Adam WellsJanuary 28, 2022Alerted 39m ago in the B/R AppAP Photo/Frank Franklin II
The captains of the All-Star Game for the second year in a row are Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
James was leading the fan vote with over 6 million votes. For the 18th year in a row, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is a starter. He has been a team captain every year since the NBA adopted the All-Star format.
Even though he hasn't played in a game since January due to a knee injury, Kevin Durant was able to maintain his spot as the top vote-getter on the Eastern Conference fan ballot. Chris Haynes reported that the Brooklyn Nets star wouldn't play in the NBA's game.
This will be the second year in a row that KD will not play in the All-Star Game. He missed the Atlanta event because of an ankle injury.
The rest of the starters that they will build their rosters from during the All-Star draft are listed below.
The Western Conference has All-Star Starters.
Frontcourt: Andrew Wiggins (Warriors), Andrew Jokic (Nuggets), and LeBron James (Lakers).
Stephen Curry and Ja Morant are guards.
The Eastern Conference All-Star team.
The frontcourt includes: Kevin Durant (Nets),Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), andJoel Embiid (76ers).
The guards are: DeMar DeRozan, Trae Young.
There is a lot of frontcourt talent from both conferences. James and Jokic are at the top of the Western Conference.
James has been doing everything he can to keep the Lakers afloat. The three-time All-Star Game Most Valuable Player is shooting 54.1% from the field in 18 games since December.
Jokic has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Denver Nuggets in the first half of the season. He is making his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance thanks to ranking seventh in scoring average (26.2), second in rebound (13.8) and ninth in assists (8.6).
Joel Rush @JoelRushNBA
Nikola Jokic lead the league (among many stats) in Box Plus Minus (BPM) at 14.1.Giannis is 2nd at 10.4, a gap between the two of 3.7.
To bridge that same 3.7 gap, you have to go down to Ja at 8th w/ 5.8, after going through Embiid 8.9, LBJ 8.2, Butler 7.8, KD 7.3, Steph 6.8. pic.twitter.com/wvp7qxZf6h
Even though Michael Porter Jr. is only playing nine games, the Nuggets are still sixth in the conference.
Andrew is an All-Star for the first time. Golden State has a 35-13 start. He is shooting a career-high 40.4 percent from three-point range and is averaging 18.1 points per game.
Since being acquired by the Warriors in February 2020, the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft has had a career resurgence. Over the past two seasons, he has been an essential part of their defense, as well as being a more efficient offensive player.
The top two frontcourt All-Stars in the Eastern Conference are Antetokounmpo and Embiid.
This season, Antetokounmpo is playing better than he was when he won the NBA title. He is averaging a career-high 6.0 assists per game, along with 28.6 points and 11.2 rebound per contest.
The best big man in the Eastern Conference right now is Embiid. He has scored at least 30 points in 14 of his last 15 games and ranks second in the NBA in player efficiency.
StatMuse @statmuse
Joel Embiid tonight:42 PTS14 REB4 BLKin 33 MINS
It’s his 5 straight game where he’s had more points than minutes. pic.twitter.com/sRKg5Lj5uM
The starting guards in the Western Conference seem to have an advantage over their Eastern Conference counterparts.
Stephen Curry is still averaging 25.8 points per game in 44 starts, even though he has tailed off a bit since a red-hot start to the season. He leads the league in attempts and three-pointers.
Curry will be making his eighth career All-Star appearance. Each time he has been selected, the Golden State Warriors guard has started the game.
Curry and Morant are the other backcourt players for the West, with Morant getting his first All-Star selection. He has led the Memphis Grizzlies to third place in the Western Conference with a 33-17 record.
Morant is on pace to average career highs in scoring, rebound, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage. He was a human highlight reel on both ends of the court.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
JA. WOW. pic.twitter.com/hQs7UaKYkg
Morant is the first Memphis player since Gasol to be named to the All-Star team.
All of the doubters were wrong about DeMar's play for the Chicago Bulls this season. He is sixth in the league in scoring with 26.4 points per game and is shooting 49.7% from the field.
This will be the fifth All-Star appearance for DeRozan, but his first since he left the Toronto Raptors.
There has been a lot of debate about the All-Star ballot. He was listed as a guard by the league despite his primary position being power forward.
Regardless of what position he has played, DeRozan has performed like one of the league's best players and is a deserving All-Star starter.
Trae Young is going to the All-Star team for the second time in three seasons. One of the most dynamic offensive players in the NBA is the Atlanta Hawks point guard. He's fifth in the league with 27.7 points per game, third in assists, and is shooting a career-high 38.0 percent from behind the 3-point line.
February 10 is when the All-Star draft will take place. The All-Star Game will be held in Cleveland in 2022. There is an error in the text.
AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
