For the fifth straight year, LeBron James will have the first pick in the NBA All-Star Draft. Since the captains-draft-the-teams format has only been around for five years, this means that Team LeBron has always picked first, a byproduct of a streak that dates back even further: James has led all players in All-Star votes every year since 2017.
After James makes his selection in Thursday's All-Star Draft, it will be Team Durant's turn, just like last season. And unfortunately, just like last season, Kevin Durant will miss the actual game due to injury. (He has been sidelined since mid-January with a sprained MCL.)
James and Durant will draft from a pool of nine starters, including Jayson Tatum, who has for the second straight year been bumped up from his reserve spot in order to replace Durant. Then they will draft from a pool of 14 reserves, including newly named injury replacements LaMelo Ball (replacing Durant) and Dejounte Murray (replacing Draymond Green, who will not be eligible to be drafted).
Before they actually fill out their rosters, CBS Sports will do it for them. Lakerologist Sam Quinn will draft for Team LeBron and Brooklyn resident James Herbert will draft on behalf of Team Durant.
CBS Sports HQ Newsletter
Your Ultimate Guide to Every Day in Sports
We bring sports news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay informed and get a winning edge.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
ROUND 1
The starters pool: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, Andrew Wiggins, Trae Young
No. 1 pick, Team LeBron (Sam Quinn) selects ...
LeBron said that he "loved" playing with Curry at last year's All-Star Game, which was amazingly the first time the two had ever worn the same uniform. Now that Curry has signed an extension with the Warriors and James is nearing the end of his career, it seems less likely than ever that the two will ever unite on an NBA team. They'll therefore have to make up for that at All-Star Games as often as possible.
No. 2 pick, Team Durant (James Herbert) selects ...
Giannis won MVP of last year's All-Star Game, and he was a captain for the two prior to that. This isn't a particularly tough call, considering I can still get one of the two centers in the MVP race and surround the Greek Freak with shooters.
No. 3 pick, Team LeBron (Quinn) selects ...
I'm thinking competitively here. LeBron is not going to want to defend Antetokounmpo late in this game if it's close, so he's going to need someone to throw at the reigning All-Star MVP. Even if he took Jokic last year, he did so with Giannis already on his team. This time around, he needs a defensive big to take him out. That's Embiid.
No. 4 pick, Team Durant (Herbert) selects ...
Giannis and Jokic is a pretty good place to start, isn't it? I don't want to give Sam/LeBron the chance to put Embiid and Jokic on the same team, and I'm thrilled to announce that Team Durant will run Jokic-Antetokounmpo pick-and-rolls.
No. 5 pick, Team LeBron (Quinn) selects ...
Time to draft for that wow factor. If "Space Jam: A New Legacy" had a moral, it was that style beats substance. Morant fortunately brings plenty of both to this exhibition game. You just know James is going to throw him some wild outlet passes, and I couldn't give Jokic that same opportunity.
No. 6 pick, Team Durant (Herbert) selects ...
It's an All-Star Game, but I still care about defense. Tatum is easily the best defender available here, and I'm comfortable putting either him or Giannis on LeBron. With Giannis on the court, I want as much shooting as possible, too.
No. 7 pick, Team LeBron (Quinn) selects ...
Rarely does LeBron James admit his mistakes … but this is an exception. He should have pushed his front office to land DeRozan over Russell Westbrook in the offseason, and with Thursday also serving as the trade deadline, this draft is a perfect opportunity for him to lament what might have been. Oh, and it never hurts to have a spare bucket lying around.
No. 8 pick, Team Durant (Herbert) selects ...
DeMar is incredible, but this worked out the way I hoped because of the spacing issue. Have fun guarding Trae with Giannis and Jokic screening for him!
No. 9 pick, Team Durant (Herbert) selects ...
The reasons why people were mad that Wiggins made the All-Star team are the same reasons why I'm pleased to have him as my fifth starter. On offense, he can play essentially the same role he plays in Golden State, with (presumably) more opportunities for dunks in transition.
ROUND 2
The reserves pool: LaMelo Ball, Devin Booker, Jimmy Butler, Luka Doncic, Darius Garland, Rudy Gobert, James Harden. Zach LaVine. Khris MIddleton, Donovan Mitchell, Dejounte Murray, Chris Paul. Karl-Anthony Towns, Fred VanVleet
No. 10 pick, Team Durant (Herbert) selects ...
