The 2017 NBA All-Star rosters are now official.
Our 5-on-5 experts debate the biggest snubs and surprises and which up-and-coming players are likely to make their first appearance in the next couple of years.
1. Who's the biggest snub in the Eastern Conference?
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: Nobody. In order for someone to be snubbed, there has to be someone undeserving occupying their spot. The East All-Stars have all had All-Star-caliber seasons, and their respective teams have performed well thus far. History tells us that coaches (who vote for the reserves) almost always reward winning and penalize losing. The two non-All-Stars who have played best, Kristaps Porzingis and Joel Embiid, both play for teams that have struggled -- though Embiid would probably point to his team's record in 2017 to rebut that criticism.
Andrew Han, ESPN.com: Is it too soon to say Joel Embiid? It's Joel Embiid. Yes, JoJo is on a minutes limit, but the third-year rookie has captured the hearts and minds of the basketball Twitterati with his tantalizing on-court game and happy-go-lucky social media campaign. Did I mention that he's 15th in player efficiency rating (PER) and averaging 19.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks despite just averaging 25.3 minutes per game? #TrustTheProcess.
Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Insider: First off, for as convoluted as some saw the overall process of building these rosters, I thought it resulted in some of the toughest-to-nitpick results I can recall. That said, the biggest "snub" by my metrics was Otto Porter, who ranks 20th overall in ESPN's real plus-minus (RPM). Paul George ranks 69th and has missed seven games. Still, it's hard to make a case for a role player over a star that anyone will really find convincing.
Jeremias Engelmann, ESPN Insider: Joel Embiid. Not only has he been one of the more impactful players in the Eastern Conference (with a real plus-minus rating of 2.9), he also has the city of Philadelphia excited about its basketball team again. He's putting up per-minute numbers reminiscent of Shaq and David Robinson.
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: Nobody. Joel Embiid would have been a lot of fun (and has been great when he's been on the court) and Al Horford has played at the same All-Star level as he did with the Atlanta Hawks, but the East coaches picked the same seven players as I did for my reserves. That's pretty unusual.
2. Who's the biggest snub in the Western Conference?
Han: Chris Paul is the easy answer. Paul is one of the four or five most important players in the league and kept the Clippers going when Blake Griffin went down before tearing ligaments in his left thumb a week ago. Based on body of work, Paul should've been selected and replaced.
That replacement? Well, that should've been Mike Conley, who continues to toil in Memphis without All-Star recognition despite career highs in true shooting (.571) and points per game (18.6).
Doolittle: Rudy Gobert! It's very disappointing that Gobert didn't make it. Best I can tell, there's not one key big-man category that he doesn't take over DeAndre Jordan.
Engelmann: Nikola Jokic, who's currently rated as the 14th-most impactful player in RPM. Also, for a team full of athletes, his elite passing ability would have been a great fit and would've probably led to some impressive dunks.
Pelton: Chris Paul. I'm a big-tent person when it comes to All-Stars, so I believe in picking Paul and replacing him to give two players All-Star honors. There's no question Paul was playing at an All-Star level, and I don't think he'll be sidelined long enough that he didn't merit selection.
Elhassan: Chris Paul. He's had a stellar year, and, when healthy, the Clippers have been a formidable team, with signature wins against the league's elite teams that don't feature the last three MVPs. The fact that he's injured now makes it even more egregious, because he could have been named and then replaced by a healthy player.
Honorable mention to Rudy Gobert, who you can argue is having a better and more impactful year than his teammate Gordon Hayward, who did make the team.
3. Which East All-Star are you most pleased to see make the team?
Pelton: Kemba Walker. My fear was that because Walker probably didn't get any votes outside the two wild-card spots, a frontcourt player who split the votes with the three players chosen in the frontcourt would sneak ahead of him for a wild-card spot. Fortunately, that proved inaccurate. Walker deserved to make his All-Star debut.
Engelmann: Paul Millsap. Scoring just 18 points per game, he certainly isn't your standard All-Star. But Millsap has been one of the league's best defenders for several years now (with a defensive RPM of 4.2), so it's nice to see him rewarded.
Elhassan: He's in as a starter, but Giannis Antetokounmpo's rapid ascension as a recognized member of the league's elite talents has been an enjoyable ride. It's always fun to see the first-timers at the game, so kudos to Giannis (and fellow first-timer Kemba Walker).
Han: Kemba Walker earns some well-deserved praise after steady and incremental improvements year after year. Kemba is the bee that buzzes the Hornets' offense, and an All-Star berth is a pleasant reward for the team's maturation over the past few seasons under Steve Clifford.
Doolittle: It's been great to see Antetokounmpo's development. He's such a hard worker and positive presence, and now he has the numbers to back up that immense potential.
4. Which West All-Star are you most pleased to see make the team?
Han: DeAndre Jordan is the lone representative for a team many thought would be among the West's contenders. A key benefit? The Clippers' high flyer has steadfastly refused to participate in the slam dunk contest unless he was also an All-Star. And with reigning champ Zach LaVine bowing out this year, fans might see another fun Saturday night between Aaron Gordon and the springiest big man in the league.
Doolittle: Not trying to sound like a Jazz homer, but Gordon Hayward is a guy who's improved every year since he's been in the NBA. The West roster is ridiculously talented, and for him to be (deservedly) included with that group is quite an accomplishment.
Engelmann: Draymond Green. Although I'm certainly not a fan of all the flailing he does, it's nice to see players selected whose primary calling card is defense -- Green has never scored more than 14 points per game in a season.
Elhassan: While I think his teammate Gobert is more deserving of the All-Star nod, I'm glad Hayward is there to represent the Utah Jazz, who have finally reached the point of realizing their immense potential on the floor. And he's a first-timer as well!
Pelton: DeAndre Jordan. Even though I favored Rudy Gobert for Jordan's spot, the fact is Jordan has been deserving in past seasons and hasn't made the West roster even when he ended up on the All-NBA team each of the past two seasons. So I'm glad he finally made the All-Star Game.
5. Which up-and-coming player do you expect to see in the All-Star Game in the next couple of years?
Elhassan: Porzingis, Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns and Nikola Jokic.
Han: Joel Hans Embiid, for all the reasons outlined above (if healthy). Does C.J. McCollum still count as an up-and-coming player? The "other" smooth shooter for Portland should find himself at worst rankled by snubs like his backcourt mate Damian Lillard in the not too distant future.
Engelmann: I expect to see both Embiid and Jokic, maybe as soon as next season. Jokic has been on an absolute tear in 2017, averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds. Had Denver not experimented with the twin towers earlier in the season, Jokic might be an All-Star already.
Doolittle: There were a lot of deserving bigs in the West, but Karl-Anthony Towns would have been a worthy addition and probably would have made the East roster. He'll be a fixture in the All-Star Game, probably beginning next year.
Pelton: Since I'm sure fellow young centers Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns will get plenty of love, I'm casting my vote for Nikola Jokic. Since Jokic moved into the starting lineup at his natural center position, he's averaged 20.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 63.0 percent from the field, and the Denver Nuggets are 10-8. If he keeps that up, Jokic will find his way on the roster.