2019
Preview/Predictions
NBA All-Star Weekend is in Charlotte (take two) for the first time since 1991 and will be the largest sporting event the Queen City has ever hosted. Obviously I’m excited to watch everything go down. Here’s how I see the events shaping up:
Friday Night (Feb. 15)
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Rising Stars Game
Did anyone else not know that DeAndre Ayton wasn’t American? More importantly, did anyone else completely forget about both him and Marvin Bagley? Since going first and second in this past draft I literally haven’t heard a word about them. Turns out they’re having decent seasons: Ayton is averaging 16 and 10 and Bagley isn’t too shabby either with 13 and 7, but both these guys are getting completely overshadowed by the true star of their draft class: Luka Doncic.
Doncic has taken the league by storm in a way we haven’t seen since LeBron’s rookie season. The 19-year-old forward has been playing professionally since he was 16, so it’s no wonder why he’s balling out like a seasoned vet—he even admitted that he thinks it’s easier to score in the NBA than in the Euro League.
I haven’t seen this level of fundamental skill and poise from any other rookie in my lifetime. He isn’t crazy fast and he won’t wow you with his athleticism, but somehow he can cross up his defenders or hit ‘em with a step-back so pure it has Mavs fans singing Halleluka. Had it been up to solely the fan vote, Doncic would’ve been a starter in Sunday night’s All-Star game. He’ll get his due next year, but for now he’ll control the court among the rest of the rookies and sophomores.
Sacramento’s Bogdan Bogdanovic has a chance to repeat as MVP after putting up an impressive stat line of 26, 4, and 6 last year. Nobody expected the Serbian guard to have a showing like that, and who’s to say that he won’t do the same this year.
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Another unsung hero to keep an eye out for is Brooklyn’s Jarrett Allen. After a quiet rookie season, the 6’11” former Texas Longhorn has been testing everybody at the rim and creating his fair share of defensive posters. He even got LeBron:
Call Jarrett Allen “Tekashi” cuz he’s the SWAT Team captain for the U.S. this year.
Another American I can’t wait to watch is Atlanta’s Trae Young. His progression isn’t where he wants it to be and he isn’t shooting particularly well in his first season, but I think that’s because he’s been shouldering the load for a thin Hawks lineup. He was the hottest player in college basketball last year, and the Rising Stars game is the perfect chance to re-ignite that fire. At the very least we’ll catch a glimpse of how he used to make it rain as a Sooner.
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He’ll be sharing the backcourt with Donovan Mitchell, who will look to make a splash after breaking out of his early season slump. He’s starting to look like an actual All-Star and will likely lead the charge for the U.S. squad while repping an impressively hot Jazz team.
Still, history shows this is the World Team’s game to lose. They’ve won 3 of the past 4 of these and I don’t see that pattern changing. Philly’s Ben Simmons is the best player on the floor, but he won’t win MVP. He was selected as a reserve in Sunday night’s game and he’ll be taking it easy until then, so you already know who my pick is.
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My pick to win: World Team
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My pick for MVP: Luka Doncic
Saturday Night (Feb. 16)
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Skills Challenge
The NBA isn’t explicitly labeling this year’s Skills Challenge as “Bigs” versus “Guards” like in years past, but based off the talent pool it doesn’t seem like they’re throwing that format out the window. In fact, it looks like they’re opening it up to all positions. Here’s my breakdown of each player:
Luka Doncic:
The Matador is all about the fundamentals, and that’s the name of the game for the Skills Challenge. A lot of players get hung up on the easy stuff like the bounce pass target, but for Doncic those shouldn’t be a problem.
Trae Young:
At the very end of the course, players need to sink a three before their opponent can. Sometimes we see guys straggling and jack up a long distance three to try to make up for lost time. Young has the range to hit one of these should he need to, but multiple rounds of this bracket means you have to have consistency. Young has been streaky all season and that might be his downfall.
Mike Conley:
Mike Conley once got a call in the middle of the night from a number he didn’t recognize. To his surprise, it was Kanye West, and all Kanye wanted to talk about was how he thinks Conley is underrated. Conley agreed.
Kyle Kuzma:
With LeBron out for over a month, Kuzma’s star shined brighter than ever as he led the Lakers in points per game with 21.6—including a career-high 41-point performance. Will that translate well to the Skills Challenge? Probably not because his go-to move is a hook shot.
