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Community Shootaround: Mock All-Star Draft

January 24th 2020 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced its 10 All-Star starters on Thursday night, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James headlining the group.

While five starters were selected from each conference, the East and West won’t square off in the All-Star game, as the NBA will once again conduct an All-Star draft. Top vote-getters Giannis and LeBron will serve as team captains for a second consecutive year and will essentially participate in two separate drafts, selecting from the eight-player starter poll before moving onto the 14-player pool of reserves.

We don’t know yet which reserves will round out the All-Star rosters, but now that the starters have been announced, we can speculate about how the first part of the All-Star draft might play out.

Here’s the eight-player starter pool that Antetokounmpo and James will be selecting from:

  1. Luka Doncic, G (Mavericks)
  2. James Harden, G (Rockets)
  3. Kemba Walker, G (Celtics)
  4. Trae Young, G (Hawks)
  5. Anthony Davis, F/C (Lakers)
  6. Kawhi Leonard, F/C (Clippers)
  7. Joel Embiid, F/C (Sixers)
  8. Pascal Siakam, F/C (Raptors)

Our discussion question today is a two-parter: We want to know what you think the draft should look like if Giannis and LeBron are each trying to build the best lineups possible, and what it actually will look like after various allegiances are taken into effect.

For instance, it’s probably a safe bet to assume that LeBron – who was the leading overall vote-getter and figures to get the No. 1 pick – won’t pass on his teammate Davis. After all, a year ago, LeBron faced half-joking accusations of tampering when he selected the then-Pelican with his first pick in the reserve round.

Veteran basketball writer Tom Ziller tried his hand at predicting how the All-Star draft will actually play out, starting with James selecting his fellow Lakers star. But it might be more fun to imagine what the draft would look like if Giannis and LeBron were both solely focused on winning the game and building the best roster possible. Would Davis still be LeBron’s first pick or would he lean toward someone like Leonard? Would Harden be picked a whole lot higher than he was a year ago?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts on what the 2020 All-Star starter draft will – or should – look like!

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