Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated’s the Crossover picked who he believes should be the all-star reserves, and Rudy Gobert made the list.
Of Gobert, Golliver wrote, “If any player in the West deserves to make his All-Star debut, it’s Gobert (12.4 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 2.6 BPG), Utah’s fantastic center. The 2013 first-round pick has already delivered great value on the nine-figure extension he received in October, leading the Jazz to the league’s top defense despite an endless list of injuries around him.”
Gordon Hayward also makes Golliver’s Western Conference all-star reserves as an injury replacement for Chris Paul.
After talking about Hayward’s numbers, Golliver wrote, “While it is a bit strange to give the Jazz two representatives when the Spurs and Rockets each only have one, Hayward’s portfolio holds up better than Aldridge’s or Eric Gordon’s, and it seems fitting to recognize Utah’s breakthrough season with a pair of first-time All-Star selections.”
Will Jimmer be the next Chinese basketball star?
Former BYU guard Jimmer Fredette was the main subject of a story from ESPN’s Kevin Wang looking at who will be the next Stephon Marbury of Chinese basketball.
He first talks about the legacy the Marbury has created since heading to the CBA, saying, “However, Marbury still stands as one of a kind despite being nearly 40 years old. Many Chinese fans say that there are two kinds of foreign players: Marbury and everyone else.
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