2021 NBA All-Star Draft: 5 key takeaways

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Since the NBA started assigning the players with the highest fan votes in the East and West as All-Star Game captains, letting them pick their teams, the suspense has become intense and arresting. The entire basketball community appeared to be waiting with bated breath for the crucial moment:

Who’s the last pick?

It appears that LeBron James and Kevin Durant aren’t particularly impressed with the team currently boasting the best record in the league. Moreover, LeBron playfully added fuel to the fire with his comments.

“The Utah Jazz are not being disrespected. Even when we were kids playing video games, we never chose to play as Utah. Despite the greatness of Karl Malone and John Stockton, we never selected those players in the games.”

Thus, the final two players selected in Thursday’s 2021 All-Star Draft were Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, in that sequence. This situation could be likened to remaining in the green room on draft night, albeit less intense.

The Jazz capitalized on a solid performance in February to climb the ranks in the West standings. This was largely due to the efforts of their two All-Stars. They now have ample motivation, provided they choose to use it. Both Mitchell and Gobert have the chance to defy expectations, while Malone and Stockton can only observe from their couch.

The draft for the LeBron-KD game largely went as expected. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the first starter chosen, picked by Team LeBron, while James Harden was the first reserve chosen, picked by Team Durant.

LeBron selected Paul George from the Clippers, albeit with a caveat: “This will be the only occasion I’ll be cheering for this guy and his team.”

The distribution of players has led to some intriguing scenarios, matchups, and alliances for Sunday’s game, which we examine in the following analysis:

Point guard advantage, Team LeBron

If point guards are primarily responsible for creativity in All-Star Games – a logical assumption as they usually control the ball and determine ensuing actions – then Team LeBron stands a strong chance to earn the majority of style points. As you’re likely aware, in an All-Star format, style points are almost as significant as actual points.

Team LeBron boasts five point guards, or six if you include LeBron himself, who certainly considers himself as one. This is in contrast to Team Durant, which only features one natural point guard, Kyrie Irving. They might have two, if you also consider Harden, but he is unlikely to be inducted into 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 skillfully managed to keep Brooklyn’s Notorious B.I.G. Three together, a move that could have been even more advantageous if Durant was fit to play. At the very least, Durant made a smart move by keeping Irving and Harden together to further develop their chemistry on the Nets, even if it cost them the All-Star Game. One wonders if Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid, who might face the revitalized Nets in the playoffs, are aware that their All-Star captain is laying a trap for them.

Truce, or consequences

The most delicious subplot involves the pairing of Lillard and George, implying that a peacemaker from Team LeBron needs to mediate what appears to be a potentially awkward, if not uncomfortable, situation.

Just to jog your memory, last autumn in the bubble, George took a jab at Dame on social media for missing free throws towards the end of a game. This provoked an exchange between the two basketball giants. Dame coolly reminded everyone of the time he ousted George from the playoffs a few years back with his legendary ‘puppet-wave’ buzzer-beater from 35 feet out. George’s performance later in the bubble didn’t live up to expectations, resulting in him being heavily criticized on social media by those who were clearly on Dame’s side.

Time has a tendency to heal, or at least soothe, any anger. However, Dame, being one of the league’s proudest players, believes in a conspiracy theory suggesting he is being cheated out of respect. It’s important to note that it was Doncic, not Dame, who was chosen by fans to start in the All-Star Game, adding another blow to Dame’s pride.

Four years ago, Durant and Russell Westbrook, previous teammates from Oklahoma City, were in the All-Star Game together, and it was far from pleasant. Their relationship had suffered a severe blow when Durant left for the Warriors, leading to a well-known dispute that lasted through the midseason classic. They avoided each other at All-Star team events, maintained distance in the locker room and on the bench, and only acknowledged each other perfunctorily during the game. Harden, who is amicable with both, attempted to mediate between them that weekend.

So, who will be chosen as the peacemaker for Dame-PG? The most likely choice is LeBron, as that is typically the role of a captain, correct?

LeBron and Curry, teammates at last

They have a shared admiration for each other, and in the not too distant past, they’ve both had significant moments of triumph over each other in the postseason (Curry more than LeBron, if championships are the ultimate measure). So, it will be a refreshing change to see them wearing the same uniform for once. This game merits such a change. And they, too, deserve it.

LeBron and Giannis, teammates at last

Last year, they served as captains which is only one factor making this pairing intriguing. Another reason is the fact that Giannis has won the previous two Kia MVP awards, with the latest one being won over LeBron, who ended up in second place and expressed dissatisfaction about his number of first-place votes.

However, they won’t need an intermediary like Dame and PG, so there’s that.

The best two centers square off

Isn’t it wonderful that Nikola Jokic and Embiid are set to compete against each other rather than playing on the same team? This feels particularly fitting this season, as both of these substantial players are contenders for the MVP awards due to their spectacular performances.

Embiid demonstrates dominance on both ends of the court, a feat unseen from a center since Hakeem Olajuwon. On the other hand, Jokic is accumulating triple-doubles at an almost unparalleled rate for a center, proving that size doesn’t hinder one’s ability to lead a team or be the focal point of the offense.

So, those are just the distractions from the main event. LeBron is currently enjoying a three-game winning streak as a captain, and with KD not playing, there’s nothing he can personally do to halt that.

The broader perspective is that no one is complaining about the game anymore. As a result of the game taking place in Atlanta, Historically Black Colleges and Universities will receive recognition and funding. Additionally, Sunday will be dedicated entirely to enjoyment.

Even the Jazz will enjoy it.

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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.

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