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The NBA All-Star reserves get announced today and the Sixers are not likely to have anybody on there. Weirdly, though, they have four candidates that you could almost kind of hey maybe but like what if no seriously make a case for. Michael Carter-Williams -- who just led the rookie announcements in the Rising Stars Challenge rosters -- Thaddeus Young, Spencer Hawes, and Evan Turner.
MCW leads all rookies in every category from points to typing speed and has demonstrated with his absences that he's clearly the most valuable player on the Sixers. They have a record that's closer to Michael Martinez's wOBA than an actual win percentage without MCW in the lineup. In a mostly weak guard class in the East, he has maybe the best shot. Think he'll be beat by Kyle Lowry, John Wall, and company.
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Thad's gotten more attention this year now that he is the team's de facto best all-around player. But aside from that stretch right after the trade request where he went Champagne Supernova, he's done the Thad thing where he just blends in and does his thing. Not enough for an All-Star berth, probably. Paul Millsap should rightly sneak in over him.
Man, the season that Spencer is having. Still can't play D for squat, but he's blasting his previous career high in TS% out the window with his newfound dependence on his three-point shot with a team-leading 57.0%. He's also rebounding the ball well and I've even seen him set an actual screen or two. It's a weak center crop, but he's not as exciting to the outsider as Andre Drummond or Joakim Noah, though, so he's out.
And Evan Turner. Leading the team in pointz(zzzzzzz) and having actually won them two games at the buzzer, his value is metrically absent but physically tangible. He can't defend either, but the one area you can really say he's improved upon is his trips to the foul line. He's setting a career high in free throw rate, and he's also making them at an 82% clip. He won't have enough support to get in over Arron Afflalo or even Lance Stephenson, but, really, 19/6/4 on mostly non-horrible percentages is a good year from him.
Hollis Thompson should also get in.
So while you're nursing your wounds from Evan Turner's game-winner last night over the Celtics, here's something to bitch about, at least. Think any of them deserve it?
