Where Does 2015's NBA All-Star Class Rank in Last 15 Years?

Each year, the NBA All-Star class is supposed to represent the best that the current season has to offer. As the stage is set for a high-flying offensive spectacle with plenty of memorable plays, the best players from each conference are selected to represent their half of the Association.

The 2014-15 season has seen plenty of big-name players receiving a resume boost in the form of inclusion in the midseason festivities, but we've also seen a completely unique class emerge. The Atlanta Hawks have four representatives, including a sharpshooter who probably never dreamed he'd earn such an honor. Plenty of young guns like Anthony Davis (who, sadly, won't be playing), Jimmy Butler and Klay Thompson are being included, and there's no shortage of aging veterans still playing at high levels.

But how do they stack up against the other All-Star classes of the past 15 years? After all, not every NBA season is equal, with some campaigns boasting more impressive performances from the MVP candidates and others featuring a greater depth of talent.

Some years, both are true.

Starting with 2001 and finishing with the current class that's headlined by Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, LeBron James and plenty more, we're going back through the last 15 groups of All-Stars and analyzing them in three distinct categories—win shares per 48 minutes, total win shares and total team impact (the combined sum of each player's win shares divided by total team wins, as win shares are intended to be an approximation of value to a squad).

Where necessary, years are adjusted so that everything is fair. We're prorating win-share totals to a full season for the in-progress 2014-15 campaign, just as we did for the lockout-shortened one in 2011-12. All teams were also adjusted as though they only had 24 total players so that years with plenty of injury additions don't have an unfair advantage.

Counting stats—points, rebounds, assists and more—serve as the primary way that players punch their tickets to the All-Star Game. But it's win shares (and metrics derived from them) that help show how important these numbers are to winning games. The more win shares that show up in the midseason classic, the better—and more important—the class.

Now, how high can 2015 rise?

10. 2012 All-Stars

Eastern Participants: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Luol Deng, Roy Hibbert, Dwight Howard, Andre Iguodala, LeBron James, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo*, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Deron Williams

Western Participants: LaMarcus Aldridge, Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Kevin Durant, Marc Gasol, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook

Leading us off are the All-Stars from three years ago, featuring a class led by none other than James himself. Then playing with the Miami Heat, he paced the 2012 standouts in win shares (14.5), led in win shares per 48 minutes (0.298) and finished behind only Chris Paul and Kevin Love in team impact.

But the issues here are twofold.

First, there weren't any truly historic seasons to boast about. James and Kevin Durant hadn't reached their absolute peaks, even if they were already the best players in the league. Only four players in the field reached double-digit win shares, and even after adjusting for the lockout, the total grows to just six. Compare that to the top year in these rankings, one in which 15 players were at 10 or higher.

The other issue is even more problematic. Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Luol Deng, Steve Nash and Derrick Rose, who played in only 39 games, had impressive seasons when they were healthy. None of them resonate historically, though.

And in this analysis, the bottom can be just as important as the top.

8(tie). 2010 All-Stars

Eastern Participants: Chris Bosh, Kevin Garnett, Al Horford, Dwight Howard, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Joe Johnson, David Lee*, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Gerald Wallace

Western Participants: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups*, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Pau Gasol, Chris Kaman*, Jason Kidd*, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul, Zach Randolph, Brandon Roy, Amar'e Stoudemire, Deron Williams

In 2010, the bottom of the class was similarly unimpressive.

Chris Kaman will always stand out as a strange inclusion, even though he averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game en route to his first and only All-Star appearance. He remains one of the most unlikely All-Stars in NBA history, and that isn't helping 2010's case in these rankings.

But even more detrimental to the cause was Allen Iverson, who capitalized on his popularity, not his production. Between his stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers, the 34-year-old guard earned only 0.7 win shares during his final season in the NBA. He was a bit washed up at this point in his career, never even scoring more than 23 points before the break. And for a shoot-first, shoot-second player, that's not going to cut it.

Even in a year that featured four injury replacements, Iverson's stats drag 2010 down rather significantly.

8(tie). 2015 All-Stars

Eastern Participants: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Jimmy Butler, Pau Gasol, Al Horford, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kyle Korver*, Kyle Lowry, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague, Dwyane Wade, John Wall

Western Participants: LaMarcus Aldridge, Kobe Bryant, DeMarcus Cousins*, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Marc Gasol, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Damian Lillard*, Dirk Nowitzki*, Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Russell Westbrook

The top of the 2015 All-Star class is absolutely unbelievable. James Harden, Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis are all having seasons for the ages, while no fewer than 10 players are on pace to finish the year with double-digit win shares. In fact, that's actually selling this class a bit short because LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant should join the club if they remain healthy.

But as you can see, it's those three MVP candidates who pace this bunch in all three measures that we're using for these rankings:

The Western Conference should be pulling the entire collection up. After all, seven of the top eight projected win-share earners are from the NBA's tougher half. But the East is just so ridiculously weak that it can't help but drag down the overall numbers.

