When a player that participates in the All-Star game gets injured, the NBA commissioner gets to pick a replacement. Due to the depth of talent in the league, that is not particularly difficult to find, as plenty of players put up big numbers and help their team.
Kevin Durant will be out with a knee injury during the All-Star Game, and Draymond Green will be out with a back injury that same game. As such, one replacement candidate from each conference was needed.
It has recently been revealed that LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets and Dejounte Murray of the San Antonio Spurs have been selected for the game. There’s no doubt that both are well-deserving of the selection. The message came via an official release on NBA.com.
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball and San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray have been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as injury replacements for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. Ball will replace injured Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Murray will replace injured Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. In addition, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who was selected as an All-Star reserve, will replace Durant as a starter.
The 71st NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The matchup between Team Durant and Team LeBron will air live at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States and reach fans in 215 countries and territories in 59 languages.
LaMelo Ball is currently averaging 19.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 7.5 APG on the season, while Dejounte Murray is putting up 19.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 9.2 APG. There is no question that they are also leading their teams as the No. 1 option. Both are clearly talented players, and it’ll be entertaining to see them get their first All-Star appearances.
The All-Star game definitely will be fun this year, with a lot of young players making their first All-Star appearance. Based on the talent that was selected, it is clear that the league’s future is in good hands.
