Editor’s note: This article was written before the All-Star Starters were announced. Selecting the East is much harder than the West. Not because there are too many deserving candidates, but rather that there are too few. How is there still such a discrepancy in talent when the league h as more depth than ever? It’s a mystery that might never be solved, but we should all be used to that by now. With six international players being selected in the West, that leaves me with just two remaining in the East. I managed to hit that threshold, but with a slight caveat that will be explained below. So, let’s begrudingly pick the All-Stars from the LEastern Conference. (But first, if you haven’t already, be sure to check out my picks for the Western Conference.) Starters Cade Cunningham: The best player on the East’s best team. If fans doubted Cade’s entrant as a top 10 player at the end of last year, those qualms should be gone now. He’s firmly entrenched himself into the best non-Giannis East player conversation alongside other guards on this list and has become an elite heliocentric offensive engine. If he continues improving his three-ball and finishing, Cade could thrust himself into the MVP conversation.  Jaylen Brown: Brown has been one of the 10 best players in the league this season and is the main reason why Boston is on pace to win 50+ games without Jayson Tatum. He’s become a midrange maestro whose percentages are in line with prime Christ Paul and DeMar DeRozan, and although Brown’s cooled off recently, the Celtics are still scoring 122.9 points per 100 possessions with him, and the full body of work makes Brown a no-brainer East starter.  Jalen Brunson: The Knicks have been floundering, but to no fault of Brunson’s. The Captain is in the midst of another All-NBA campaign that has him on the fringes of the MVP discussion, and he’s steering New York’s offense to all-time levels: their 125.4 offensive rating with Brunson would be the best in league history. That number somehow increases to 126.2 when he plays without KAT, proving that Big Head Jalen’s scoring is not only elite, but also inelastic no matter who he plays with and against. Tyrese Maxey: Going from good to great is the most difficult jump for a player to make, and that’s exactly what Maxey has accomplished this season. The new Flash is scoring 30.3 points a game on 47.3/40.3/87.8 while leading the league in both minutes per game (39.3) and total minutes (1495). Maxey is essentially shooting Steph-like in terms of both volume and percentages, while shouldering a load that even prime Wilt wouldn’t scoff at. Giannis Antetokounmpo: The only top 5 player in the East, Giannis deserves a starting spot regardless of where the Bucks sit. The Greek Freak is having yet another dominant season by scoring 28.8 a game while shooting career highs from 3 (40.5% on a small sample) and two (66.8%), making this the most efficient season of his illustrious career (67.9% true shooting). Milwaukee also goes from having what would be the 5th best net rating in the league with him on (+7.2) to the absolute worst (-11.8) when he sits, so keep that in mind next time the boos come down in Fiserv Forum. Reserves Donovan Mitchell: A perennial All-Star starter, I’m dinging Mitchell this year due to Cleveland being the most disappointing team in the conference. That might not be fair since he’s the main reason they’re even in a playoff position, and has played at his usual All-NBA level. However, there is precedent of Mitchell-led teams lacking… resolve. I don’t dare utter the S-word, but something about his playstyle and leadership often leaves me wanting more.  Scottie Barnes: Barnes’ defensive reputation has been overstated ever since he was drafted, until now. He’s playing at an All-Defense level while also scoring at the most efficient rate of his career: Barnes is shooting over 50% from the field and is right about league-average from a true shooting sense, too (57.8%). Brandon Ingram has taken over as the primary bucket getter for the Raptors, which has rightfully slotted Barnes into a secondary role that allows him to be a swiss-army-knife. Without the pressure to score, Barnes is showing that he can be the perfect 2nd/3rd option on a high-level team by doing everything else at an elite level. Jalen Johnson: Atlanta wouldn’t have traded away Trae Young if they weren’t sure that Johnson could be a franchise player. Well, he’s proven that and more this season by averaging 22.8/10.1/8.0 on 51.4/35.4/79 shooting. Even so, Johnson’s defense, shot creation, and underlying numbers (Atlanta has a -1.8 net rating with him) are underwhelming, so it remains to be seen if he’s merely an All-Star with good stats, or a true superstar in the making. Still, his jaw-dropping athleticism makes everything look easy, and the year-by-year improvements suggest that he’s just scratching the surface of his potential. Michael Porter Jr: Michael Podcast Jr. is averaging 25.8/7.5/3.2 on 48.7/40.5/84.4 splits as the first option on a non-Jokic team. Yes, you read that right: Mr. Never Swing the Rock is even putting up 3.2 assists per game! More impressively, Brooklyn only has a -1.0 net rating when he plays, which is the same as the 24-16 Lakers. That figure drops all the way down to -14.3 when he sits, so MPJ’s “health” is the difference between a slightly below average team to the worst team in the league. That NY water really does hit different. Karl-Anthony Towns: KAT’s numbers are down across the board, but it makes sense after all that sacrificing he’s done this year. Still, Big Purr deserves an All-Star selection in a weak East, especially considering that the Knicks are a +7.3 in the minutes he plays without Brunson. KAT remains one of the best offensive big men in the league and should get even better as the season progresses, as he’s currently shooting an unsustainably low 46.6% from the field while getting quality looks. Being a Dominican-American player also makes him my 8th and final international selection, and don’t be surprised to see voters use his dual nationality to balance out their teams. Final spots honorable mention Last two spots: Derrick White Norman Powell Honorable mention: Jalen Duren The final two East spots were the hardest to pick, and there’ll be a ton of West snubs who would’ve definitely made it over these names. It ultimately came down to two out of Derrick White, Jalen Duren, and Norman Powell, and I went with the two guards. If he had kept up his play from the first month and a half of the season, Duren would’ve been a no-brainer selection. However, his numbers have dropped from 21.5/12.6 in November to 15.9/9.7 in December and January. Still good, but the sample size indicates that Duren’s start to the year was more of a hot stretch rather than an indication that he’s now one of the best bigs in the league. There’s no doubt that he’s still the second-best player on the East’s 1-seed, but Duren remains a play finisher who relies heavily on Cade and isn’t one of the two best defensive players on the Pistons, either. That leaves me with DWhite and Powell, who are both having good seasons but likely wouldn’t make this team in most years. DWhite is shooting horrendously from the field (39.6% overall, 32.9% from 3) but does everything else at an elite level. He’s smart and selfless enough to prioritize everything but his own creation on offense, which is why the Celtics are a +8.8 with a 121.8 offensive rating when White plays, even with his poor individual shooting. Moreover, he’s arguably the best perimeter defender in the league and is consistently ranked as a top 20 in advanced stats, suggesting that White’s impact goes far beyond the box score. Lastly, Powell has been one of the league’s most efficient high-volume scorers on a team that badly needs points. The 32-year-old is averaging 23.8 points on 63% true shooting, and Miami’s offense drops from 118 to 110.7 when Powell leaves the court. His lack of playmaking (averaging just 2.7 assists) prevents Powell from being a truly elite offensive engine, but in a shallow East pool, he’ll do for now. ...read more read less