Predicting the 2016 NBA Eastern Conference All-Star starters
The jersey and kits for the NBA Eastern Conference All-Stars.Just a little over two months remain before the who’s who of the NBA fraternity descends upon Canada’s most important city of Toronto for the All-Star Weekend. Scheduled for February 14th, the 2016 All-Star Game is the 65th edition of its kind and is the first ever to be hosted by a non-American city. The NBA ballots are out and it's time for you the fans to cast your vote and send your favorite players closer to making the All-Star team. As we predict the starters for the extravaganza, the criterion is more than just the player’s performances so far. We cannot underrate the importance of a popular player acquiring a starting spot for the All-Star game on the back of his large fan base. Keeping the fan vote aside, here are the most deserving Eastern Conference All-Stars:
#1 Guard: Kyle Lowry
2015-16 Stats: 21.6 points, 6.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds
Signing small forward DeMarre Carroll certainly reduced the offensive load on Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry but the latter has still remained the offensive focal point of the team. Standing 6 foot tall and playing point, Lowry does pretty much everything for the Raptors on the offensive end from creating and making his own shots to creating open shots for his teammates.
He has a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 25.06 (9th in the NBA) and is the only Raptor in the top 34 of the PER standings.
Lowry came to training camp this September a much leaner version of himself, making headlines with his weight loss. Whether it’s the weight reduction or his off-season training, Lowry looks a much better player on the court from last season.
Lowry’s All-Star starting position is pretty much guaranteed with the Toronto being the host city and popular hip hop artist Drake being the team’s global ambassador. Kyrie Irving’s injury and John Wall’s inconsistent play also help his case.