Picking the entire Eastern Conference All-Star team

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Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images /

Picking the Eastern Conference All-Star team Starters

Five players will start in the All-Star Game from the Eastern Conference, two guards and three frontcourt players. These players will ultimately be chosen by a combination of fan, player and media voting. Players are listed here according to their position on the All-Star ballots. Finally, we are choosing who should make it, not who will make it.

DeMar DeRozan, Guard

DeMar DeRozan plays power forward for the Chicago Bulls, but he is somehow listed at guard for the All-Star ballots. That makes him a shoo-in to start, where at frontcourt he might be the odd man out given the star depth there. He has been a potent offensive force, not just his two game-winning shots but overall in averaging 25.7 points and 4.8 assists. Even more impressive he has held up well on defense for the team currently in first in the Eastern Conference.

Jrue Holiday, Guard

There are a handful of great candidates here to start, from Trae Young to DeRozan’s teammate Zach LaVine. We give the nod here to Jrue Holiday, who has been essential to the defending champs on both ends of the court. He is the best guard defender in the NBA, while LaVine relies on one such player in Lonzo Ball, and Young just accepts being a sieve. Holiday is a great playmaker, good enough shooter to play off-ball and a solid scoring threat, giving him the nod to start.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Frontcourt

While the Milwaukee Bucks have struggled a bit this season with numerous absences and the usual post-title slump, Giannis Antetokounmpo has continued to be an MVP candidate. He is averaging 28.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, a career-high 6.1 assists while also locking down the paint as a top-5 defender in the league. He is incredible and an easy pick to start.

Kevin Durant, Frontcourt

Kevin Durant scoring at this level after an Achilles injury is a truly special feat. He leads the league in scoring at 29.3 points per game, shooting lights-out from midrange and providing a human cheat code for the Brooklyn Nets. On the other end of the court he is often the only true two-way player suiting up, putting a huge defensive burden on his slender shoulders. His recent knee injury will probably keep him out until past the All-Star Game, but until we know he is certainly out we’ll slot him where he belongs.

Joel Embiid, Frontcourt

Things have been up-and-down for the Philadelphia 76ers this season, and everything has been cast in a somber pall with the Ben Simmons situation unresolved. Yet none of that has been the fault of Joel Embiid, who is having another excellent season as the league’s best two-way center. Embiid is dropping 27.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, shooting a career-best 38 percent from 3-point range, and trying to carry an inconsistent Sixers team into the playoffs.