In real life, the NBA All-Star starters have been named, and the 14 reserves will be revealed Thursday night as part of TNT's double-header telecast. There is always plenty of debate around the selections, including this season when Andrew Wiggins – yes, Andrew Wiggins – earned a starting spot for the West.
Other than Wiggins, it's tough to disagree with the rest of the selections, headlined by LeBron James and Kevin Durant – the leading vote-getters in their respective conferences. Of course, Durant will not play in the All-Star Game as he rehabs a sprained MCL, so he'll be replaced in the starting five by Jayson Tatum.
In the spirit of the fast-approaching All-Star festivities, let's take a bit of a different approach and name our Eastern and Western Conference Fantasy All-Star teams. Hopefully we'll avoid any controversial picks, but no promises.
All players were selected based on nine-category, roto scoring.
Eastern Conference
G: James Harden, Brooklyn Nets: Not much needs to be said here. While his scoring numbers are down slightly, Harden continues to stuff the stat sheet in multiple areas, averaging 22.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.4 three-pointers per game. The only downsides to his game are that he's shooting 41.7 percent from the field and averaging 4.8 turnovers per game.
G: Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors: He might not be as big of a name as some of the other starters, but VanVleet has earned the nod based on his production. He's averaging career-highs in points (21.5), rebounds (4.7), assists (7.0) and three-pointers (3.9) per game, while also averaging just 2.6 turnovers. Having played in 44 of 49 games thus far, VanVleet ranks sixth overall in nine-cat value.
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: The rub when it comes to Giannis' value in fantasy has always been his struggle from the free-throw line. However, he hasn't been a total disaster in that category this season, shooting 72.2 percent on a career-high 10.9 attempts per game. It would be nice to see him improve on his 53.6 percent shooting from the field during the second half, but his averages of 28.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 three-pointers easily earn him a starting spot.
F: Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets: Durant has played in just 36 games and is currently out with a knee injury. Still, he can't be kept off this list. He's ranked third overall on a per-game basis, thanks to him shooting 52.0 percent from the field and having a 31.1 percent usage rate. Even with Kyrie Irving back in the fold for road games, Durant will remain busy once he's healthy enough to retake the floor.
C: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers: As usual, Embiid has missed a fair amount of time (12 games). But when he has been on the floor, he's destroyed opponents with averages of 29.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 three-pointers per game. Since there appears to be no end in sight to the Ben Simmons saga, Embiid could continue to see a boost in assists down the stretch. Embiid ranks fifth in per-game value and 11th in total value.
Reserves
LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets: This was a close call between Ball and VanVleet for a starting spot, but I went with VanVleet because of his added scoring and three-pointers. Still, Ball is firmly on this roster as he seemingly challenges for a triple-double on a nightly basis.
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat: On a per-game basis, Butler is ranked sixth overall. He's had a fantastic season, mixing in excellent efficiency with his ability to contribute in multiple categories. The only problem is that he's already missed 19 games.
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics: Tatum is shooting a career-low 43.1 percent from the field, thanks in large part to a down year from three (33.0% 3Pt). However, his heavy usage rate, lack of missed games and averages of 8.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game still have him ranked ninth overall.
DeMar DeRozan: Chicago Bulls: DeRozan has led the Bulls' resurgence, averaging 26.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, which would be the third time in his career that he's averaged at least 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists. With Lonzo Ball (knee) and Alex Caruso (wrist) both likely out until the end of March or beginning of April, expect DeRozan to continue to stuff the stat sheet in multiple areas.
Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls: The addition of DeRozan has hurt LaVine in the scoring department, but it's difficult to complain about a player averaging 24.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.9 three-pointers per game.
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks: A case could be made for Young to be a starter, but his average of 4.2 turnovers per game places him firmly behind VanVleet in both per-game and total value.
Robert Williams, Boston Celtics: Williams has used his averages of 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, combined with shooting 73.0 percent from the field, to earn an overall ranking of 25th.
Honorable Mentions: Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, Jaylen Brown, Darius Garland
Western Conference
G: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors: Curry has shot an uncharacteristically low 41.9 percent from the field. He's been mired in a slump for most of the last two months, which makes it even more impressive that he still ranks second in total value and fourth in per-game value. Curry leads the league with 225 made three-pointers – 51 more than second-place Buddy Hield (174).
G: Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs: Murray is a fantasy monster and could be for years to come. He's become the focal point of the Spurs' attack, averaging 19.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 three-pointers per game. Having missed only six games thus far, Murray has skyrocketed to fifth overall in 9-cat leagues.
F: LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers: It's been a disappointing season for the Lakers, as a team, but not for James. In fact, his average of 29.1 points per game would be his highest mark since the 2009-10 season. His heavy workload could be catching up with him, though, as he's currently out with a knee injury. Wednesday's game against Portland will mark his 16th absence of the season.
F: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves: Wiggins has no place in the Western Conference starting five in fantasy. That spot goes to Edwards, who is averaging 22.3 points and 3.2 three-pointers per game. While he's known more for his offensive prowess, don't overlook his 1.6 steals per game.
C: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets: Jokic entered the season as the consensus number one pick and he's more than held up his end of the bargain with insane averages of 25.9 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.6 three-pointers.
Reserves
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies: The key to Morant's breakout season has been him shooting 49.1 percent from the field, which is an increase of more than four percentage points compared to last season. If he can improve on his 76.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line, he could become a perennial top-25 fantasy option.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves: Towns loses out on the starting center spot to Jokic, but that's not a reflection on his play, as he ranks seventh in per-game value. It is a bit odd, though, that he's only averaging 9.5 rebounds per game. This would mark the first time in his career that he's averaged fewer than 10.0 boards.
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers: If he hadn't played in just 30 games, Davis would have earned a starting forward spot over Edwards. When Davis is healthy, his fantasy value is never in question. As the Lakers push for a playoff spot during the second half, Davis' health will be key.
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz: Mitchell is as consistent as it gets. He's on pace to average at least 23.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.4 three-pointers per game for the fourth straight season. He's lost a bit of steam lately, though, as a concussion has sidelined him for eight straight games (and counting).
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz: If you drafted Gobert, you're certainly not disappointed with his production. Along with his stellar contributions in the blocks department, Gobert is currently on pace to set career-highs in points (16.0) and rebounds (15.1) per game, while shooting a career-high 70.7 percent from the field.
Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns: Paul is only averaging 14.9 points per game, but he's still ranked third overall thanks to shooting 48.9 percent from the field to go along with averages of 4.5 rebounds, 10.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Most importantly: Paul is yet to miss a single game. From a durability standpoint, Paul's late-career turnaround is unprecedented.
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns: The final spot came down to Booker or Luka Doncic. While it feels weird not to include Doncic on any type of All-Star team, his 44.4 percent shooting from the field and 73.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line has helped drag his ranking down to 44th (73rd in total value). Meanwhile, Booker has combined his usual lofty usage rate with a career-high average of 5.5 rebounds per game to rank 31st in both per-game and overall value.
Honorable Mentions: Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr., Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton
