The 2021 NBA All-Star Game was originally cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the league has reversed course and decided to hold a one-night event in Atlanta on March 7 -- despite objections from a number of players who will be involved and the city's mayor.
We won't know the full teams until next week, but on Thursday night we did learn the starters. Here's a look at the 10 players who were chosen by a combination of voting from fans, media and other players. LeBron James and Kevin Durant were named captains by virtue of being the leading vote-getters in each conference.
Once the reserves are announced on Feb. 23, LeBron and Durant will reconvene on March 4 to hold the annual All-Star Draft. Once again, the actual teams won't be broken down by conference lines. Instead, LeBron and Durant will choose their teams pick-up game style.
2021 NBA All-Star Reserve Picks for the East and West
here are the seven players from each conference—three frontcourt players, two guards, and two “wild cards” irrespective of positional designation—whom I’d pick to round out this year’s All-Star rosters:
West
FC Anthony Davis, Lakers* FC Paul George, Clippers FC Rudy Gobert, Jazz G Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers G De’Aaron Fox: WC Donovan Mitchell, Jazz WC Chris Paul, Suns
*The toughest choice for me when I was filling out my roster was either picking Paul or Booker for a spot. Here’s the reason why I picked Paul.
Paul has helped boost a Phoenix defense that, after years of failing to even approach league-average, ranks seventh in points allowed per possession. He’s been even more lights-out on all those floaters and pull-ups than Booker—52.1% from midrange, down a tick from last season but still an elite mark—and has run the team with his characteristic brand of exacting efficiency.
Paul also continued his work as one of the game’s most deadly clutch scorers; only three players have scored more in crunch time this season than Paul. Add it all up, and I go with Paul over Booker and DeRozan by a hair. They’re the first calls if we need alternates because one or two members of the Western selection suddenly come down with balky hamstrings or nagging foot woes as they get closer to having to report for lockdown in Atlanta.
De’Aaron Fox deserves to be on the team over the likes of Mike Conley, Brandon Ingram and Devin Booker because he’s just had the better year than those players. Fox has posted career highs throughout the board after signing a 5 year/ $163M dollar extension last offseason. Fox is posting a career-low turnover percentage and has become nightmarish cover due to his elite quickness. His 3-point shot has ticked up, averaging 26 and 8 over the past 16 games.
The East took me an eternity to fill out because the conference this season is deep in regard to talented individual players. Here are my seven reserves that will represent the east in Atlanta.
East
FC Trae Young, Hawks FC Julius Randle, Knicks FC Jayson Tatum, Celtics G Jaylen Brown, Celtics G James Harden, Nets WC Zach LaVine, Bulls WC Bam Adebayo, Heat
*I picked Bam over talented centers such as Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Vucevic because I believe Bam is the more versatile and better player than those two. Adebayo essentially is one of the few bright spots in a season full of COVID-19 turmoil for the Heat, providing increasingly dominant scoring (80 percent in the restricted area, 44 percent on jumpers, 85 percent from the foul line on six attempts per game) while running the offense (a higher assist rate than any other big man other than Nikola Jokic) and guarding all five positions on any given night.
Toughest East Cuts
Ben Simmons, who’s been on an absolute tear for the last month and might be mounting a serious bid for Defensive Player of the Year
Domantas Sabonis, who’s been every ounce the workhorse Randle has, and every bit as productive—seriously, the similarities are eye raising for a Pacers team that sits a game and a half above the Knicks in the standings.
Jerami Grant, this was so tough for me to leave Grant off the team. Grant is arguably the leagues’ most improved player in Detroit, cashing in on his big offseason to bet on himself and proving that he does have what it takes to be a number one scoring option.
Jrue Holiday, who has been excellent on both ends in Milwaukee, posting the best shooting numbers of his career while sitting near the top of the league in steals and deflections as the tip of the spear for an elite bucks defense
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