All-Star voting opened up for fans just a few days ago, and to absolutely no one’s surprise, there is a highly contested debate for who should be the starters, and with good reason. This year has seen multiple stars become superstars, all of which are deserving of an All-Star selection. Unfortunately for most of them, there are only five spots for each conference to be an All-Star starter. Today I’m going to break down my five picks for the Eastern Conference. Let’s get started.
Bradley Beal
Let’s get this out of the way first. Beal has been playing out of his mind this season. Are the Wizards good? No. They are the opposite of that. There are some days that I look at a Wizard’s box score and I couldn’t even tell that they have real basketball players on their roster. However, Beal is the obvious exception. This season he is leading the league in scoring with 34.7 points per game, along with averaging 5.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. It absolutely blows my mind that when Beal was averaging 30 points per game last season, that he somehow ended up being a snub for the All-Star game entirely. This year will not be a repeat of last season and his All-Star selection. Beal has been a scoring machine this year, putting up numbers like 47, 41, and 60, and he should be recognized for the amazing talent that he is. I believe that if it wasn’t for Beal, the Wizards would be winless. It is going to be a rough season for Washington fans, so the least we could do is give their star and All-Star Selection.
Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown is an All-Star. I don’t care what anyone has to say about it. Moreover, he’s playing like an All-NBA player, and I can promise you that it isn’t 2nd or 3rd team. With the departure of Gordon Hayward this off-season, the lack of availability from Kemba Walker, and the fact that Jayson Tatum has missed multiple games due to COVID-19 protocol, Jaylen Brown has absolutely stepped up for this team and carried the entire franchise on his back. Brown is putting up 27.1 points per game, and his playmaking has made a huge leap this season. 42 points against Memphis, another 42 against Philly, 33 against Cleveland in just 19 minutes. I’ve long contested that Jayson Tatum may be the best player on the Celtics roster, but Jaylen Brown is certainly the most important. His maturity and evolution of his game has really shown this year, and he is very deserving of his first All-Star nod.
Kevin Durant
Look, I shouldn’t have to explain this to anyone. I’ve written many times about how good Kevin Durant actually is, especially after his Achilles injury last year, so I won’t harp on it too much. 30.5 points per game, second in the league behind Bradley Beal. Along with averaging 7.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Durant looks every bit as good as Golden State Warrior’s KD. I’m willing to go as far as to say this version of KD is better than 2014 KD. Anyone who was around to watch KD work back then should know how serious that statement is. KD is back, and he’s matching right back to the All-Star game. His teammates might get a selection as a reserve as well, but KD is leading the pack for the Nets, as it should be.
Jayson Tatum
As mentioned before, Tatum has missed some time due to the COVID-19 protocol, but when he’s been on the floor he has been a monster. 26.8/7/3.7 a night, game winner after game winner, clutch play after clutch play. Tatum this year is starting to become the undisputed #1 option for the C’s, and he’s thriving in his role. As a Celtics fan, it is really fun to know that Tatum and Jaylen Brown are going to lead this team for the next 10 years, and this is only the start. Tatum was an All-Star last year, and this year he deserves it even more. The leaps that he continues to make from year to year have been nothing but staggering, and he has lived up to the hype.
Joel Embiid
As much as I hate to admit it, Philadelphia 76er, Joel Embiid has been playing at an MVP level. 28.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per night, while shooting 54% from the floor, and 40% from deep. I know as a Celtics fan that I hate playing the 76ers when Embiid is healthy. Just this year, Embiid is averaging 40 points per game against the C’s. With the exception of one game against Miami earlier this year, he has consistently been in double figures in the scoring column, and has terrorized the entire league with his scoring output. From strictly an eye test, it seems as though Embiid has taken a leap this year in the maturity department. It seems like he is tired of losing, and that intensity is translating to wins for the 76ers. Embiid has put the entire city of Philly on his back, and that has led them to the top of the Eastern Conference.
Round The Game 
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