The West’s Best Versus the Beasts in the East: My Picks For the 2021 NBA All-Star Game

The NBA All-Star Game is an annual event that showcases the best players in basketball. This year, the star-studded weekend will take place on Saturday, March 7 in Atlanta, a change from pre-COVID-19 scheduled Indianapolis. There has been a lot of drama surrounding the All-Star this year, including potentially not having it at all and even some players possibly boycotting it due to a shortened offseason. But thankfully, the game is happening, hopefully with all the selected players.

The players for the NBA All-Star Game are selected by the media (25%), current players (25%), and the fan vote (50%). This year, I participated in the vote and decided to share my biased picks for NBA All-Star 2021. 

Western Conference

Nikola Jokić: Denver Nuggets. Currently ranked top-5 in the MVP race, Jokić has been a problem for opposing defenses this year and he has led the Nuggets back into the playoff picture.

LeBron James: Los Angeles Lakers. Arguably the best player in the NBA, LeBron James is almost a no-brainer and that is why he’s also my prediction for the Western Conference captain.

Anthony Davis: Los Angeles Lakers. I know this one is super controversial, but hear me out. My case for Davis is the same every year, he is ELITE on both ends of the court. He is the type of player that can be the best on both offense or defense. 

Stephen Curry: Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry is the best Guard in the NBA. Period. He is leading a team of scrubs into the playoff picture.

Damian Lillard: Portland Trailblazers. This one was close between Lillard and Luka as both of them have been incredible, but ultimately I gave it to Lillard because he has a better record.

Eastern Conference

Kevin Durant: Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Durant was an absolute beast this year and is a lock for NBA All-Star. KD is one of the best players in the league and he has led the Nets to a top spot in the east. 

Joel Embiid: Philadelphia 76ers. Embiid is another player who is almost a lock for the All-Star game. He has been putting up insane numbers every night and is currently leading his team to the number one seed in the east.

Jayson Tatum: Boston Celtics. Jayson Tatum has been great this year and although most people would choose Giannis for the spot, I am going to go with the player that I like better.

Bradley Beal: Washington Wizards. Even though the wizards are dumpster-fire bad, Bradley Beal has been ballin’ out. He currently leads the NBA in points per game and has been an absolute terror on the offense side of the ball.

Jaylen Brown: Boston Celtics. I love players who are great on both sides of the ball and Jaylen Brown fits this mold. In addition to scoring 26 points per game, Brown is also devastating on defense.

Jacob Roney is a junior

business administration

from Sturgeon, Miss.