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Western Conference

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Our predictions have Mitchell effectively taking Lillard's spot, but the Blazers icon would have warranted starting consideration in the East. If he posts another season of 26.9 points, 6.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds, he could end up making it over Mitchell. If that's how it shakes out, nobody outside of Salt Lake City will have cause to be upset.

The West is just ridiculous.

Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves

Butler has averaged 15 missed games over the last five seasons, which makes him a better bet than most to lose out on a berth because of health. Minnesota is also no lock to improve, and at 29, Butler could begin to regress. There are just too many foreseeable obstacles to put him on the team. Like Lillard, he'd make the East roster without issue.

Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder

Let's make it three straight West snubs who'd deserve a spot in the other conference!

George has been an All-Star in five of the last six seasons, shot 40.1 percent from deep last year and remains a top-tier perimeter stopper. Give him Klay Thompson's spot, and nobody's going to argue.

Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

It's hard to think of a better, more impactful player that fewer observers appreciate. Sure, Gobert was recognized as the Defensive Player of the Year, but he has yet to make an All-Star team.

Despite being the reason Utah owns the league's best defense, and despite a high-efficiency, no-fuss role in the offense, Gobert is still a conventional, defense-first center who doesn't connect with fans the same way guards do. It's unfair, but if it comes down to Gobert versus Jokic or Towns, it's much easier to grasp what makes them productive.

Eastern Conference

Gordon Hayward/Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

There may not be enough numbers to go around between Horford, Irving, Tatum, Hayward and Brown. If the Celtics rocket out of the gates and run up a gaudy record, we could see one of these guys join the three Boston players already named to the roster.

But we've only seen four players from the same team make the All-Star Game nine times, and we've never had two sets of four involved in the same year. With the Warriors' quartet already penciled in, another foursome seems unlikely.

Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic

The Magic don't have anywhere to go but up, and Gordon could continue adding range and perimeter skills to his game (though he should still only play the 4). If everything breaks right, we could see Gordon average 20 and 10 with respectable accuracy on a moderate volume of three-point shots. If that happens, he'll push for a wild-card berth.

Consider this a bet that his growth happens more gradually over the next few seasons.

Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers

Somebody has to get numbers in Cleveland, and it'll almost certainly be the guy who ranked third in the league in box plus-minus the last time he was the top option on his team. Sure, that was 2013-14, and Love is a half-decade removed from that performance. But we know he can do more when given the opportunity.

Expect big numbers and more than a little positive sentiment for a player who was too often blamed for whatever went wrong with the Cavs over the last few seasons.

Also, expect the Cavs to lose too often for Love to get enough recognition. Hence the snub.

Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers

Turner didn't make a leap last year, but it's not too late. If the sweet-shooting big man gets comfortable spacing out to the arc on his pick-and-pops, Turner could unlock new and devastating options in Indiana's attack.

Last year, despite the Pacers needing scorers to support Oladipo, Turner only got up 2.4 treys per game. That number needs to double—at least. If that happens, and if Turner toughens up inside, he'll push for a spot. Like Gordon, though, it's wiser to anticipate a slight uptick rather than a breakout.

Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference or NBA.com.