Give me the guy who plays hard on both ends every time he's in the All-Star Game, the guy who personally pushed commissioner Adam Silver to implement this draft, and, later, the Elam Ending. Paul wasn't voted a starter, but I bet he will close this game.
No. 11 pick, Team LeBron (Quinn) selects …
Time to start playing 4D Chess. LeBron knows, with absolute certainty, that his dominant Lakers will reach the NBA Finals. The only team that could possibly beat the purple and gold is Durant's Nets. So let's cause some tension. Either Harden isn't traded to Philadelphia and Durant has to watch him and Embiid play footsie all game on a team that bears his name, or he actually is, and Harden and Embiid get a free game of chemistry-building. It's a foolproof plan for James as his Lakers march toward their inevitable trip to the championship round.
No. 12 pick, Team Durant (Herbert) selects ...
I am uniting Booker with Paul because they obviously make each other better and they will not lose to a Monty Williams-coached team. Also, Booker is on my list of guys who could catch fire and make a run at All-Star Game MVP.
No. 13 pick, Team LeBron (Quinn) selects …
OK … I know this is insane … but what if the Lakers DON'T reach the Finals? James has to start planning his exit strategy ahead of the 2023 expiration of his contract, right? Well, where does he go when his co-stars age out of supporting him? Cleveland. Time to start building those relationships, and fortunately, he has a head start with Garland, thanks to their mutual affiliation with Klutch Sports.
No. 14 pick, Team Durant (Herbert) selects ...
Doncic hasn't been the most engaged All-Star Game participant, but maybe it's time for that to change. Also, at a certain point, you just take the best player available, and I am frankly shocked that Troll Sam/Team LeBron let him fall this far.
No. 15 pick, Team LeBron (Quinn) selects …
There are two backup big men left on the board, and despite his contention a season ago that it was "no slander to the Utah Jazz," he and Durant allowed Gobert and Mitchell to fall to the last two picks of this draft. Time to keep the tradition alive. Rudy is off limits so early in the process, so it has to be Towns.
No. 16 pick, Team Durant (Herbert) selects ...
I can't wait to see VanVleet follow his mentor Kyle Lowry's footsteps by playing annoyingly hard and making defensive plays on this stage. The first time he and Steph are on the court at the same time, Team Durant will have VanVleet faceguard Team LeBron's No. 1 pick like it's the NBA Finals. (He will also make some Curry-esque long bombs.)
No. 17 pick, Team LeBron (Quinn) selects …
OK, fine, LeBron will stop using the All-Star Draft for his own Machiavellian purposes just long enough to make a single basketball decision. With DeRozan at the other forward spot and Curry and Morant in the backcourt, we're really thin on perimeter defense. I'm fairly certain I can get a guard later on, so let's grab Butler and give ourselves the wing stopper we need.
No. 18 pick, Team Durant (Herbert) selects ...
I've wanted Gobert all along but I've held off because I suspect that Sam/LeBron isn't particularly interested. Jokic and Giannis are my only bigs right now, though, and I could see my opponent taking Gobert next simply to keep it that way. If I were drafting against somebody primarily concerned with winning the game, I would have made this pick much sooner.
No. 19 pick, Team LeBron (Quinn) selects …
After starting with Steph, virtually every player LeBron has drafted has needed the ball. Now, as we're filling out the roster, it would probably behoove Team LeBron to add another low-maintenance floor-spacer.
No. 20 pick, Team Durant (Herbert) selects ...
I'm stunned LaVine (and his deep 3s and crazy dunks) fell to me here, and I love all of the storylines at play. LaVine vs. DeRozan! LaVine vs. Butler! Reunited with Wiggins, playing against Towns! If only Aaron Gordon were on Team LeBron.
No. 21 pick, Team LeBron (Quinn) selects …
I told you I'd land my defensive-minded guard! That he happens to be represented by Klutch Sports is just a nice bonus.
No. 22 pick, Team Durant (Herbert) selects ...
Ball is my last pick, but may very well steal the show. His youthful enthusiasm is a needed counterbalance to all of the maniacal competitiveness on this roster. Team Durant is now complete in every sense of the word.
No. 23 pick, Team LeBron (Quinn) selects …
LeBron's trend of taking Utah players last continues for another year, but more than anything, Mitchell is just a bit redundant on an All-Star roster. The last thing this team needs is more shot creation.
