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The NBA All-Star game for the 2018-19 season is getting closer and closer. This will be the 68th edition of the All-Star match and will be played on February 17, 2019, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The starters were chosen by the fans, media, and current NBA players. Fans made up 50% of the vote, and NBA players and media each comprised 25% of the vote.
The two guards and three frontcourt players who received the highest cumulative vote totals were named the All-Star starters.
NBA head coaches will vote for the reserves for their respective conferences, none of which can be players from their own team. Each coach selects two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards, with each selected player ranked in order of preference within each category.
This year, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James were chosen as the captains of their respective teams and just like last year will draft their own teams from the pool of all stars. This season's All-Stars are:
Eastern Conference All-Star Starters: Kemba Walker (G), Kyrie Irving (G), Kawhi Leonard (F), Giannis Antetokounmpo (F), Joel Embiid (C).
Eastern Conference All-Star Reserves: Kyle Lowry (G), Victor Oladipo, replaced by D'Angelo Russell (G), Bradley Beal (G), Ben Simmons (G), Khris Middleton (F), Blake Griffin (F), Nikola Vucevic (C). Dwayne Wade (G) is a special roster addition as it is his final season and due to his contribution to the game, will be a third round pick.
Western Conference All-Star Starters: Stephen Curry (G), James Harden (G), LeBron James (F), Kevin Durant (F), Paul George (F).
Western Conference All-Star Reserves: Russell Westbrook (G), Damian Lillard (G), Klay Thompson (G), Anthony Davis (F), LaMarcus Aldridge (F), Nikola Jokic (C), Karl-Anthony Towns (C). Dirk Nowitzki (F) is a special roster addition as it is his final season and due to his contribution to the game, will be a third-round pick.
Since LeBron James was the highest vote-getter among the two captains, he has the first pick in the draft that will happen on February 7th 2019.
Giannis gets the first pick in the second round and then James will again get the first pick in a special third round, where he will choose between Dwayne Wade and Dirk Nowitzki, who are special roster additions. Without further ado, let us look at a mock draft for Team LeBron and Team Giannis.
Starters selection
1st pick: Team LeBron: Kevin Durant (F), Team Giannis: Steph Curry (G)
Right off the bat, LeBron will arguably pick the best player in the starters pool in Kevin Durant, who is an elite scorer, rebounder and defender and will be a great fit next to LeBron.
Giannis, who himself is a solid rebounder but not as good a three-point shooter, will pick the best shooter in the league with Curry, their game complements one other and should be a great watch.
2nd pick: Team LeBron: Kyrie Irving (G), Team Giannis: James Harden (G)
Almost always, these All-Star games have a recruitment agenda and with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, 2 of the biggest free agents next season, LeBron is covering all his bases.
Also, Kyrie is probably one of the best ball handlers in the league and will boost team LeBron's chances. Giannis, on the other hand, will be looking for the best of the best, and there is nobody scoring more right now than James Harden.
He is also an elite distributor and will form a devastating partnership with Curry in the backcourt.
3rd pick: Team LeBron: Paul George (F), Team Giannis: Joel Embiid (C)
Team LeBron will continue on their quest for grabbing a bunch of great wings and with the form that George has been on all season, tearing it up for the Thunder, LeBron will be hoping that one of the best two-way players in the league can do it for his team as well.
Giannis will go with a floor-spacing big man in Joel Embiid, who can do almost everything. He can cross over, euro step, post up, shoot the three in your face and then taunt you at being better at it. He is someone who will really set the All-Star Game alive and Giannis would definitely like him on his team.
4th pick: Team LeBron: Kawhi Leonard (F), Team Giannis: Kemba Walker (G)
LeBron will end up picking the better of the last two players, and with nobody really giving a hoot about defense, the only one who might is Kawhi Leonard.
Plus the gap between Leonard and Kemba is pretty big and he's perfect for this almost-all-wing roster.
Team Giannis has Walker on their team, he's by no means a bad option. Even during a year in which he's sacrificed a bit of his efficiency for additional scoring volume, he's remained a dangerous pick-and-roll option and probably have the crowd on team Giannis as well.
Reserves selection
1st pick: Team Giannis: Anthony Davis (F), Team LeBron: Damian Lillard (G)
With the first pick, Giannis will pick the best player available which probably is Anthony Davis.
Hopefully, his injured finger does not keep him out, he's proved himself at the All-Star Game in the past and still holds the single-game scoring record.
He contributes effortlessly on defence, while also cutting out of nowhere to provide highlight-reel jams.
Team LeBron is loaded with wings and it will be great to have a star guard like Damian Lillard in his ranks, someone to rival Stephen Curry, 45-foot three-pointer for 45-foot three-pointer.