De’Aaron Fox:
Speed is way to gain a huge advantage in the Skills Challenge—especially since most players seem too cool to hustle through the obstacles—and Fox claims he’s the fastest player in the league. Russell Westbrook disagrees, but I don’t.
Nikola Vucevic:
I couldn’t tell you a single thing about this guy other than that he’s been Orlando’s center since Dwight left, but he was voted an All-Star despite being on a horrible Magic team so he must be good, right? (turns out, yes he is good and is averaging 20 and 10)
Jayson Tatum:
Tatum is one of the most promising young talents in the league with the strongest hairline. With an offensive arsenal like his, there’s no reason he can’t take home the crown.
Nikola Jokic:
One of the most skilled passers in the NBA regardless of position. We’ve seen him catch a rebound with one hand and baseball-throw an assist across the entire court. The Joker is also the only player in the field with experience in this contest and will look to take advantage of that Saturday night.
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Among all these names, the one who jumps out the most to me is De’Aaron Fox. His speed is unmatched and I think that will ultimately be the difference maker.
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My pick to win: De'Aaron Fox
3-Point Contest
The field for the Three-Point Contest is being broadened from 8 to 10 participants this year because the more the merrier, I guess. The main attraction here is the actual splash brothers, Steph and Seth Curry, whose sibling rivalry will be put on the biggest stage for shooters. Couple that with that fact they grew up in Charlotte under the tutelage of their father, Hornets legend Dell Curry, and you've got yourselves some must-see-TV.
Steph is the clear favorite to win—he’ll go down as the greatest shooter of all time—but his younger brother Seth shouldn’t be overlooked. The journeyman guard has seemed to find his niche as a marksman in his sixth NBA season, and is shooting a cool 49% from beyond the arc this year—better than any other player in the contest.
He is joined by three more former G-League players: Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, Toronto’s Danny Green, and Brooklyn’s Joe Harris—all of whom are having great seasons shooting .390, .416, and .453 from deep. Kemba Walker will be shooting in front of his home crowd (no pressure) which takes the attention off of reigning champ, Devin Booker. The Phoenix guard set the record for most points in a round (28/34) and will be looking to carry that momentum into his third year of this competition.
I’m most curious to see how the 2006 three-point king, Dirk Nowitzki, performs in his sixth (and likely last) contest. The 40-year-old Mavs legend is the only 7-footer to ever win this thing, and judging off his lack of mobility I’m concerned that he might not get through all five racks. He’s only averaging 0.9 three-pointers per game in his limited playing time this season, but I’m hoping Dirk can muster up enough flat-footed bombs to keep it competitive.
The shooter with the most surprising numbers going into Saturday night is Sacramento’s third-year guard, Buddy Hield. The Kings haven’t had any nationally televised games this season—which is why I was totally oblivious to Hield’s averages of 20.5 points on 3.5 threes per game. He also boasts the second best shooting percentage from deep among his fellow participants and is primed to make a statement in Charlotte.
Rounding out the competition is All-NBA First Team guard Damian Lillard. Portland’s franchise player has the uncanny ability to hit big shots under pressure, making him a dangerous addition to this contest. Players only have one minute to get all their shots up and we already know the Lillard operates well during Dame Time.
I can seriously see any one of these guys going home with the hardware, but I would be remiss not to go with the proven winner and hometown kid here.
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My pick to win: Stephen Curry
Slam Dunk Contest
The main event is always the Dunk Contest, and while this year’s contest lacks the hype of big names, it isn’t lacking in talent. This crop of young guns has shown a lot of promise, and with Donovan Mitchell not returning to defend the belt, we’ll be seeing the torch passed to the next great dunker.
I was excited to see Atlanta’s John Collins name be thrown into the mix, as he’s been throwing down big dunks for past two seasons. Collins is the type of dunker that can go up and get any lob regardless of lane traffic or who’s underneath him. He’s had his fair share of posters but we haven’t seen him get very creative yet and that’s what worries me about him. He has the athleticism to catch an oop with his off-hand but I’m not sure he has the imagination to turn it into something greater than that.
Speaking of athleticism, Dennis Smith Jr. is stupid athletic. The newly acquired Knick is one of those rare jumpers who seems to defy physics. Every time you think he’s maxed out on his jump he just keeps rising. His small size (6’3”) makes him look all the more impressive and judges always love the small guys—which is why Nate Robinson was able to steal the crown from Andre Iguodala in 2006.
