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.
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From the moment the NBA decided to assign the two players with the most fan votes in the East and West as All-Star Game captains, permitting them to pick their teams, the suspense became palpable and intense. It appeared as though everyone in the basketball world was waiting with baited breath for the significant event:
Who’s the last pick?
It appears that LeBron James and Kevin Durant aren’t particularly confident in the team currently boasting the best record in the league. To add salt to the wound, LeBron teasingly deepened the critique in his explanation.
The Utah Jazz aren’t being slandered. It’s just like when we played video games as kids, we never chose Utah. Even though Karl Malone and John Stockton were great, we never selected them in video games.
To sum it up, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert were the last two players to be picked in the 2021 All-Star Draft on Thursday, with Mitchell being chosen first. This can be likened to being the last ones left in the green room on draft night, albeit less intimidating.
The Jazz capitalized on a successful February to climb the West standings, aided significantly by their two All-Stars. They will evidently have new motivational materials at their disposal, if they decide it’s valuable to use. Mitchell and Gobert have the opportunity to defy expectations, while Malone and Stockton can only observe from their couch.
The draft for the LeBron-KD game was largely predictable, aside from a few surprises. Giannis Antetokounmpo was chosen first among the starters by Team LeBron, while James Harden was Team Durant’s first pick from the reserves.
LeBron selected Paul George from the Clippers, but added a caveat: “This is the only instance I’ll cheer for this guy and his team.”
Regardless, the distribution of players has resulted in some intriguing scenarios, matchups, and collaborations for Sunday’s game, which we examine here:
Point guard advantage, Team LeBron
As the Warriors and Mavs face off, lead guards Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic share a laugh.
If creativity in All-Star Games largely comes from point guards, which is logical since they control the ball and often dictate the subsequent play, then Team LeBron is the clear favorite to win the majority of style points. As most are aware, in an All-Star format, style points are nearly as important as actual points.
Team LeBron has an advantage with five point guards, or six if you include LeBron himself. In contrast, Team Durant only has Kyrie Irving as a natural point guard, with the addition of Harden who won’t be listed as a point guard when he enters the Hall of Fame.
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 maintained the integrity of Brooklyn’s Notorious B.I.G. Three, a move that would have been even more advantageous if he were able to participate. At the very least, Durant effectively ensured Irving and Harden’s continued partnership to further develop their Nets chemistry, this time leveraging the All-Star Game. Do Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid, potential playoff competitors against the rejuvenated Nets, realize they are being strategically maneuvered by their All-Star captain?
Truce, or consequences
After years of intense and occasionally personal rivalry, Clippers swingman Paul George and Blazers guard Damian Lillard are set to team up this Sunday.
The pairing of Lillard and George, which is the most delicious subplot, implies that a member of Team LeBron must act as a mediator in a situation that appears, at first glance, to be fraught with tension, if not outright discomfort.
Just to jog your memory: During last fall’s bubble, George teased Dame on social media for missing free throws towards the end of a game, sparking a debate between the two superstars. Dame coolly reminded everyone of the time he knocked George out of the playoffs a few years prior with a memorable 35-foot buzzer-beating shot, famously accompanied by a puppet-wave. George later faced social media ridicule when he encountered difficulties in the bubble, with many people firmly supporting Dame.
Dame, being one of the league’s prouder players, believes in a conspiracy theory that he is not receiving the respect he deserves. This belief is fueled by instances such as when Doncic was chosen by fans to start the All-Star Game instead of him, a decision that further bruised his ego. While it is true that time tends to heal or at least mitigate anger, Dame’s pride seems to override this natural process.
Durant and Russell Westbrook were All-Star Game teammates four years ago, but it was not a harmonious partnership. Their relationship, once solid as Oklahoma City teammates, shattered when KD switched to the Warriors. This led to a notorious feud that persisted throughout the midseason classic. They kept their communication to a minimum at All-Star team events, maintaining their distance even in the locker room and on the bench. Harden, who is on good terms with both, tried to mediate the situation that weekend. The two only casually recognized each other during the game.
So, who will be designated as the peacemaker for Dame-PG? The most apparent choice would be LeBron, as that’s the role of a captain, correct?
LeBron and Curry, teammates at last
They both have a mutual respect for each other and have had numerous significant encounters in the postseason, where each one outplayed the other at different times (Curry more so than LeBron, if we consider titles as the ultimate measure of success). Thus, it will be a pleasant change to see them playing on the same team for once. This game warrants such a collaboration, and they certainly deserve it.
LeBron and Giannis, teammates at last
Last year they served as captains, which is only one factor that makes this pairing intriguing. Another reason? Giannis is the recipient of the last two Kia MVP awards, the most recent of which was won over LeBron, who ended up as runner-up and voiced his dissatisfaction over his tally of first-place votes.
However, they won’t need a mediator as Dame and PG will, so there’s that.
The best two centers square off
Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, being on different All-Star teams, are likely to create a formidable face-off in the center.
Isn’t it exciting that Nikola Jokic and Embiid will be competing against each other, rather than playing on the same team? This is just as it should be, particularly this season, with both of these talented big men vying for the MVP awards after their outstanding performances.
Embiid exhibits dominance on both offensive and defensive ends, a feat not seen from a center since Hakeem Olajuwon. On the other hand, Jokic is amassing triple-doubles at a rate nearly unheard of for a center, demonstrating that size doesn’t prevent one from leading a team, or at the very least, being the focal point of the offense.
So, those are just peripheral events to the main event. Currently, LeBron is on a roll with a three-game winning streak as the captain, and since KD isn’t playing, he can’t personally intervene to halt that.
The larger perspective is that no one is complaining about the game anymore. As a result of the game being held in Atlanta, Historically Black Colleges and Universities will receive recognition and funding. Furthermore, Sunday will be dedicated 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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