In a normal season with talent evenly distributed between the two conferences, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh would not be on the All-Star list, at least given how they've played this year. Anthony might still get voted in by the fans, but that's a topic for another time.

However, it gets worse, courtesy of a certain Kobe Bryant.

The fact that this Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard was voted in as a starter reflects his insane popularity across the domestic and international markets. But it also flies in the face of virtually every statistic out there. In all three relevant categories here, he's an extreme outlier in the negative direction.

In fact, if you remove Bryant from the equation, 2015 would jump all the way up to No. 4 in these rankings. With only 28 players included in the analysis (thanks to the injury-related inclusions of DeMarcus Cousins, Damian Lillard, Dirk Nowitzki and Kyle Korver), one egregious inclusion can have that large an impact.

7. 2014 All-Stars

Eastern Participants: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, Roy Hibbert, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Joe Johnson, Paul Millsap, Joakim Noah, Dwyane Wade, John Wall

Western Participants: LaMarcus Aldridge, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis*, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Dwight Howard, Damian Lillard, Kevin Love, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Chris Paul

Last year, the All-Star class was an undeniably solid one.

Though Joe Johnson was an extremely questionable selection, completely failing to justify his inclusion due to a mediocre season with the Brooklyn Nets, the rest of the picks all contributed. Roy Hibbert, Dwyane Wade and Tony Parker were the next lowest on the win-share leaderboard, but each of them earned at least five over the course of the 2013-14 campaign.

Meanwhile, the top was just loaded.

Kevin Durant, who would go on to win MVP for the first time in his career, was particularly impressive. En route to earning 19.2 win shares (0.295 per 48 minutes), he posted 32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 50.3 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from beyond the arc and 87.3 percent from the charity stripe. It was a historic season, one that will be remembered for a long time as one of the greatest long-term scoring performances we've ever seen.

Throughout the entire 15-year period in question, only LeBron James has earned more win shares during an All-Star season. Anthony Davis is currently topping the per-48-minute mark, checking in at 0.299, but Durant is right near the top of that leaderboard as well.

Almost single-handedly, he saved a class with a bunch of questionable choices. And that's only fitting for an MVP, right?

6. 2009 All-Stars

Eastern Participants: Ray Allen*, Chris Bosh, Danny Granger, Kevin Garnett, Devin Harris, Dwight Howard, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Joe Johnson, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade, Mo Williams*

Western Participants: Chauncey Billups, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Shaquille O'Neal, Tony Parker, Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, Amar'e Stoudemire, David West

Here's an example of LeBron James producing better numbers than 2013-14 Kevin Durant.

During the penultimate campaign of his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. He shot 48.9 percent from the field, connected on 34.4 percent of his triples and hit his free throws at a 78 percent clip. And most importantly, he did that while leading the charge for a dominant Cavs squad that won 66 games during the regular season.

With 20.25 win shares in 2008-09, he still has the No. 17 spot on that all-time leaderboard. Michael Jordan is the only post-merger player above him, though none of the legendary shooting guard's three entries came within the last 15 years. Plus, James' '08-09 campaign puts him at No. 7 all-time in win shares per 48 minutes.

Even with Allen Iverson not truly deserving of an All-Star spot and receiving one all the same, the combined efforts of James and Chris Paul—who submitted arguably the greatest regular season by a point guard in league history—push this class near the top.

4(tie). 2003 All-Stars

Eastern Participants: Vince Carter, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan, Jason Kidd, Jamal Mashburn, Tracy McGrady, Brad Miller, Jermaine O'Neal, Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, Ben Wallace

Western Participants: Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Steve Francis, Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury, Shawn Marion, Yao Ming, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, Peja Stojakovic*, Chris Webber

As a whole, the 2003 All-Stars spent a lot of time on the court. On a per-minute basis, they weren't as efficient as some of the other classes in the last 15 years, but they were quite valuable to their teams and provided plenty of impressive contributions throughout the 2002-03 season.

If you sort the 24 All-Stars and lone injury replacement (Peja Stojakovic replaced Chris Webber) by total win shares, Yao Ming finishes at No. 20. And even he managed to submit an impressive campaign, as the big man was in the prime of his career, not the injury-plagued portion that would come later. The two players directly below him—Webber and Michael Jordan—both belonged as well, giving this class no true questionable inclusions.

Jordan may not have been with the Chicago Bulls any longer, but even the Washington Wizards version of himself was an impressive player. Frankly, it didn't matter how old the greatest shooting guard of all time was, as he was still going to help out his team.

Relative to the strength at the top, no group of All-Stars in the last 15 years has been deeper, which is amazing since this group directly preceded the arrival of the stacked 2003 rookie class.

4(tie). 2011 All-Stars

Eastern Participants: Ray Allen, Chris Bosh, Kevin Garnett, Al Horford, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Amar'e Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade

Western Participants: Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Pau Gasol, Manu Ginobili, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love*, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams

There were no historic standouts in the 2011 All-Star contest. LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and plenty of others were fantastic, but you won't find any 2010-11 seasons near the top of any win-share leaderboards.

