The two players went back-and-forth selecting players from the All-Star pool until both rosters were full. While Durant captained and drafted one of the rosters, the Nets star won’t actually be playing in the All-Star game due to a lingering MCL sprain. He also missed the All-Star game last season due to a hamstring injury. As a result, Durant got an extra pick in the first round, since he had to draft a player to replace himself.
As the overall leading vote-getter, James was granted the first overall pick. Here’s a look at how the draft shook out:
Round 1: Starters
- Team LeBron: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
- Team Durant: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
- Team LeBron: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- Team Durant: Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
- Team LeBron: DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
- Team Durant: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
- Team LeBron: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
- Team Durant: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
- Team Durant: Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors
Round 2: Reserves
- Team Durant: Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
- Team LeBron: Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
- Team Durant: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Team LeBron: Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Team Durant: Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
- Team LeBron: Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns
- Team Durant: DeJounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs
- Team LeBron: Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
- Team Durant: Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
- Team LeBron: Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
- Team Durant: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
- Team LeBron: Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors
- Team Durant: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
- Team LeBron: James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers
The resulting rosters look like this:
Team LeBron
Starters:
- LeBron James
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Stephen Curry
- DeMar DeRozan
- Nikola Jokic
Reserves:
- Luka Doncic
- Darius Garland
- Chris Paul
- Jimmy Butler
- Donovan Mitchell
- Fred VanVleet
- James Harden
Team Durant
Starters:
- Joel Embiid
- Ja Morant
- Jayson Tatum
- Trae Young
- Andrew Wiggins
Reserves:
- Devin Booker
- Karl Anthony Towns
- Zach LaVine
- DeJounte Murray
- Khris Middleton
- LaMelo Ball
- Rudy Gobert
Takeaways
1. LeBron’s starting lineup is nearly the same as last year
LeBron didn’t get too creative with his first couple of picks. Last year he picked Antetokounmpo with the first overall pick and Steph Curry with his second pick, and he did the same thing this season. He also picked landed Nikola Jokic with his last pick in the first round for the second straight year. So, overall James’ starting lineup will be 80 percent the same as it was last year. The only difference is that DeMar DeRozan will replace Luka Doncic, though James still has Doncic on his bench this year. Chris Paul is also back on Team LeBron.
Team LeBron bested Team Durant 170-150 in last year’s game, so you can’t really blame James for selecting a similar squad to the one he had then. James is 4-0 in All-Star games as a captain, so he has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to All-Star roster building.
2. Durant really didn’t want to draft Harden
The most amusing part of the entire draft was how obvious it was that Durant didn’t want to draft his now-twice former teammate James Harden. While being egged on by the TNT analysts, along with James, Durant passed on every opportunity to select Harden. With two players left on the board, Durant selected Gobert, claiming that he needed “size.” As a result, Harden automatically went to James’ squad as the draft’s final selection,
At the end of the day, the NBA is all about entertainment, and this year’s All-Star draft definitely provided that. The game itself will take place on Sunday, Feb. 20 in Cleveland.