Welcome back to Hit the Post! This is the first article of 2023 and there is so much NBA news to cover. All-Star Weekend is just around the corner, so let’s start with that.
Last week, the NBA announced the all-star starters for the 2023 NBA season. Highlighting the West was LeBron (who was named a captain), Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Zion Williamson. For the East, it was Giannis (who was named as the other captain), Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, and Kyrie Irving.
Many fans thought that Joel Embiid would get one of the starting spots in the East, but with the frontcourt being so loaded, there wasn’t a spot for him. Zion Williamson locking up a starting spot was surprising for many as well, especially considering the time he’s missed this season (he’s only played in 29 out of the 52 possible games for the Pelicans). However, there weren’t many other forwards to choose from except for Sabonis and Anthony Davis, who also has missed a bunch of games because of injury.
The reserves for the all star game include Bam Adebayo, Jaylen Brown, Demar DeRozan, Joel Embiid, Paul George, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, Jaren Jackson Jr., Damian Lillard, Lauri Markkanen, Ja Morant, Julius Randle, and Domantas Sabonis.
Some notable names that I didn’t see make the all-star team this year were Trae Young, De’Aaron Fox, Anthony Davis, and James Harden. Trae Young not being an all-star this year was a little shocking, as I had him ranked as the 4th best point guard in the NBA back in December. And I still think even with his down year in his efficiency, he’s still the same offensive threat he has been over the last few years. However, I think a player like Tyrese Haliburton was way more deserving of a spot with his play with the Indiana Pacers, and making them a better team than what most people expected. Every year NBA fans almost always have a player or two that they can agree got snubbed for being an all-star, but I don’t see who could possibly be taken off this list. The league is just so talented it’s hard to discredit one player to build up another. In my opinion, everyone who is an all-star this year completely deserves it.
Finally, at the time this is written, LeBron James is currently 63 points away from breaking the all-time scoring record. By this time next week, He’ll likely be the number one scorer of all-time. Something that historic definitely deserves its own article, so be on the lookout for next week’s article!
Tagline: “Hit The Post” covers the latest topics in professional sports, with a focus on professional basketball. Each week, Arkese Claiborne covers the latest news and topics from both on and off the court.