For the first time, All-Star captains will choose teams just before the game. We’re trying to predict the teams right now.
LeBron James will once again have the first pick, as the league’s top vote-getter. James has picked first in all five previous years of the All-Star Draft, choosing Giannis Antetokounmpo with his top pick the last two season. This year, Antetokounmpo is the other captain, so James will have to rethink his draft strategy.
As a reminder, James gets the first pick among the remaining eight starters, while Team Giannis gets first crack at the reserves.
1. Team LeBron: James has taken Antetokounmpo twice, Kevin Durant twice and Anthony Davis once with the first overall pick. He likes size, and he likes mild tampering. James picked Durant ahead of his free agency, and Davis both before and after his trade to the Lakers. In terms of size, talent and possible recruitment to LA, the obvious pick is 6’7″ Luka Doncic. Sure, he seems happy in Dallas, but that’s before he joined the Kyrie Irving Experience.
2. Team Giannis: The Greek Freak took Steph Curry with his first pick in 2019 after Curry took him first in 2018. His other top pick was Joel Embiid in 2020. But Embiid told reporters he’s “not sure” he’s healthy enough to play, so we think Team Giannis goes with a different center, Denver’s Nikola Jokic.
3. Team LeBron: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics. James wants to show there’s no hard feelings after the uncalled foul on Tatum a few weeks ago, plus it’s a good chance to reach out to the Kobe Stans of Laker Nation, as Tatum is an unabashed superfan of Bryant.