Depth, however, is a different story.

Ray Allen earned exactly 10 win shares in 2010-11. And somehow, 13 other players in the All-Star class managed to beat him, which gives the year a jaw-dropping 14 standouts in double figures. Without any true straggler—other than Yao Ming, who played in only five games all season—the lack of power at the top just isn't a concern when coupled with this type of depth.

Plus, it helps that Kevin Love somehow managed to post such ridiculous numbers on the 17-win Minnesota Timberwolves squad. This was the season in which he averaged 20.2 points and 15.2 rebounds per game, becoming the first qualified player since Moses Malone in 1982-83 to post a 20/15 line.

That helps the total-team-impact portion rather significantly, as Love was uber-valuable to a struggling squad, essentially serving as a one-man wrecking ball.

3. 2005 All-Stars

Eastern Participants: Gilbert Arenas, Vince Carter, Grant Hill, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Antawn Jamison, Jermaine O'Neal, Shaquille O'Neal, Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade, Ben Wallace

Western Participants: Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Manu Ginobili, Rashard Lewis, Shawn Marion, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Amar'e Stoudemire

It really helps when there are no nonsensical inclusions. For that matter, not having any injury replacements tends to be beneficial as well.

Every one of the 2005 All-Stars performed admirably this season, with Antawn Jamison and Jermaine O'Neal serving as the only two who you can justify shaking your head at. But even those two power forwards were in the primes of their careers during the 2004-05 campaign.

Among the 15 relevant classes, '05 finished at No. 4 in both win shares per 48 minutes and total team impact, the latter largely aided by Kevin Garnett's performance on a Minnesota Timberwolves squad that went 44-38. Garnett wasn't a one-man team to the extent Kevin Love was for the 2011 class, but he still pulled more than his weight throughout the year.

But in terms of total win shares? Only 2003 and the as-of-yet-unrevealed top class finished in more impressive fashion.

2. 2008 All-Stars

Eastern Participants: Ray Allen*, Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Caron Butler, Kevin Garnett, Richard Hamilton, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Antawn Jamison, Joe Johnson, Jason Kidd, Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade, Rasheed Wallace*

Western Participants: Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Yao Ming, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, Amar'e Stoudemire, David West

It's a bit hard to believe, but Dwyane Wade was actually the least valuable player in this class. With 3.3 win shares, he earned at least 2.6 fewer than everyone else listed above. Plagued by injuries throughout the year and limited to only 51 total appearances, the shooting guard had a forgettable season—by his standards, at least. He averaged "only" 24.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game, and his efficiency numbers were lower than every go-round but his rookie campaign.

When Wade is the bottom-feeder, you're probably doing pretty well as a class. Such was the case here, as nobody else really dragged down the overall numbers. Plus, there were plenty of positive standouts.

On the opposite end of the spectrum come Chris Paul, Amar'e Stoudemire, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. But much like the 2003 class, the strength here lies in the remarkable depth.

Fourteen players earned double-digit win shares. Twenty earned at least eight. Twenty-four came in at seven or above, and only Jason Kidd and Wade failed to make it into that group.

With so much talent from top to bottom, it shouldn't be surprising that '08 fares so well.

1. 2006 All-Stars

Eastern Participants: Gilbert Arenas*, Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Vince Carter, Richard Hamilton, LeBron James, Allen Iverson, Jermaine O'Neal, Shaquille O'Neal, Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade, Rasheed Wallace

Western Participants: Ray Allen, Elton Brand, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Pau Gasol, Shawn Marion, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker

The 2006 class is just on another level.

You can see that below by clicking through the three categories that we've looked at throughout these rankings. Notice that this group of All-Stars finishes in the same spot across the board:

Every year, there seems to be one questionable inclusion. Some years—cough, 2015, cough—that bottom-feeding player is more cringe-worthy than others. But that simply wasn't the case in 2006, as Tracy McGrady and his 4.1 win shares finished at the very bottom of the group. Meanwhile, 15 players earned double-digit win shares. The top 22 all earned at least 7.6.

Basically, everyone was in his prime—or at least close to it. There really aren't any exceptions, as you can scan through that list of participants over and over without finding any truly egregious inclusions. Even Gilbert Arenas, who replaced Jermaine O'Neal in the lineup, averaged 29.3 points and 6.1 dimes during the 2005-06 season, which was rather easily his best performance ever.

Couple that with some serious power at the top, thanks to a stellar season from Dirk Nowitzki, and great performances from seven more players who earned at least 14 win shares (LeBron James, Chauncey Billups, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Elton Brand, Shawn Marion and Dwyane Wade), and you have a recipe for the top spot.

There's even plenty of room to spare.

*Indicates an injury replacement

Note: All stats, unless otherwise indicated, come from Basketball-Reference.com and are current heading into Feb. 12's games. Win-share data stems from a personal database I've compiled over the years.