The Only Way To Fix The NBA All-Star Game: Team USA vs. Team World

If the 2022-23 All-Star Weekend taught us anything, it is that the event is all but dead. This year’s festivities were the lowest-rated as bad as they have ever been, and by halftime, most fans were ready to call it a night. The NBA All-Star Game needs fixing and after what we saw this weekend, there is only one way to do it. 

The game started with what was supposed to be a fun way to kick things off and a live draft by captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The fun quickly faded with a long and drawn-out process that turned into an hour or so long snoozefest. This was all before the game had even tipped off, and fans and media members covering the game were already restless and aggravated.

The game started and went downhill from the opening tip-off. Players were seen playing zero defense and jogging up and down the court as if they were playing at around 25% rather than the normal 50-75% level you’re expecting in the first half of an All-Star Game. There was little to no defense to be played, and it could be classified pretty much as a glorified shootaround. The low ratings and terrible product divided NBA fans for a few days that followed as many came up with new and innovative ways to perhaps save the All-Star Game from inevitable doom. I am here to tell you there is a way, and it is not as far-fetched or out of reach as many ideas may seem.

Once upon a time, the NBA All-Star Game was competitive, and players from across the NBA took pride in representing their respective teams and conferences. They didn’t let players let loose and shoot 28 three-pointers as this year’s All-Star MVP, Jayson Tatum, did. They didn’t leave wide-open lanes for any player to pull off any move that he pleases. There was something to fight for, and even if it was just as simple as having bragging rights until the next season, they fought for it. The NBA can do something to change this, but they need to act now in order to get the best product they possibly can.

This is the only way to fix the NBA All-Star Game.

The Only Solution Is: Team USA vs. Team World

At this point in time, the NBA is more global in terms of viewership and talent than it has ever been. Heck, international players can be found up and down the MVP races and top players at their respective positions lists for the past few years now. NBA fans want a more competitive game, right? Well, what is more competitive than taking the greatest American All-Stars and putting them up against the greatest international All-Stars? Players would have to play harder, representing the USA on a national stage like that. Adversely, international players would set out to prove that they are the premier players in the league and that the power has shifted in their favor.

If you want to talk about pride, this would be the ultimate way to re-instill pride into the players during the All-Star Game. It would bring in fans from all over the world, causing a boom in interest, viewership, rating, and ultimately, the NBA’s pockets. When fans tune into an All-Star Game, they want to see the best players in the world in the ultimate exhibition game that the best league in the world can put together. Fans from every corner of the planet would tune in to see their heroes compete for annual bragging rights. The international talent is already getting better and has created a parity across the league, the likes of which we have never seen. It is only right that the NBA give the fans this as their next rendition of the All-Star Game.

2024 Potential Rosters For Team USA And Team World

Team USA Starting Lineup: Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis

Team USA Bench: Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Zion Williamson, Karl-Anthony Towns

Team World Starting Lineup: Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid

Team World Bench: Jamal Murray, Andrew Wiggins, RJ Barrett, Bojan Bogdanovic, Lauri Markkanen, Pascal Siakam, Victor Wembanyama

Now, let us take a look at the potential lineups that would go against each other in this world-class NBA matchup, starting with the United States starting lineup. Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum will start in the backcourt for Team USA, bringing together Finals foes from 2022 and combining the best shooter the game has ever seen with one of its brightest young stars. They get playmaking and scoring from LeBron and efficient scoring and shooting from Kevin Durant. The spacing of Team USA’s starting lineup is complete, with Anthony Davis rounding it out at the center spot, who will serve as Team USA’s primary interior defender as well.

The bench for Team USA is also loaded with talent as they add Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, and Kyrie Irving to the guard positions. They get explosive play from Morant and more outside shooting from Lillard. Shot creation and finishing are provided by Irving, who can also serve as a primary playmaker as well. Kawhi brings his outstanding two-way play to the Team USA bench, and Zion, if healthy, brings even more athleticism and efficient finishing around the rim. Team USA gets some more spacing from their bigs with the addition of Karl-Anthony Towns, who can step out and hit threes with no issues.

Team World’s starting lineup is incredibly versatile as well and built even better than Team USA’s. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander brings elite scoring and shot creation to the mix, as does Doncic. Luka can serve as a team’s primary scorer or playmaker, or both and will be one of Team World’s main weapons. Then Team World goes very big to round out their lineup. The best player in the world, Giannis, gets the nod at small forward and will be a tough matchup for anybody on Team USA. Nikola Jokic will pick apart Team USA from the post or high post with all of the weapons he has at his disposal. Rounding things out is talented two-way center Joel Embiid who has been the MVP runner-up for the last two seasons. As talented as Team USA is, Team World definitely has an upper hand with their front line.

As talented as Team World’s starters are, the bench is where Team USA will make up a little bit of ground. Andrew Wiggins, Jamal Murray, and RJ Barrett are great players in their roles in 2022-23 but not on the level of Morant, Lillard, and Kawhi. Bojan Bogdanovic and Lauri Markkanen are having breakout seasons in 2022-23, and if they continue to play at this level, they will be great offensive options for Team World off the bench. The backup frontcourt is the most intriguing part of Team World’s bench. Pascal Siakam is a two-time All-NBA player who can do a little bit of everything on the court. Next to him is young phenom Victor Wembanyama who everyone in the world thinks will be the next big thing in the NBA, and rightfully so. Wembanyama’s presence alone could do wonders for the NBA’s rating in this type of matchup.

With these rosters filled out, it is clear that each team has advantages, and the matchup is pretty even. Team World holds a substantial advantage in size and skill in their frontcourt, with Giannis, Jokic, and Embiid taking the court. That is three of this year’s Top Five MVP candidates, with a fourth in Luka Doncic with the ball in his hands. As for Team USA, their bench is clearly a bit deeper than Team Worlds, with the only outlier being not knowing how Wembanyama will translate to the NBA. Morant, Lillard, Zion, and Kawhi definitely bring a more explosive offense to Team USA, evening out this matchup for the perfect All-Star Game revival.

Would This Actually Fix The All-Star Game?

Before you, we have laid out the perfect plan to resurrect the NBA All-Star Game. No more lackadaisical defense. No more empty possessions with defenders allowing their adversaries to score easy buckets. This matchup would be for literal worldwide bragging rights. The fans would be more engaged than they have been since the 2000s. If anything, this matchup would give the players something to actually look forward to being a part of All-Star weekend rather than dreading injury or playing at 25% speed.

Here’s the thing. Anything would be better than the product we got as fans in 2022-23. Bringing back conference play. Making home-court advantage in the Finals be the prize for the winning conference. Mixing G-Leaguers trying to prove they can compete with and against NBA-level talent. They are all better options than the live practice that happened less than a week ago. Putting the best international players vs. the best American-born players would give newer and truer meaning to the word “World Champions.” What player wouldn’t want to say that they went head-to-head with the best competition the NBA has to offer on the same team and came out victorious? The answer is none. 

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