Hardy has emerged as the frontrunner and should be closing in on a five-year deal shortly. Photo: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer.

SALT LAKE CITY — On Thursday evening, the NBA announced that Utah Jazz stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert had been named NBA All-Stars and were selected as reserves for the third consecutive season.

Making his third All-Star appearance, Mitchell has missed some time recently due to a concussion he sustained approximately eight-games ago. Despite the absence, Mitchell has been a critical piece to the Utah offense and has averaged 25.5 points, 5.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game.

Making his 3rd #NBAAllStar appearance… Donovan Mitchell of the @utahjazz.
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Drafted as the 13th pick in 2017 out of Louisville, @spidadmitchell is averaging 25.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 5.2 APG for the Jazz this season. pic.twitter.com/YrOq3spbEH
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 4, 2022

Gobert on the other hand is also making his third All-Star appearance and is no stranger to the injury bug which has kept him sidelined as well. In addition to enduring the league’s COVID-19 protocols, Gobert is also dealing with a calf injury which has caused him to miss the past five games. Similarly to Mitchell however, Gobert’s value cannot be understated as he’s averaged 16.0 points, 15.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Notably, he is also shooting a blistering 70.7% from the floor.

Making his 3rd #NBAAllStar appearance… Rudy Gobert of the @utahjazz.
Drafted as the 27th pick in 2013 out of France, @rudygobert27 is averaging 16.0 PPG, 15.1 RPG, 2.3 BPG for the Jazz this season. pic.twitter.com/UnEpzTvmGP
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 4, 2022

As for the rest of the Western reserves, players such as Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Luka Doncic, Draymond Green and Karl-Anthony Towns will join Mitchell and Gobert behind the starters.

With the full list of All-Stars now announced, team captains, Lebron James and Kevin Durant, will draft rosters on Feb. 10 from the list of starters and then from the reserves.

All-Star Weekend will take place from Feb. 18-20 in Cleveland, Ohio. The actual All-Star Game itself will be on Sunday, Feb. 20 with a tipoff of 6 p.m. ET and broadcast on TNT.