The annual draft for the NBA's All-Star Game is now complete! Since 2017, the league adopted a new system where captains selected who they'd want on their team for the All-Star Game. This was in an effort to make the game more competitive. It's safe to say that based on the last few years, it's been working.
This year, Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James were the NBA All-Star Game captains, being the top vote-getters from the Eastern and Western Conference, respectively. James had the first pick for the starters, while Durant picked first for the reserves. Let's take a look at how both captains fared with their draft picks.
Grading Team LeBron & Team Kevin Durant's draft picks for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game
Team LeBron: A-
If we were to judge this NBA All-Star Game draft solely with the starters, Team LeBron would win in a landslide. Since James selected first overall, he was able to snag Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo immediately. With Durant drafting Sixers' Joel Embiid in response, the King was able to select the Warriors' Stephen Curry. Those three alone easily won LeBron the first round. Grabbing DeMar DeRozan of the Bulls and Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets was the icing on the cake.
However, his NBA All-Star Game reserves have a little problem: they're too little. LeBron drafted guards (Darius Garland, Fred VanVleet, Chris Paul, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden) or wings (Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler). Considering that Team Durant has both centers in Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, that could be an issue moving forward.
Normally, this draft would get a B+ grade. However, LeBron gets bumped up a grade for drafting VanVleet with his second to the last pick and forcing KD to pick between Gobert and Harden, giving us this legendary NBA All-Star Game moment.
LeBron James DYING as Kevin Durant picks Rudy Gobert over James Harden for his All-Star team 🤣💀https://t.co/35Xt84tohM
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 11, 2022
Team Durant: B
Kevin Durant was given the short end of the stick in the NBA All-Star Game draft. He had to pick second in the first round, which meant he was forced to react to LeBron's picks. That's not to say he didn't get a good haul: Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum (filling in for the injured KD), Andrew Wiggins, and Trae Young are good players. Against LeBron-Giannis-Steph, though…
Durant more than made up for it with the reserve pool though. The twin towers of Gobert and Towns can be a problem for Team LeBron. Devin Booker, Zach LaVine, and LaMelo Ball bring scoring and playmaking. Dejounte Murray (filling in for Draymond Green) and Khris Middleton provide the defense. All in all, it's a pretty balanced group that can mold into any strategy and win the NBA All-Star Game.
Now, if Team Durant had drafted Harden instead of Gobert… maybe they'd have an A-.
You can find the full NBA All-Star Game rosters here.
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