LeBron James is currently on one of the great random streaks in the history of sports. The NBA introduced an All-Star Draft as an alternative to its old East vs. West format six years ago. James has been elected a captain in each of those six seasons. In the first five, the team he drafted ultimately won the game. This season, he'll look to move to 6-0.
Standing in his way is Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who drafted against James and lost in both 2019 and 2020. Now he's hoping the third time will be the charm, so in order to attempt to predict how the two captains who act when All-Star Sunday arrives, CBS Sports is holding a mock All-Star Draft.
Representing James will be resident Lakers expert Sam Quinn, and representing Antetokounmpo will be Milwaukee maven Jack Maloney. James, as the leading overall vote-getter, will pick first on the starters. Antetokounmpo will pick first with reserves. In a new twist this year, the draft will take place right before the game and the reserves will be picked before the starters.
In our mock draft, however, we're picking the starters first. Without further ado, let's dive in.
Starters
Pick No. 1 (Quinn/Team James): Kyrie Irving. According to James himself, "tampering rules do not apply on All-Star Weekend." Irving is not only LeBron's former teammate but a 2023 free agent who was reportedly interested in becoming a Laker at the trade deadline. That trade didn't happen, but Los Angeles added a number of younger players on expiring or non-guaranteed contracts that could be jettisoned for Irving if necessary. James wouldn't be doing his duty as a Laker if he didn't use this weekend as an opportunity to recruit a possible free-agent upgrade.
Pick No. 2 (Maloney/Team Antetokounmpo): Joel Embiid. The first two times that Antetokounmpo was an All-Star captain, he didn't wait long to pick Embiid. His "African brother," as he called him, was his second selection in 2019 and first choice in 2020. The two big men have a fierce rivalry on the floor, but also share a clear respect for each other's abilities. That Embiid takes the event seriously -- he averages 21.8 points and 10 rebounds on 58.6 percent shooting in his appearances -- is surely something that the hyper-competitive Antetokounmpo takes into account.
Pick No. 3 (Quinn/Team James): Jayson Tatum. Let's take a galaxy-brained approach here: with Antetokounmpo and Embiid on one team, surely Giannis won't take Nikola Jokic... right? That allows James to wait for his big man and reach across the rivalry line to grab Tatum out of Boston.
Pick No. 4 (Maloney/Team Antetokounmpo): Nikola Jokic. *Lee Corso voice* Not so fast my friend! The triumvirate of Jokic, Embiid and Antetokounmpo are the three leading MVP candidates and together have once again made the big man the face of the NBA. What better way to re-assert their dominance over the rest of the league than by teaming up and winning the All-Star Game together?
Pick No. 5 (Quinn/Team James): Donovan Mitchell. Well... our "let's wait for a big man" strategy seems to have backfired. That leaves us with two viable ball-handling options here. James is a well-known fan of Luka Doncic, having once planned to launch a Team LeBron Nike subsidiary around him, but we're trying to isolate Irving from the Mavericks as much as possible, so instead, we'll use this opportunity to play footsie with the Cavs ahead of 2024 free agency and grab Mitchell.
Pick No. 6 (Maloney/Team Antetokounmpo): Luka Doncic. While Team LeBron is worried about future free agents, Team Antetokounmpo is worried about winning. In comes Doncic, the league's leading scorer and an all-around offensive genius, to join the three best big men in the world. Team Antetokounmpo now boasts the top-three scorers and the top-four MVP candidates.
Pick No. 7 (Quinn/Team James): Lauri Markkanen: We just need a tall person here so... good luck defending Antetokounmpo, Embiid and Jokic in the post, Lauri!
Pick No. 8 (Maloney/Team Antetokounmpo): Ja Morant. While this is a default pick as Morant is the last starter remaining, the Grizzlies star is by no means a consolation prize. He'll add some much-needed quickness and athleticism on the perimeter, and is another talented playmaker.
