One of the greatest pieces of entertainment that NBA fans get every year is the festivities of All-Star Weekend. The NBA’s best players will descend on Salt Lake City, Utah, for this year’s events, with many new names and faces joining the old veterans and the same old names we are used to. The weekend’s events typically include the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest, and Slam Dunk Contest, as well as the Celebrity Game and Shooting Stars challenge as the opening acts. This year’s events will be no different.
- Dunk Contest
- Skills Challenge
- 3-Point Contest
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We already know that some of the bright and athletic young talents like Shaedon Sharpe of the Trail Blazers and Jabari Smith Jr. of the Rockets will be entering the Slam Dunk competition this year. Today, we will introduce our ideal lineups for each event and how we think each contestant would fare in the respective challenges. Our lineups include familiar and not-so-familiar faces in each competition, setting up for the best All-Star Weekend ever created. With the events quickly approaching, the competition’s participants are starting to fill up but not before we lay out our suggestions.
These are the dream lineups for the 2022-23 All-Star Weekend.
Dunk Contest
Participants: Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Zach LaVine, Aaron Gordon
The NBA Slam Dunk competition is one of the main attractions of All-Star weekend. Even the All-Star Game itself doesn’t have the hype and anticipation that the contest has. The contest in 2022-23 has already announced 2 of its participants, but we have entered 4 of our own, which would be more than ideal. The first of these contestants is the Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant. Over the last 4 seasons, we have seen Morant achieve feats of athleticism that leave us speechless with our jaws glued to the floor. Add in a little creativity, and you have the perfect Slam Dunk contest participant.
The next dream participant for the 2023 Slam Dunk contest is currently injured and certainly a far-fetched entry into the competition, at least this season. Zion Williamson is one of the more athletically gifted players in the NBA whose finishing around the rim has been on a historic level. Part of that finishing is the way that he throws down his dunks with ferocious power and authority, no matter who is in the way. If Zion were healthy, his participation in a dunk contest would lay the groundwork for the most-watched contest in NBA history.
The next 2 contestants are Dunk Contest rivals. Zach LaVine is a two-time winner of the contest, and there is no doubt that fans would welcome a 3rd try at the title. Amid controversy, LaVine grabbed his 2nd Slam Dunk Contest in one of the most entertaining Dunk Contests the NBA has ever rolled out for us. LaVine has suffered some injuries since he last entered the contest but still seems to possess the same athleticism that has wowed us before. Seeing him in a 3rd Dunk Contest against these opponents would set the All-Star Weekend ablaze.
The 4th and final contestant in our dram Dunk Contest is Aaron Gordon. It can be argued that Gordon was robbed not once but twice of the title before this season which could prompt him to never want to participate again, and we wouldn’t blame him. However, wouldn’t it be a sweet culmination of all of this time if Gordon returned to the contest and not only took down LaVine but the other 2 younger and bouncier contestants we have laid out? I, for one, would love to see Gordon give it one last go and stop the show once more at All-Star Weekend.
Skills Challenge
Participants: Kyrie Irving, Ja Morant, Trae Young, Russell Westbrook, Luka Doncic, De’Aaron Fox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic
The Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend features some of the greatest playmakers, usually guards, from around the NBA. It encompasses many of the primary skills one needs to have in order to be considered a skilled player. It has finishing, handles, passing, and even shooting all laid out in one competition. As one of the more skilled players in NBA history, Kyrie Irving is the perfect first contestant to add to our Skills Challenge. Irving’s handles are legendary, as are his skills as a finisher around the rim. He would be one of the odds-on favorites to win upon entry.
Ja Morant is another player we would love to see in this competition. We already know his handles and finishing are on point, but the 3-point shot to end the contest and his passing would be an interesting sight to see. Morant is shooting just 31.0% from three as it stands in 2022-23, leaving us to question if that shot would hinder his success in the contest. His assists and turnovers are up this season as he becomes a more willing passer, so the chest and bounce passes would be fun to watch and see if Ja can get it first try.
Trae Young needs to be in the skills competition. In 2021-22, Trae Young became the first player to lead the NBA in both total points and total assists in a single season. Young is leading the 2020s decade so far with over 2,200 assists in just 3 and a half seasons. He currently ranks 3rd in the NBA in 2022-23 in total assists as well as 2nd in assists per game. The passing, shooting, and speed should be no issue for Young in this contest. It would be interesting to see if he finished the layup as a floater, though.
Over the past 2 seasons, Russell Westbrook has been the subject of unfair and unwarranted criticism and hate. What better way for Russ to redeem himself than winning a Skills Challenge to shut everyone up? The current leader for Sixth Man of the Year has had a bounce-back season since being relegated to a bench role and deserves a chance to showcase to the world that he is still a skillful player in this league.
