Why every 2014 NBA All-Star deserves his spot
The 2014 NBA All-Star Game will feature 24 elite-level, very unique players. Paste BN Sports' Sean Highkin has found one statistic that sums up a key part of why each player will be in New Orleans for the big game Sunday (8 p.m. ET, TNT).
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Stephen Curry
Golden State Warriors | Point guard | 6-3, 185 pounds | First All-Star bid
41.5: Curry's three-point accuracy is impressive, even before factoring in that he takes 8.2 attempts a game. With health, he could make a run at Ray Allen's career three-pointers made record.
James Harden
Houston Rockets | Shooting guard | 6-5, 220 pounds | Second All-Star bid
60.0: Harden's true shooting percentage, based on points from all kinds of shots, is so good because he draws fouls and makes threes. He is the most likely replacement for Kobe Bryant in the starting lineup.
Kevin Durant
Oklahoma City Thunder | Small forward | 6-9, 215 pounds | Fifth All-Star bid
30.9: Durant's player efficiency rating, entering Thursday, leads the league. With Russell Westbrook out, he has cemented himself as the front-runner to unseat LeBron James as NBA MVP.
Blake Griffin
Los Angeles Clippers | Power forward | 6-10, 251 pounds | Fourth All-Star bid
28.5: When Chris Paul went down, Griffin was forced to shoulder a much greater load of the Clippers offense. His 28.5 usage rate is a career high, and he bore the load well.
Kevin Love
Minnesota Timberwolves | Power forward | 6-10, 260 pounds | Third All-Star bid
30.5: As usual, Love is a monster on the glass. He grabs 30.5% of all available defensive rebounds when he's on the floor, the best rate in the NBA.
Chris Paul
Los Angeles Clippers | Point guard | 6-0, 175 pounds | Seventh All-Star bid
11.1: Paul again leads the NBA in assists a game. Despite sitting out six weeks with a shoulder injury, there's no question that he's the cream of the crop of NBA point guards.
Damian Lillard
Portland Trail Blazers | Point guard | 6-3, 195 pounds | First All-Star bid
57.3: Lillard's true shooting percentage has made a noticeable jump from his rookie season despite no decrease in his scoring load. He also is tackling five events this All-Star weekend.
Anthony Davis
New Orleans Pelicans | Power forward | 6-10, 220 pounds | First All-Star bid
3.1: Nobody in the NBA blocks more shots a game than Davis. The second-year phenom was named to the team as Kobe Bryant's injury replacement but earned the right to represent the host city.
Tony Parker
San Antonio Spurs | Point guard | 6-2, 180 pounds | Sixth All-Star bid
37.5: Parker is posting the second-best three-point percentage of his career, despite many more attempts these days than in 2006-07. That has helped the Spurs stay at the top.
LaMarcus Aldridge
Portland Trail Blazers | Power forward | 6-11, 240 pounds | Third All-Star bid
11.4: Aldridge is averaging double-digit rebounds for the first time in his career, in addition to having his best season offensively. That has spurred the Blazers to be one of the West's biggest surprises.
Dirk Nowitzki
Dallas Mavericks | Power forward | 7-0, 237 pounds | 12th All-Star bid
24.5: At age 35, Nowitzki is putting up his highest player efficiency rating since 2007-08. His unique game refuses to age, and the Mavs are a playoff team once again.
Dwight Howard
Houston Rockets | Center | 6-11, 240 pounds | Eighth All-Star bid
12.5: Howard continues to post impressive rebounding numbers, his average ranking fourth in the NBA. He also has returned to form as a defensive force after slipping last year.
Scott Brooks
Oklahoma City Thunder | Head coach | Second All-Star bid
22-47: That was the Thunder's record in their first season for Brooks, 2008-09. The team's winning percentage has improved in every year, including this one.
EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
Kyrie Irving
Cleveland Cavaliers | Point guard | 6-3, 191 pounds | Second All-Star bid
47.7: Irving's effective field goal percentage (which factors the value of three-pointers in) is a career low, but much of that inconsistency can be attributed to the dysfunctional Cavs. He has a bright future.
Dwyane Wade
Miami Heat | Shooting guard | 6-4, 210 pounds | 10th All-Star bid
33.3: To help preserve his oft-injured knees, Wade is averaging the fewest minutes of his career. He might miss the All-Star Game, as he sat the last game before the break with a foot injury.
Paul George
Indiana Pacers | Small forward | 6-8, 221 pounds | Second All-Star bid
28.2: George has posted a career-high usage rate this season, which he has justified by making the leap from star to superstar, while Indiana boasts the East's best record.
LeBron James
Miami Heat | Small forward | 6-8, 260 pounds | 10th All-Star bid
65.2: James leads the NBA in true shooting percentage, which factors in all points on all shots, one of many signs that he is putting together another MVP-caliber year.
Carmelo Anthony
New York Knicks | Power forward | 6-8, 235 pounds | Seventh All-Star selection
24.5: Anthony's player efficiency rating is right in line with his career best, and he's having one of his strongest seasons just in time to hit free agency this summer despite the Knicks' struggles.
John Wall
Washington Wizards | Point guard | 6-4, 195 pounds | First All-Star bid
32.1: Wall's three-point accuracy has topped 30% for the first time in his career. As he becomes a more consistent shooter, the rest of his game has also developed.
DeMar DeRozan
Toronto Raptors | Shooting guard | 6-7, 215 pounds | First All-Star bid
18.9: DeRozan has taken on a bigger playmaking role this season, shown in his assisting on 18.9% of his teammates' field goals while he's on the court. That's all part of his finest season in the NBA.
Paul Millsap
Atlanta Hawks | Power forward | 6-8, 235 pounds | First All-Star bid
36.8: Millsap has added a respectable three-point shot to his post-scoring dynamic, making more than a third of his threes a game. He is shooting nearly three a game, after never before having averaged even one a game.
Chris Bosh
Miami Heat | Center | 6-11, 235 pounds | Ninth All-Star bid
60.4: Adding three-point range has boosted Bosh's true shooting percentage (based on points and all types of shots) to a career high, even with his free throw averages dropping slightly.
Roy Hibbert
Indiana Pacers | Center | 7-2, 290 pounds | Second All-Star bid
94: Hibbert is the anchor of the league's best defense, shown in his NBA-best defensive efficiency, which estimates how many points per 100 possessions the Pacers allow with Hibbert on the court.
Joakim Noah
Chicago Bulls | Center | 6-11, 232 pounds | Second All-Star bid
22.3: Noah's assist percentage, entering Thursday, of his teammates' field goals while he's on the court is a stunning number for a center. But that has been necessary with Derrick Rose again out.
Joe Johnson
Brooklyn Nets | Shooting guard | 6-7, 240 pounds | Seventh All-Star bid
7: Despite not getting much attention before joining the Nets, Johnson has made seven All-Star Games. That's more than fellow 2001 draftee and three-time champion Tony Parker.
Frank Vogel
Indiana Pacers | Head coach | First All-Star bid
37: Vogel was named interim coach of the Pacers, replacing Jim O'Brien, when he was 37 years old in the 2011 season.