Coaches agree and make Wembanyama an All-Star
NBA coaches are obviously convinced: Victor Wembanyama is one of the league’s very best players.
The San Antonio star and reigning rookie of the year is an All-Star for the first time, one of the 14 players announced on Thursday night as members of the reserve pool for the Feb. 16 event in San Francisco.
Wembanyama becomes only the fourth Spurs player to make the All-Star Game in his first or second season. The others: Alvin Robertson in 1986, David Robinson in 1990 and 1991, and Tim Duncan in 1998.
“It’s just a testament to his first year and a half in this league and the work he put in prior to that and trusting the process of trying to get incrementally better, not skipping steps,” acting Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said of Wembanyama last week in Paris, when asked about his center’s All-Star chances.
“And then, obviously, that allows the talent and unique skill set to shine through.”
Five other first-timers
Coaches select the reserves, after the 10 names for the starters pool were announced last week through a combination of fan voting (50 percent), media voting (25 percent) and active player voting (25 percent).
There were seven players picked on Thursday from each conference. From the Eastern Conference: Boston’s Jaylen Brown, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, Cleveland’s Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard—last year’s All-Star MVP—and Miami’s Tyler Herro.
From the West: Wembanyama, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Clippers’ James Harden, Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr., Houston’s Alperen Sengun and Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams.
Wembanyama, Cunningham, Mobley, Herro, Sengun and Williams are first-time All-Stars.
“It’s a great opportunity to be a part of,” Herro said.
