The All-Star starters have been revealed!
On Thursday, the 10 players who will start in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game were announced.
Once again, the Eastern Conference and Western Conference starters are made up of two guards and three forwards each, selected by a combination of fans (50 percent of the vote), media (25 percent) and current players (25 percent). The leading vote-getters, LeBron James and Kevin Durant will be captains. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid are among the stars who will join them as starters.
Your 2022 #NBAAllStar starters 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/MJ4YZlhJR0
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 28, 2022
From James continuing to defy Father Time to a much-improved part of Embiid's game that is flying under the radar, here's one stat to know about each 2022 NBA All-Star Game starter.
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Western Conference All-Star starters
G - Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Curry has been in a shooting slump as of late, but he's still connecting on 4.8 3-pointers per game on the season, the most in the league by a healthy margin. Nobody has made more 3s off the dribble, and he continues to lead the way in scoring off of screens. The most dangerous on- and off-ball shooter in the league, we've never seen anyone quite like Curry.
G - Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
He might only be listed at 6-foot-3 and 174 pounds, but Morant plays like a giant in the paint. He's averaging 15.5 points per game in the painted area, putting him ahead of Antetokounmpo (15.4) and Jokic (15.4) — two 7-footers who can overpower just about anyone — for most in the league. While Morant's athleticism grabs headlines, it's how he harnesses it that makes him unique.
F - LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
James has already scored 30 or more points in 22 games. Not only is that the most in the league to this point of the season, but it's also the second-most any player over the age of 36 has ever recorded in a single season. The current record-holder is Karl Malone, who racked up 27 30-point games in 1999-00. At the rate he's going, safe to assume James will soon take over the No. 1 spot.
F - Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Want to know how valuable Jokic is? According to NBA.com, the Nuggets are outscoring opponents by 10.2 points per 100 possessions with the reigning MVP on the court. When he takes a seat on the bench, opponents are outscoring them by — brace yourself — 12.7 points per 100 possessions. For context, that's the difference between Denver having the best net rating in the league and the worst.
F - Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors
Wiggins is shooting a career-best 40.4 percent from the 3-point line. The secret to his success? Shot selection. His catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts are up to a career-high and he's averaging his fewest pull-up 3-point attempts since 2017-18. He's thriving in a more simplified offensive role than he's had in the past.
Eastern Conference All-Star starters
G - Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Young sure isn't afraid to shoot from deep. Since entering the NBA in 2018-19, the Hawks guard has knocked down a total of 233 3s from at least 28 feet, doing so at a 37.6 percent clip. (The furthest point of the 3-point line is 23 feet and nine inches, in case you were wondering, so we're talking deep.) Only Damian Lillard (272) has made more shots than Young from that distance over the last three and a half seasons.
G - DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
DeRozan (84) ranks second to only Joel Embiid (109) in clutch scoring. He's been a cold-blooded assassin with the game on the line, shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 90.0 percent from the free-throw line. More importantly, the Bulls are plus-34 in those minutes, which has helped them win 14 of the 22 games DeRozan has appeared in that have gone down to the wire.
F - Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets
Durant has been a cheat code from midrange. Only DeRozan (190) has made more shots than him (140) from midrange, and he's connected on those opportunities at a 55.1 percent clip. The bulk of his middies have been contested as well. Built like a forward with guard skills, there's little to nothing that can be done when he gets to his sweet spots.
F - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Nothing comes easy against Antetokounmpo at the basket. According to NBA.com, opponents are shooting a measly 45.8 percent against him at the rim. Not even three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert (51.7 percent) has been quite as effective of a rim protector. Don't sleep on Antetokounmpo's chances of winning MVP and DPOY (again!) this season.
F - Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
There's a reason why Embiid's scoring has been getting a lot of attention — you've seen what he's done in the month of January alone, right? — but he's quietly dishing out the most assists of his career (4.3) while averaging his fewest turnovers (2.9). His growth as a playmaker has helped fill some of the void left by Ben Simmons, who led the 76ers in assists in each of the last four seasons.
