NBA Notes: Giannis, LeBron and Luka easy choices for All-Star Game; Harden slumping
It came as no surprise Monday night when I received a text message from a contact in the NBA office asking if my All-Star ballot would be submitted before midnight.
Selecting starters for the All-Star Game and voting for postseason awards is a responsibility select members of the media take very seriously — and we all know how important it is to meet deadlines — but I was racing the clock when votes for postseason awards were due in April.
Former Kings coach Dave Joerger was fired the day before my ballot was due and I was working late into the night. League officials knew I was busy but grew nervous when my votes had not been submitted as the clock approached midnight, so I chuckled when I received a friendly reminder regarding All-Star voting Monday night.
The votes are in and the announcements are coming. Starters and captains will be unveiled Thursday during the NBA Tip-Off show on TNT. Reserves will be announced Jan. 30. Captains will choose teams during the All-Star Draft on Feb. 6.
Fan voting accounts for 50 percent of the vote. NBA players and media account for 25 percent each. We are asked to pick two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference.
Our votes had to be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday. My ballot was cast — on time — from the media room at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami., where the Kings visited the Heat on Monday night.
Starters for the Western Conference were pretty easy to pick. The Eastern Conference starters are more debatable. Here’s how I voted:
Western Conference
G – Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
The 20-year-old wunderkind is averaging 29.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.0 assists in his second NBA season.
G – James Harden, Houston Rockets
Recently struggles notwithstanding, Harden is an easy choice, averaging 36.9 points, 7.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds.
F – Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
One of the league’s top two-way talents, Leonard is averaging career highs of 27.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
F – LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
In his 17th NBA season, James is averaging 25.2 points, a career-high 11.0 assists and 7.6 rebounds for the top team in the Western Conference.
C – Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers became a championship contender with the addition of Davis, who is averaging 26.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.6 blocks.
Eastern Conference
G – Kemba Walker, Boston Celtics
Walker has been everything the Celtics hoped he would be in terms of leadership and production, averaging 22.1 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds for one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
This spot could go to Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal or even Eric Bledsoe, but the people’s choice is Young, who leads all Eastern Conference guards in fan voting while averaging 29.2 points, 8.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds.
Butler, averaging 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists, has the Heat on pace for almost 60 wins after they went 39-43 last season.
F – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
The NBA’s reigning MVP is averaging 30.0 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists for the Bucks, who have the league’s best record at 39-6.
C – Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Some see Embiid as a debatable choice who has been limited to 31 games due to injuries, but he is still putting up impressive numbers, averaging 23.4 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 blocks for a team that is vying for a top seed in the East.
Legend of Zion
Zion Williamson was scheduled to make one of the most anticipated debuts in NBA history Wednesday night when the New Orleans Pelicans played the San Antonio Spurs.
The hype has been building for weeks as Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in June’s NBA Draft, completed his recovery after undergoing surgery in October to repair a torn meniscus. At 6-foot-6 and 284 pounds, Williamson possesses a freakish blend of size, athleticism and power. He reportedly recorded a 45-inch vertical leap at Duke, astonishing for someone his size.
Williamson is expected to have his minutes restricted in the early stages of his comeback, but he will be a big addition to a Pelicans team that is only 3½ games out of the eighth spot in the Western Conference. As Marc Stein of the New York Times pointed out, Rookie of the Year honors are out of reach for Williamson, but a first-round matchup with LeBron and the Lakers is still a possibility.
Slumping shooter
Harden has been one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in the NBA over the past few seasons, but he has been way off the mark during Houston’s four-game losing streak. Harden went 9 of 51 (.176) from beyond the arc over the past four games. He went 1-for-17 in Monday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, tying a record for most missed 3s in a game.
More shooting struggles
The decline in Beal’s 3-point shooting has to be alarming for the Wizards. Beal shot 40.2 percent from 3-point range in 2016-17, 37.5 percent in 2017-18 and 35.1 percent in 2018-19. This season he is shooting 31.3 percent and he’s down to 28.1 percent in January.
