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| Durant and Westbrook not only headline the NBA West All-Stars, but also our 25 and under West All-Stars as well. |
Since I can't change anything about this current All-Star game situation, I decided to go out and craft my own All-Star game, which will be called the 25 and Under All-Star Game. Anyone 25 and under is eligible even if they are already selected to the real All-Star game and they must have played at least 25 games as well. Here we go with the West:
25 and under Western Conferences Starters
Guys that missed out because of injury: Kevin Love
PG: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City, 24 years old
22.7 PPG, 8.1 APG, 5.3 RPG, 42% FG
Westbrook is an absolute freak. Not only is he a superior athlete when it comes to getting up and making plays around the rim, but his motor is unstoppable. Yes, too unstoppable at times, but he's still one of the top-10 players in the NBA. The Thunder are the league's best team and Westbrook has played an enormous part in leading them to that "title."
SG: James Harden, Houston, 23 years old
25.8 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.5 RPG, 43% FG
Harden was brought into Houston through a mega trade and mega contract in order to be a leader on this young Rockets squad. That's exactly what he's been. Now that he's actually playing starter minutes we can see that this dude is absolutely for real. The Rockets made a great move trading for him, now they just need to get rid of the overpriced Lin and really build around him with some nice, appropriately priced guys.
SF: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City, 24 years old
29.6 PPG, 4.4 APG, 7.4 RPG, 52% FG
If it wasn't for a guy named LeBron James, Durant would be the league's best player. Every season he seems to grow, improving his game ten fold. This year we've seen it on the defensive end where he has transformed himself from a liability into a solid defender. Oh and if you forgot, this guy is a once in a lifetime scoring talent, shooting 52-percent!!!!!! from the field this year. With Durant and Westbrook on the court, I'm just not sure how the Thunder aren't going to come up victorious come June.
PF: Kenneth Faried, Denver, 23 years old
12.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG
Faried's numbers aren't going to blow you away, not by any means. However, this guy certainly has the abilities to vie for a defensive player of the year award sometime down the road. He's a banger down low and is such an intimidating force in the post that he forces players into poor shots all the time. Just a mean dude all-around.
C: JaVale McGee, Denver, 25 years old
10. PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.9 BPG
I will say that McGee got the starting nod simply because he was the best young center in the West, but that also doesn't mean he didn't deserve it. He and Faried present a nightmare to opposing team's front courts with phenomenal defensive post play. McGee can block shots from almost anywhere with his mind-blowing reach. You also got to realize this guy is still unbelievably raw and that his ceiling is about as high as his reach is.
Reserves
PG: Stephen Curry, Golden State, 24 years old
20.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.1 APG, 44% FG
I've always seen Curry as a shooting guard type, even with his lanky frame; that's how he really plays as a PG. He's a surprisingly good rebounder on top of his excellent shooting ability. I'm most happy for him because he's a quality individual who finally is playing on a really underrated Warriors team and he's definitely a main cog.
PG: Damian Lillard, Portland, 22 years old
18.3 PPG, 6.6 APG, 3.5 RPG, 42% FG
Lillard might be a rookie out of little known Weber State, but dear lord is he playing like a veteran in his rookie year. We knew out of college that he was a pure scorer, yet this season he's shown that he has good court vision and quality passing abilities. It's hard to say that he's not the front runner for Rookie of the Year as probably one of the most unlikely Rookie of the Year winners of all-time.
SG: O.J Mayo, Dallas, 25 years old
18.2 PPG, 4.1 APG, 3.8 RPG, 46% FG
For a guy with as much pre-NBA hype as Mayo got, it's taken him a long time to get to where he is now. The 25-year-old really emerged this year in Dallas with the absence of Dirk Nowitzki and he's scoring at an impressive clip for a guy who has been known as an overshooter. Mayo is looking like he's worth every penny the Mavs spent on him in the off-season.
SG: Gordon Hayward, Utah, 22 years old
13.5 PPG, 2.4 APG, 2.9 RPG, 41% 3P-FG
Hayward isn't going to run anyone out of the building. He's not going to wow you with athleticism or do anything you've never seen before. Yet, I will go as far as to say he's one of the most intelligent basketball players in the league, playing the game to his abilities and never over doing it. He's also a pretty damn good three point shooter.
F/C: Nicolas Batum, Portland, 24 years old
16.5 PPG, 4.6 APG, 6.0 RPG, 43% FG
The Blazers were forced to make a serious decision over Batum when the T'Wolves offered him a monster contract this offseason. So far this season, the decision to match that offer sheet looks like a brilliant idea. Batum has proved that he is an all-around talent with superstar potential if he continues to improve.
F/C: Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City, 23 years old
14.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.8 BPG
This guy has improved every season he's played in and this season is no different. His offensive game continues to improve and as well as becoming more of a well-rounded defender than just a shot-blocker. The Thunder definitely made the right decision keeping him over Harden because of his unique skill set and long, strong frame.
F/C: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers, 23 years old
18.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG
I'm not the biggest fan of Griffin's game, but I just don't know how you keep him off this roster. He's just too athletic and too imposing on offense not to. His defensive deficiencies are often overlooked because of the Clippers success and DeAndre Jordan's shutdown post mentality. Of course, a major ingredient to Griffin's improvement over the past two years is Chris Paul, who could make you and I look good out there on a basketball court.
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