On February 7, Beijing time, there are less than three days to go, and the All-Star Captain Selection Session will be broadcast live in the United States. James and Durant followed last year and once again as East-West captains, choosing their teammates to compete in groups. The US media Bleacher Report (hereinafter referred to as BR) wrote a long article simulating an All-Star Draft session, predicting what kind of teammates the two captains would choose in the draft.
Since James is the ticket king of this year's All-Star, he will have a head starter in the selection of players. Durant, on the other hand, has the right to choose first among the substitute players.
BR believes that James will choose alphabet brother first, which is also James's first choice last year. This year's many starters are listed as first-tier players, but Alphabet Brother is undoubtedly the best of them. In the past year, Alphabet Brother played well in the All-Star Game, scoring 35 points on 16 shots to crown the All-Star MVP, and the combination between him and James is bound to be a nightmare for all defensive players. This year, Alphabet Brother is expected to hit the regular season MVP and Best Defensive Player double awards again, and there is no reason why James will not prefer Alphabet Brother again.
The first choice on Durant's side, BR thinks, will be Curry. Curry is a typical All-Star player, he has a very good range on the field, he can complete a great blocking and dismantling with any player. More importantly, he and Durant have been partners for three years and have won two championships, and they know each other very well. With Durant having no more options, Curry is bound to be his first choice.
BR said James' second choice would be Morant. Although analyzed from the whole, Jokic must have a higher priority than Morant. But choosing Morant would allow James to get Embiid in the next round, which would be a good choice. After thinking about it, BR still thinks that Morant will become James' second choice, especially his performance this season is very exciting and worthy of James's trust.
Durant's second choice was naturally Jokic. James' third choice was Embiid, and Durant's third choice was Trae Young. James' fourth choice was DeRozan, and wiggins deserved to be on Durant's line.
It's the turn of the bench, and BR thinks Durant, who has the power to go ahead, will choose Paul. Paul is a renowned master of possession, leading the league in assists at key moments, while also contributing deadly mid-range shooting, shooting 65.2 percent from the box. If Durant gets Paul, it will definitely cause a lot of headaches for James' team.
BR said James would choose Doncic in the backhand. Doncic is undoubtedly the best candidate on the bench and has been a starter for the past two years. Unfortunately, Curry's popularity and Morant's incredible performance this year have squeezed him out of the starting position. His organizational offensive flair can help James share a lot of the pressure.
Durant's second option is Jimmy Butler, and Butler's defensive ability will help The Durant team's overall defensive ability to a higher level. James' second choice was Booker, and with the opponent having Paul, it was a clever decision to break up the league's top-of-the-line combination.
Durant's third option is LaVine, who has the ability to be perfect for all-star events. James' third choice is Gobert, who is the player who values defense the most of all players and has excellent ability to protect the basket.
Durant's fourth choice was Tatum and James' fourth choice was Garland. Durant's fifth choice was VanVleet and James' fifth choice was Towns.
Durant's sixth choice is Harden, and I didn't expect Harden to be selected here. BR believes Harden's decline in form this season has been very serious, as if it were like a roller coaster without seat belts. Durant, as his teammate, is very aware of his positioning, so this game should be carried out according to his preferences, and Harden was naturally snubbed.
James' sixth choice was Mitchell. Durant's last choice is for his old teammates to chase Green, and the final Middleton will automatically be included in James' team.
According to BR's predictions, the final list will be:
Durant starters: Durant, Curry, Jokic, Trae Young, Wiggins
Durant's bench: Paul, Jimmy Butler, LaVine, Tatum, VanVleet, Harden, Dream Green
James starters: James, Alphabet Brother, Morant, Embiid, DeRozan
James bench: Doncic, Booker, Gobert, Garland, Towns, Mitchell, Middleton
Of course, the above content is all BR's predictions, and the specific list also needs to be based on the two people's live broadcast in the United States on the morning of February 10, Beijing time. In particular, there are injuries among the above players, so the list is expected to be further adjusted. I wonder what you will think about this? Feel free to speak up in the comments section and express your unique views.
(Text/Yuwen Basketball)