NBA announces All-Star reserves

As an All-Star reserve, Zion Williams, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, will make his NBA All-Star Game debut on March 7 in Atlanta.

The New Orleans Pelicans star is one of four All-Star debutants announced on Tuesday. The others are Boston’s Jaylen Brown, New York’s Julius Randle and Chicago’s Zach LaVine.

The NBA All-Star Game starters were announced last week.

Williamson, 20, will become the fourth-youngest player to make his All-Star Game debut. The others — all of whom were also 20 — were a trio of all-tiem greats (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Magic Johnson), The Associated Press reported.

The other All-Star reserves

Veteran floor leader Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns is set to appear in an All-Star Game for the 11th consecutive year. Fellow All-Star reserve James Harden (Brooklyn Nets) will play in the annual extravaganza for the ninth year in a row.

Other Eastern Conference reserves: Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers), Jayson Tatum (Boston) and Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic).

From the Western Conference, other All-Star reserves are Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers), Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz) and Rudy Gobert (Utah) and Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers).

Davis, who is sidelined with an Achilles injury, might be unavailable.

If Davis or other players can’t play due to injuries or illness, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will name replacements.

Selecting the reserves

So who chooses the All-Star reserves? The NBA’s head coaches.

And as it happens every year, there are so-called snubs, players who should have been picked as All-Stars but weren’t.

For example, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young didn’t get picked as an All-Star starter or reserve. Young is averaging 27.0 points per game.

Furthermore, other standouts left off the reserves list include Miami Heat frontcourt mates Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler and Phoenix backcourt dynamo Devin Booker.