2nd pick: Team Giannis: Nikola Jokic (C), Team LeBron: Ben Simmons (G)
Nikola Jokic is one of the top-10 players in the league this season, one of the best passers in league history and he is a joy to watch.
He tries being fancy when the games do not matter much, throwing deep outlets, no-look feeds and precision passes through traffic to teammates and we can't even imagine how good he will be with the talent he will be surrounded by.
Ben Simmons is 6'10" and can defend everyone and first time All-Stars have an incentive to try harder.
Philly uses him as a point guard, but he is a versatile player, so you never know how LeBron ends up using him. He'll find LeBron James and Kevin Durant for easy slams and will have a superb night with LeBron.
3rd pick: Team Giannis: Klay Thompson (G), Team LeBron: Karl-Anthony Towns (C)
You can never go wrong with more three-pointer shooters and Klay will bring exactly that to Team Giannis. He is shooting lights out of late and has been on fire. Along with the other splash brother on the team, there could be no stopping Team Giannis.
Karl-Anthony Towns gives this roster its first conventional big man, but there is nothing conventional about him. Towns does typical big-man stuff like rebound, bully opponents in the post and dunk, but he is also a great spot up shooter and spaces the floor really well.
4th pick: Team Giannis: Blake Griffin (F), Team LeBron: Russell Westbrook (G)
Blake Griffin returns to the All-Star game after a hiatus. He's now working with stars who are floor-spacers and ball-handling options reducing offensive responsibilities.
He has changed his game and apart from throw down slams, he now is knocking down pull-up triples and passing like a jumbo Steve Nash.
The frontcourt passing on display when Griffin joins Jokic and Antetokounmpo will be legendary.
Russell Westbrook is having shooting troubles this season, but that's okay. His explosive athleticism and relentless desire is what any team desires. He's sure to produce a few dunks, leaving his mark on the All-Star Game with the team LeBron.
5th pick: Team Giannis: Khris Middleton (F), Team LeBron: Bradley Beal (G)
Team Giannis needs wings and who better than his Bucks teammate, Khris Middleton. He can check opposing wings, knock down triples and keep defenders on their toes with his shooting.
He might not be the most glamorous option and often fades into the background, but he is one of best role players to help out this team. Bradley Beal is having a monster season.
Ever since John Wall went down with a heel injury, Beal has been phenomenal, averaging 27.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
His off-the-dribble creation mixed with complementary shooting will energize the team and LeBron needs all the shooting he can get from his All-Star guard.
6th pick: Team Giannis: Nikola Vucevic (C), Team LeBron: D'Angelo Russell (G)
Giannis is going to pick a player who matches his own skillset, a big man who can create for his teammates, post up, shoot 3s and crash the boards.
Vucevic might not be the best nor the most glamorous Nikola on the team, but he is not far behind and it might be his chance to shine alongside such great talent.
D'Angelo Russell has been an amazing star for the Brooklyn Nets this season and with a season-ending injury to Victor Oladipo, his chance to shine is here.
His shooting has improved leaps and bounds, along with his passing, showing his maturity and all of this is why LeBron will end up picking him on his team to show everyone why he is an All-Star.
7th pick: Team Giannis: Kyle Lowry (G), Team LeBron: LaMarcus Aldridge (F)
With this selection of Kyle Lowry, team Giannis has picked up another star, one who is known for his vision rather than his shooting.
He seldom shot-hunted in his previous four All-Star appearances and has been a great leader in the Toronto locker room, something he can do here as well.
He is out here to prove everyone wrong who thought his selection was undeserved and might end up being a surprise star.
Team LeBron had the final pick and chooses LaMarcus Aldridge, who is probably one of the best big men out there this season.
He gives Team LeBron a more traditional option in the post, something that might worry Team Giannis as nobody can stop Aldridge in the post. He might even take a 3 pointer and show everyone that he too, can change his game if need be.
Special Roster additions:
Team LeBron: Dwayne Wade (G), Team Giannis: Dirk Nowitzki (F)
LeBron having the luxury of the first pick will choose his buddy and longtime friend, Dwayne Wade over Dirk Nowitzki, which means he joins Team Giannis.
LeBron would want to have one last dance with his former teammate who will surely relish throwing up some dunks for LeBron to slam down.
Nowitzki has enthralled us all with his superb game for almost 2 decades and will be looking to do so one last time at the All-Star Game with Team Giannis.
Final Rosters:
Team LeBron: Kevin Durant, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, Ben Simmons, Karl-Anthony Towns, Russell Westbrook, D'Angelo Russell and Dwayne Wade.
Team Giannis: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, James Harden, Kemba Walker, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, Nikola Jokic, Khris Middleton, Klay Thompson, Nikola Vucevic, Kyle Lowry and Dirk Nowitzki.
