LaMelo Ball and Dejounte Murray are now a part of the 2022 All-Star Game.
Kevin Durant and Draymond Green will both be out due to injury, so LaMelo will take Kevin’s spot in the East and Dejounte Murray will replace Draymond in the West. This also means that Jayson Tatum will move up to the starting lineup in the East.
I have to mostly agree with the replacements that the NBA went with.
LaMelo Ball is must-watch TV and has averaged close to a 20 point triple-double all season. The reigning Rookie of the Year has led the Charlotte Hornets into playoff territory in only his sophomore year.
Take a look at LaMelo’s reaction to becoming the fourth-youngest All-Star in NBA history.
LaMelo all smiles after finding out he made his first All Star Game 🙌🔥 pic.twitter.com/79aLxUS8RT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 8, 2022
Some people could argue that Jarrett Allen deserved the replacement, but you just can’t pass up putting one of the most exciting players to watch in the all-star game.
The same goes for Dejounte Murray. Well, maybe not “must-watch TV”… but he is averaging 19.6 PPG, 9.2 APG, 8.4 RPG, and 2.1 steals per game. No one in NBA history has ever put up these numbers. He’s on triple-double watch every night and is only behind Nikola Jokic in that category.
I will admit, Brandon Ingram could have just as easily been named the replacement for the West as he is having the best season of his career and the Pelicans have only won 2 games without him.
Here’s a full list of the updated starters and reserves for the 2022 All-Star Game:
East Starters
- G – Trae Young (ATL)
- G – DeMar DeRozan (CHI)
- F – Jayson Tatum (BOS)
- F – Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL)
- C – Joel Embiid (PHI)
West Starters
- G – Stephen Curry (GSW)
- G- Ja Morant (MEM)
- F – Andrew Wiggins (GSW)
- F – LeBron James (LAL)
- C – Nikola Jokic (DEN)
East Reserves
- LaMelo Ball (CHA)
- Jimmy Butler (MIA)
- James Harden (BKN)
- Darius Garland (CLE)
- Zach Lavine (CHI)
- Khris Middleton (MIL)
- Fred VanVleet (TOR)
West Reserves
- Devin Booker (PHX)
- Chris Paul (PHX)
- Luka Doncic (DAL)
- Rudy Gobert (UTA)
- Donovan Mitchell (UTA)
- Dejounte Murray (SAS)
- Karl Anthony-Towns (MIN)
The 2022 NBA All-Star Game is set to take place on Sunday, February 20th.
