6.9 this season. He’s become a legitimate top 25 player in the league and is the only reason why Portland is in the play-in race. The Blazers are a net-neutral team with a good offense (118.1 rating, 71st percentile) when Deni plays, and they become a bottom-feeder when he sits (-11.1 net rating, 102.6 offensive rating). Kawhi Leonard: Tree Board Man is quietly having one of the best seasons in the league: Kawhi is averaging 28.2/6.3/3.5 on 49.7/39.9/94.1 shooting. Yes, you read that right. He’s scoring almost 30 points a game while shooting basically 50/40/90, and the Clippers are 12-2 in their last 14 games after a disastrous start. Kawhi is playing at a borderline top-5 level again, and this basketball robot is showing no signs of rust at age 34. Final spot honorable mentions Final spot: Devin Booker Honorable mentions: Alperen Sengun, Julius Randle, and Rudy Gobert I went back and forth between Booker, Sengun, Randle, and Gobert for the last spot, but ultimately went with the former. And yes, you read that right: I name-dropped the Stifle Tower in an All-Star column in the big 2026. As ridiculous as that sounds, Gobert should be the frontrunner for DPOY if Wemby doesn’t hit the 65-game requirement. He’s been the second most important Timberwolf this year, as Minnesota is somehow a +7.2 in the minutes Gobert plays without both Ant and Randle, sheerly due to an absurd 94.2 DRTG. More importantly, the Wolves are barely positive in the minutes when Ant and/or Randle play without Gobert, as their defense drops to near league-worst levels. Minnesota only becomes elite on both ends whenever the Frenchman shares the court with one or both of those two scorers. Randle, meanwhile, is having his most efficient scoring season (60.6% TS) since becoming a go-to option, and the Wolves are sporting an all-time 125.3 offensive rating when he plays without Ant. It’s a similar story with Sengun, whose numbers are up from his All-Star campaign a year ago and have helped the Rockets thrive even in the non-KD minutes: Houston still has a +5.3 net rating while being good on both sides of the ball in the Sengun-only lineups. However, I ultimately decided to go with Booker because he’s the #1 option on a surprising 24-17 Phoenix team with no other stars (sorry, Dillon Brooks). Yes, Booker’s shooting splits are some of the worst of his career (45.2% field goal, 30.1% from 3), but he’s still hovering around league average in efficiency, and the Suns are a +5.4 with him and -1.5 without him. All three of the other names have compelling arguments for this last spot, but I’m going with the lone star who’s leading the team that’s overachieved the most this season. ...read more read less