The starters for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game — which will take place on Feb. 20 in Cleveland — were announced on Thursday night.
Making up the Eastern Conference starting lineup will be Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan (he learned in a very unique way), Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.
2022 East All-Star starters:
DeMar DeRozan
Trae Young
Kevin Durant
Joel Embiid
Giannis Antetokounmpo— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 28, 2022
The Western Conference starters will be Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
2022 West All-Star starters:
Stephen Curry
Ja Morant
LeBron James
Nikola Jokic
Andrew Wiggins— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 28, 2022
James and Durant will be the captains for the games, drafting from the rest of the available pool of All-Stars once they’re announced.
Among those who were just short of being voted in as starters are Paul George, and Luka Doncic in the West, and Zach LaVine and James Harden in the East.
Here is the voting breakdown for All Star starters:
• Fans (50%)
• NBA players (25%)
• Media panel 25%)Link to voting totals: https://t.co/1QesMZ05bf
Fan vote totals: pic.twitter.com/UAaFGFQeJs
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) January 28, 2022
From just taking a quick glance at the list, for the most part, the starters are deserved. However, many have taken to social media to point out that Andrew Wiggins may not be as deserving as the rest.
“Andrew Wiggins” and we’re supposed to take All Star appearances seriously?
— max (@bazIeyformvp) January 28, 2022
Man, show me this tweet two years ago and I’d have assumed some terrible global catastrophe must’ve happened. https://t.co/a1gSs9DKDT
— actioncookbook (@actioncookbook) January 28, 2022
This just permanently changed the legacy of the ASG. https://t.co/m78ThktgF2
— The CnD NBA Show (Missing Moose) (@cndnbashow) January 28, 2022
To be fair to Wiggins, he has been incredibly improved this season, putting up career-high numbers on a very good Golden State team.
That being said, without the fan voting taking a big part in the starters being chosen, Wiggins should not be an All-Star starter on merit alone this season.
It does create a great story for the NBA, and how can you not feel good for the guy after many had cast him as a letdown from his No. 1 overall pick status in the 2014 draft.
