2021 NBA All-Star Draft: 5 key takeaways
Kevin Durant and LeBron James provide a summary of their teams for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game.
- All-Star Draft results
- Complete All-Star coverage
From the moment the NBA implemented a new system, where the two players with the highest fan votes in the East and West are appointed as All-Star Game captains who then get to choose their teams, the suspense and tension have grown exponentially. It seems as though the entire basketball community is holding its breath in anticipation of this monumental moment:
Who’s the last pick?
It appears LeBron James and Kevin Durant aren’t particularly impressed with the team currently boasting the best record in the league. In his commentary, LeBron playfully, yet pointedly, intensified his critique:
The Utah Jazz isn’t being slandered. It’s just that growing up, we never chose to play as Utah in video games. Despite the greatness of Karl Malone and John Stockton, we never selected those players in the games.
There you go. The last two players selected in Thursday’s 2021 All-Star Draft were Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, respectively. This is akin to being the last one in the green room on draft night, although not as daunting.
The Jazz capitalized on a strong performance in February to climb the West standings, largely thanks to their two All-Stars. They will undoubtedly have new motivation moving forward, if they choose to use it. Mitchell and Gobert have the opportunity to defy expectations, whereas Malone and Stockton can only spectate from their couch.
The draft for LeBron and KD ended up being fairly predictable, aside from a few surprises. Team LeBron’s first pick among the starters was Giannis Antetokounmpo, while James Harden was the first reserve selected for Team Durant.
LeBron selected Paul George from the Clippers, but added a caveat: “This will be the only time I’ll support this guy and his team.”
Nonetheless, the distribution of players has led to intriguing scenarios, matchups, and collaborations for Sunday’s game, which we dissect here:
Point guard advantage, Team LeBron
Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic, lead guards for the Warriors and Mavs respectively, share a laugh as their teams face off.
If point guards are primarily responsible for creativity in All-Star Games – which is logical as they typically control the ball and determine the ensuing action – then Team LeBron is likely to dominate in terms of style points. It’s worth noting that in an All-Star setting, style points are nearly as important as actual points.
Team LeBron boasts five point guards, or six if you include LeBron himself. On the other hand, Team Durant only has one orthodox point guard, Kyrie Irving. They might have two if you consider Harden, who, however, is unlikely to enter the Hall of Fame as a point guard.
Chris Paul, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard and Ben Simmons will each trigger more than a few fast breaks and lob passes and how-did-he-do-that passes headed straight for YouTube. Team LeBron therefore ranks as Sunday’s likely leader in video starts.
Brooklyn 1-2-3
Durant smartly managed to keep the notorious B.I.G. Three of Brooklyn together, a move that would have been even more advantageous if he had been in a position to play. Regardless, Durant did well in ensuring that Irving and Harden remained together, allowing them to further enhance their Nets’ chemistry, even if it was at the cost of the All-Star Game. Are Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid, potential playoff competitors, aware that their All-Star captain is setting them up?
Truce, or consequences
After years of intense and occasionally personal rivalry, Clippers swingman Paul George and Blazers guard Damian Lillard will join forces this Sunday.
The most delicious subplot involves the partnership between Lillard and George, implying that someone from Team LeBron needs to mediate this seemingly delicate and potentially awkward situation.
Just to jog your memory: In the bubble last fall, George took to social media to ridicule Dame for missing late-game free throws, inciting a digital tit-for-tat between the two basketball stars. In response, Dame coolly recalled the time he eliminated George from the playoffs with a memorable 35-foot buzzer-beater, symbolized by a puppet-wave. Later, when George faltered in the bubble, he faced harsh criticisms on social media from those who clearly sided with Dame.
Despite the common belief that time tends to heal or at least soothe any anger, Dame, known as one of the more prideful players in the league, feels that he is not receiving the respect he deserves, subscribing to a conspiracy theory to explain this. It’s important to note that it was Doncic, not Dame, who was chosen by fans to start the All-Star Game, which was yet another blow to Dame’s self-esteem.
Four years back, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were All-Star Game teammates but it was far from harmonious. The ex-Oklahoma City colleagues had a falling out when Durant joined the Warriors, leading to a well-known feud that persisted through the midseason event. They avoided communication at All-Star team activities, maintaining distance in the locker room and on the bench. James Harden, who is close to both, had to play the mediator that weekend. The two only sparingly acknowledged each other during the match.
So, who will be designated as the mediator for Dame-PG? The most apparent choice is LeBron, considering that’s essentially the role of a captain, correct?
LeBron and Curry, teammates at last
They mutually respect each other and have had many significant moments in the postseason where they have outshined each other, with Curry having a slight edge over LeBron if we consider titles as the ultimate measure of success. Seeing them don the same uniform for a change will be a refreshing sight. The game merits this, and so do they.
LeBron and Giannis, teammates at last
Last year, they served as captains, which partly explains why their pairing will be intriguing. The additional factor? Giannis, the recipient of the previous two Kia MVP awards, won last season’s award over LeBron, who ended up as the runner-up and expressed dissatisfaction over the count of his first-place votes.
However, unlike Dame and PG, they won’t need a mediator, so that’s a plus.
The best two centers square off
Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, being on opposing All-Star teams, should create a formidable confrontation in the center.
Isn’t it fantastic that Nikola Jokic and Embiid are set to compete against each other, rather than play on the same team? This is exactly how it should be, especially this season when both of these talented players are contending for the MVP awards due to their outstanding performances.
Embiid is demonstrating dominance at both ends of the court, unseen from a center since Hakeem Olajuwon. On the other hand, Jokic is achieving nearly unparalleled triple-doubles for a center, proving that size doesn’t prevent leading a team, or at the very least, being the hub of the offense.
Therefore, those are just the peripheral events to the main event. LeBron is currently on a three-game winning run as captain, and as KD is not playing, he personally can’t do anything to halt that.
In essence, the main point is that no one is criticizing the game anymore. As a result of the game taking place in Atlanta, Historically Black Colleges and Universities will receive recognition and funding. Moreover, Sunday will purely be about enjoyment.
Even the Jazz will enjoy it.
* * *
Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.
