Kristaps Porzingis was on the cusp of being named an NBA All-Star Game starter but narrowly missed out. Stephen Curry and LeBron James are named captains for the first ever All-Star Game draft.
Despite having the best season of his career, Kristaps Porzingis will not be starting in this year’s NBA All-Star Game. He will most likely make the team as a reserve, but he was narrowly edged out by Joel Embiid in the voting. Per ESPN’s Ian Begley, Embiid was voted in by the fans and the media, but Porzingis was voted in by the player vote.
Media and fans voted Joel Embiid over Kristaps Porzingis. Players voted Kristaps Porzingis ahead of Embiid.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) January 18, 2018
No Knicks or Nets will be starting in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, but there is still a chance that they will have representation named as reserves.
The Eastern Conference starters are a nice mix of some young talent and some of the established stars in the league. Per USA Today, the starters from the Eastern conference will be LeBron James (captain), Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyrie Irving, DeMar DeRozan, and the aforementioned Embiid.
Your NBA All-Star Game starters from the Eastern Conference:
– LeBron James (captain)
– Giannis Antetokounmpo
– Joel Embiid
– Kyrie Irving
– DeMar DeRozan— USA TODAY NBA (@usatodaynba) January 18, 2018
Stephen Curry (captain), James Harden, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and Demarcus Cousins will be representing the Western Conference this season. also per USA Today. The Warriors and the Pelicans will both have two players representing them in the starting lineup, which is interesting considering where both teams are in the standings. The Warriors are a league-best 37-9, while the Pelicans are 23-21 and fighting for a playoff spot.
Your NBA All-Star Game starters from the Western Conference:
– Stephen Curry (captain)
– James Harden
– Kevin Durant
– Anthony Davis
– DeMarcus Cousins— USA TODAY NBA (@usatodaynba) January 18, 2018
These 10 players will be starting, but they will be broken up by the new rules for picking the teams. LeBron James and Stephen Curry will be picking their teams like we all do in our neighborhood pickup game, alternating picks regardless of which conference a player is in as the league tries to revamp its midseason showcase.
It will be interesting to see the final construction of the rosters, but it’s not as great as it could be. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said that they will not televise the draft despite pushback from fans.
@TasMelas talks to Commissioner Adam Silver in London about the All-Star draft, shortening the Playoffs, and resting players. #TheStarters pic.twitter.com/lTrs2Y881o
— The Starters (@TheStarters) January 11, 2018
A live draft might even be better than the actual game. Would LeBron pick Kyrie after their public breakup this past offseason? Who would be the last pick and how would they take it? If not this year, we need the live draft for next year’s game.