Another candidate that needs to enter into the Skills Challenge this All-Star Weekend is one of the leading candidates for MVP, Luka Doncic. As one of the best playmakers in basketball, Doncic is a perfect addition to this already-loaded cast of participants. Where he may fall into trouble is the timing of everything, considering the player that finishes the obstacle course in the quickest time is claimed as the winner. Passing and handling the ball are no issues for Doncic, but the shot to finish it all and time could be his Achilles heel.
Another player taking aim at his first All-Star selection this season is De’Aaron Fox. Other than a season in which he has the Kings primed to make a push for the playoffs, Fox brings a few things to the table that fans would be curious to see in the Skills Challenge. The blatantly obvious one is his blazing speed with the ball in his hands. Fox weaving in and out of the obstacles set in front of him would be one of the more exciting portions of the entire contest. Hey NBA, we want to see this, so make it happen!
Shai-Gilgeous Alexander has been one of the most electric players to watch so far this season. The Thunder are once again struggling to compete for even a play-in spot, but Shai has been their brightest star by a mile. He is a crafty guard who can play either position in the backcourt due to his wide array of skills. As a passer and ball-handler, Gilgeous-Alexander excels for Oklahoma City, so it would be a welcomed sight to see him on the court in the Skills Challenge. He is also one of the more clutch players in basketball this season, so that buzzer-beater 3-pointer should be no issue in the end.
The final and most interesting contestant in our entire dream Skills Challenge lineup is Nikola Jokic. The back-to-back MVP is already laying claim to being the greatest big-man passer to ever play in the NBA and one of the better offensive centers ever. His passing and playmaking are off the charts for a big man who seeks to become the Skills Challenge’s first big-man winner since Domantas Sabonis. Where he could struggle, much like Doncic, is with the speed he will need to play at in order to take home the trophy. Regardless of that, Jokic’s admission to the contest would be something any NBA fan would welcome.
3-Point Contest
Participants: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Trae Young
The 3-point contest is also one of the main attractions to All-Star Weekend as the best shooters in the league commence in one competition for ultimate bragging rights. What would a dream 3-point competition be without the best shooter on the planet? Stephen Curry coming off injury, has enough time between now and the contest to find his rhythm again and take home the crown again. His shooting stats rival that of his MVP season this year, making him a lock for the competition should he choose to do so.
Curry’s splash brother Klay Thompson would also be an ideal addition to the contest. Thompson has shown more than once that he deserves to be an annual invite to the competition. Completing a masterful comeback in 20211-22 that culminated in a championship, Thompson could add a 3-point contest win to his list of achievements after missing 2 years of action. If Curry is there, Klay should be, too, giving us a chance to see them duke it out in the finals once again.
Another player that was left off of the All-Star festivities in 2021-22 due to injury is Damian Lillard. Now back into the starting lineup, Lillard is shooting the highest volume of three-pointers he ever has in 2022-23 with 10.8 attempts per game. He is hitting on 35.8% of them so far, way up from his early season struggles in 2022. Dame, Curry, and Klay are the perfect trio to line up for the 3-point contest as historically the 3 best shooters in the NBA today.
In 2022-23, it is ok and the right move to label Donovan Mitchell, an efficient 3-point shooter. Compared to previous seasons, Mitchell’s 3-point shooting is the best it has ever been early on in his 6th NBA season. He is currently attempting 9.6 3-pointers per game and hitting on 40.4% of them. In Mitchell’s first season ever shooting over 40.0% from downtown, it is only right that we give him a shot to truly mark his arrival as a shooter in the 3-point contest.
At 38 years old, it is safe to say we will never see LeBron James in a Slam Dunk competition in his career. With that being said, it is only right that we give him a chance to do something Michael Jordan never did, and that is performing well in a 3-point contest. As James has adapted his game to his age, he has begun to attempt more threes than ever and made it a focal point of his game. The only issue with that is he is shooting the worst percentage since his rookie season at 29.5% from 3-point range. Can he at least topple the GOAT’s low score from 1990?
One player who could make the 3-point contest extremely interesting is Kevin Durant. Sidelined with injury for the next month, Durant is unlikely to participate in any of the festivities at all, including the game itself. However, with his ability to shoot the ball from deep and accuracy on most of his jump shots, Durant could be an ideal candidate to shock the world and win the 3-point contest.
One player who has received immense criticism for being unable to shoot the ball from beyond the arc is Luka Doncic. The criticism is warranted, though, as Doncic has shot 33.9% from three for his career. A way that Luka could win the contest is perhaps to take all the shots as stepbacks considering all of his seem to go down. The 2022-23 season has been somewhat kind to Luka from three, as he is shooting a career-high 35.4% from that range this year on 8.1 attempts.
The final player added to the 3-point contest should be Trae Young. Now, I understand that Young has had a season in which he and Hawks fans are trying to forget. Young is shooting just 31.4% from three on 7.1 attempts this season which is by far the worst season yet shooting the ball for Young. What better way to redeem yourself than tackling all of the best shooters in the world in front of the entire world? Young could reclaim his status as a premier shooter in the NBA if he knocked out all 7 of these contestants and took home a 3-point Contest trophy to his mantle.
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