Final rosters
| Team LeBron (Quinn) | Team Durant (Herbert) | |
|---|---|---|
Starter | Stephen Curry | Trae Young |
Starter | Ja Morant | Andrew Wiggins |
Starter | DeMar DeRozan | Jayson Tatum |
Starter | LeBron James | Giannis Antetokounmpo |
Starter | Joel Embiid | Nikola Jokic |
Reserve | James Harden | Chris Paul |
Reserve | Darius Garland | Devin Booker |
Reserve | Karl-Anthony Towns | Luka Doncic |
Reserve | Jimmy Butler | Fred VanVleet |
Reserve | Khris Middleton | Rudy Gobert |
Reserve | Dejounte Murray | Zach LaVine |
Reserve | Donovan Mitchell | LaMelo Ball |
Post-draft thoughts
Quinn (Team LeBron): If I have one regret here, it's that I sacrificed so much in the way of showmanship. Yes, I landed the top prize in Morant, but you're walking away with Antetokounmpo, Jokic, Ball, Doncic and LaVine. It'd be hard to imagine a better combination of the sort of flashy passing and athleticism that tends to create the best All-Star highlights.
Fortunately, I'm a winner, and I built a winning team. We're going to spam the Curry-James pick-and-roll in Jokic's face, and if you sub in Gobert, we'll send out our army of shooters to pull him out of the paint. I look forward to seeing Young try to defend anyone in my starting lineup. That I also managed to push LeBron's non-All-Star agenda in the process is the cherry on top.
Herbert (Team Durant): I am looking at your roster and wondering why you are talking to me about defense. I can target Steph, Morant and DeRozan when the starters are on the court, and your bench is full of guys who are inattentive defenders in regular NBA games -- do you think they're going to be better in this setting?
You can go at Trae, sure, but it's not like he needs to be on the court when it's Elam Ending time. I'm not worried about Gobert being "pulled out of the paint" because that's never been the real problem -- he's pretty good defending in space; he just shouldn't be asked to bail his teammates out when they're getting beaten off the dribble every time down. I don't think that'll be an issue here, and I'm confident Erik Spoelstra will be willing to get weird and zone up if need be.
So yeah: Team Durant rules. I drafted with talent, give-a-crap level and fun in mind, and I wound up with a perfect mix of all three. This team will make some beautiful plays and it'll play to win.
(Also: Stop disrespecting Jokic's defense. It was never that bad and it's way better this season. Your starting center will be in a drop against Trae; mine will be up at the level with Giannis, Tatum or Wiggins ready to rotate behind him.)
Quinn (Team LeBron): Talk all you want, my friend. All I have to do is point to the scoreboard. James has drafted four times and won the last four All-Star Games with his hand-chosen teammates. I got into LeBron's head and picked the players he would've taken, and just like he always does, he's going to emerge victorious.
Herbert (Team Durant): This is a hilarious argument. Imagine applying it to this NBA season: LeBron has won some titles, the Lakers have won some titles, ergo everybody must fear this mighty superteam! You only appeal to history like this when you can't appeal to anything else. Thank you for acknowledging that Team Durant has more flashy passing and athleticism than Team LeBron, but I'd also like to point out that we have more perimeter defense, rim protection, competitiveness and shooting.
LeBron almost lost his captain spot to Curry, and, since you've picked his team based on off-court connections and petty gripes, it's clear that you wish he had. You even justified one of your picks by saying that style beats substance. I know you don't believe that, and your entire draft is a not-so-subtle subtweet directed at LeBron, the Lakers, Klutch Sports and Warner Bros. Pictures. Admit it!
Quinn (Team LeBron): If anything, he's subtweeting himself. My captain has a track record and I had to honor it. Fortunately, that track record is plenty successful. My starting lineup may lack perimeter defense, but I have LeBron and Embiid to clean things up. Like you said, I don't have to close with all three of them on the floor. Having Curry gives me all the flexibility I need to go heavy on defense if need be. At the very least, Butler is going to be on the floor for crunch time. Murray and Middleton can be as involved as they need to be.
Also … this is the All-Star Game. Can you think of a better time to air out petty grievances than an inconsequential draft for an exhibition game? It's been a tough season for the Lakers. Just let LeBron have this.
The real 2022 NBA All-Star Draft will take place on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m. and it will air on TNT. The NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 20 in Cleveland.
