West All-Star Starters: SGA Bumps Luka in a Lineup of Legends
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The Western Conference starting five for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game has been finalized, and the data reveals a significant shift in how voters are weighing winning over raw volume. While the frontcourt remains a bastion of veteran dominance, the backcourt selection of **Shai Gilgeous-Alexander** over Luka Doncic confirms that the “SGA era” of hyper-efficient, two-way basketball has officially arrived.
The Backcourt: Efficiency vs. Usage
The most debated slot in the West was the second guard position next to **Stephen Curry**. While Doncic leads the league in several counting categories, Gilgeous-Alexander’s tactical profile was too strong to ignore. SGA is currently leading the Thunder to a top-two seed while maintaining a **True Shooting percentage near 64%** and leading all guards in “stocks” (steals + blocks).
Curry, meanwhile, enters his 11th All-Star appearance as the emotional anchor for the game at Chase Center. Despite the Warriors’ fluctuating season, Curry’s gravity remains the league’s ultimate tactical weapon; he still draws **double-teams on 18% of his possessions**, the highest mark for any guard over age 35. Putting Curry and SGA together creates a backcourt that can punish teams both with off-ball movement and elite isolation finishing.
The Frontcourt: A 20-Year Standard
The frontcourt trio of **LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Nikola Jokic** represents nearly 50 years of combined NBA experience. James’ 21st selection isn’t a gift; it’s a result of his continued evolution as a secondary playmaker. This season, James has increased his **catch-and-shoot three-point attempts by 12%**, allowing him to thrive alongside Anthony Davis while preserving his legs for the transition game.
- Nikola Jokic: The hub of the offense. Jokic leads the league in “Passes Leading to Fouls,” a metric that won’t show up in a box score but explains why Denver’s offense remains elite.
- Kevin Durant: At 36, Durant is still shooting **over 52% from the mid-range**, a zone most modern defenses are designed to surrender. His presence on the wing forces defenders to stay “tethered” to him, opening the lane for SGA and James.
Inside the Huddle
“When you put Jokic at the elbow with Curry and Durant on the wings, you aren’t just playing basketball; you’re solving a geometry problem where every answer is wrong for the defense. This might be the highest-IQ starting five we’ve seen in a decade.” — Assistant Coach, Western Conference
The Bottom Line & What’s Next
The snub of Luka Doncic is the primary story heading into the reserve announcements. Expect the coaches to rectify this immediately, but the fact that Doncic isn’t starting signals a “voter fatigue” regarding high-usage, heliocentric offenses.
Looking ahead, this All-Star nod provides a massive “contractual lift” for several younger players on the fringe of the ballot, but for this starting five, the focus is purely on the playoff seeding. With the Thunder, Suns, and Lakers all separated by fewer than four games in the loss column, the camaraderie in San Francisco will be short-lived. Watch the injury reports—if the Lakers or Suns stumble in the next two weeks, we may see “load management” impact who actually takes the floor for tip-off. For now, the West has assembled a lineup that is as tactically diverse as it is historic.