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Reserves
Pick. No. 9 (Maloney/Team Antetokounmpo): Jrue Holiday. Easiest pick of the night. Antetokounmpo will be excited to team up with his Bucks teammate Holiday, who is back in the All-Star Game for the first time since 2013.
Pick. No. 10 (Quinn/Team James): Bam Adebayo. We're not waiting around for a big man again after what just happened in the first round, so Team LeBron grabs the best all-around center left on the board.
Pick No. 11 (Maloney/Team Antetokounmpo): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. After securing the frontcourt early in the first round, it's time for Team Antetokounmpo to continue solidifying the backcourt. Gilgeous-Alexander has been marvelous this season, and now the casual fans who don't watch Oklahoma City games will get to see his full arsenal of offensive moves on display.
Pick No. 12 (Quinn/Team James): Damian Lillard. Now that the roster is a bit more balanced, it's time for James to do a bit more tampering. We know he's tried and failed to recruit Lillard once, but hey, you just never know, and this team could certainly use another ball-handler and scorer.
Pick No. 13 (Maloney/Team Antetokounmpo): Paul George. Team Antetokounmpo needs more size on the wing and some additional shooting, so George is a natural fit.
Pick No. 14 (Quinn/Team James): Anthony Edwards. Okay, it's time to promote Klutch Sports. There are two Klutch clients left on the board, so we're going to grab the up-and-comer here in Edwards.
Pick No. 15 (Maloney/Team Antetokounmpo): Pascal Siakam. Another wing, another international star and another player that Antetokounmpo selected the last time that he was an All-Star captain.
Pick No. 16 (Quinn/Team James): Jaren Jackson Jr.: Amazingly, we seem to be closing the defense gap here despite starting Markkanen at center. Jackson is a stealth option to close this game due to his incredible defense, shooting, and the fact that there's just no way he gets into foul trouble in an All-Star Game.
Pick No. 17 (Maloney/Team Antetokounmpo): DeMar DeRozan. The Bulls star has been dealing with a bit of a quad injury, so it remains to be seen how much he'll play, but few players in the league can score like DeRozan, and that's the name of the game come All-Star Weekend.
Pick No. 18 (Quinn/Team James): Tyrese Haliburton: Now, this pick is a bit of a pickle. James would probably be tempted to take De'Aaron Fox, the lone remaining Klutch client on the board. We're already loaded with small guards, though, so the slightly bigger Tyrese Haliburton balances the roster a bit. More importantly, he gives James the chance to claim that he always knew how special Haliburton was, which is absolutely the sort of thing he would do.
Pick No. 19 (Maloney/Team Antetokounmpo): De'Aaron Fox. The Kings' point guard is putting together the best season of his career and has earned a well-deserved first All-Star nod. He'll boost the speed and athleticism in the Team Antetokounmpo backcourt.
Pick No. 20 (Quinn/Team James): Domantas Sabonis: We're in "rounding out the roster" territory now, so we'll pair Haliburton with the player he was traded for just for the fun of it.
Pick No. 21 (Maloney/Team Antetokounmpo): Julius Randle. After going all guards and wings after the first two picks, Team Antetokounmpo will grab Randle for some extra frontcourt depth.
Pick No. 22 (Quinn/Team James): Jaylen Brown: This final pick actually works out well for us. We started the draft off with two wings in James and Tatum, but haven't really added any since.
Final Mock Rosters
| Team James | Team Antetokounmpo |
|---|---|
Kyrie Irving (starter) | Ja Morant (starter) |
Donovan Mitchell (starter) | Luka Doncic (starter) |
LeBron James (starter) | Giannis Antetokounmpo (starter) |
Jayson Tatum (starter) | Nikola Jokic (starter) |
Lauri Markkanen (starter) | Joel Embiid (starter) |
Bam Adebayo | |
Damian Lillard | |
Anthony Edwards | |
Jaren Jackson Jr. | |
Tyrese Haliburton | |
Domantas Sabonis | De'Aaron Fox |
Jaylen Brown |