Smith is the only dunker coming back from last year’s contest. He had an absurd reverse 360 switch-handed eastbay dunk that scored an easy 50 with the judges but failed to make the final round because his first dunk was a dud. It’s possible he was saving his best stuff for the later and this year we’ll get to see it.
The NBA hasn’t seen a ton of action from OKC rookie Hamidou Diallo, but if you check high school mixtapes of the former Kentucky Wildcat you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see him pull of dunks that have earned 50’s in previous contests. He’s plenty athletic and stands at 6’5”, but his 6’11” wingspan and wiry frame might make his dunks look easier than they actually are. This can hurt Diallo, but I still think he has a ton of upside.
Dunking in front of the Hornets faithful is the franchise’s 2018 top pick Miles Bridges. The former Spartan standout came out of the gate swinging this season, throwing down a string of nasty dunks that guaranteed him a spot in this year’s contest. Bridges is the most aggressive dunker in the field and throws it down with unmatched authority. My favorite part about his dunking style is his ability to flush his slams cleanly every time. There’s nothing worse than seeing someone pull off an awesome dunk in the air only to see it barely rattle in at the rim leaving you feel unsatisfied. Miles Bridges doesn’t have this issue and the way he punches it straight down reminds of how Vince Carter used to (and still does) do it. That’s why he’s my pick to win.
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My pick to win: Miles Bridges
Sunday Night (Feb. 17)
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All-Star Game
After getting rid of the traditional East versus West format successfully made last year’s game more competitive, the NBA is keeping the new tradition of having the two leading vote getters pick their own squads—with this year’s captains being the Lakers’ LeBron James and the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo. The NBA also learned its lesson after they didn’t show the draft last year and decided to keep the cameras rolling this time around. Here’s how their selections panned out:
You’ll notice that Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki are on these teams despite not playing at an All-Star level this season. They were included as “special roster additions” in what is likely the last season for both of them. This honor is basically a lifetime achievement award but don’t expect either of them to have much of an impact Sunday night.
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As a known LeBron hater, I’m once again disappointed in how incompetent the other captain was while drafting. LeBron drafted to win and Giannis drafted to please.
Here’s how Giannis went wrong:
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With the first pick out of all the reserves in the second round, he chose KHRIS MIDDLETON. If you’re a casual NBA fan, you probably don’t even know who Khris Middleton is. You probably know who Anthony Davis is though and your assumption is correct—he’s a lot better than Middleton. I get it, Giannis wanted to show love for his Bucks teammate, but come on.
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He drafted a World Team roster. Sure there’s a lot of talent from outside the U.S. nowadays and yes, the Greek Freak is prime example of that, but there’s a reason the U.S. dominates the Olympics every four years. Don’t get me wrong, Vucevic and Jokic are both great players and deserve to be here, but they’re rookies when it comes to the All-Star game. You can chalk it up to nerves or limited minutes, but first-timers (especially the non-starters) almost never make an impact. I should also mention that the man who best knows how to stop Jokic, Nuggets coach Mike Malone, will be on Lebron’s side of the court coaching his team. Giannis made a conscious effort to create a team that represents the world outside the states, but by doing so passed up on more experienced, better suited players.
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He drafted D’Angelo Russell. All I can think about when I see this guy is how much Kobe must’ve hated him during their season together in LA. With his horrible tattoos and style over substance mentality, D-Loading seems like Justin Bieber’s ideal 2K MyPlayer come to life.
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He allowed a trade. With the 13th pick, Giannis chose one of LeBron’s boys, Ben Simmons. Clearly upset, LeBron proposed a trade at the end of the draft that would swap Russell Westbrook for Simmons and Giannis accepted. While I think Westbrook is actually a better player than Simmons, it ends up hurting the entire NBA in the long run because of my next point…
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He’s letting LeBron get away with tampering. This has been a hot issue with LeBron as he’s been trying to lure players to the Lakers and Giannis even called him out for tampering as soon as he drafted Anthony Davis. LeBron laughed it off, but this is definitely an intentional effort to butter up his All-Star teammates. Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, and Klay Thompson have all been rumored to want to play in LA, and with the issues Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have had with their respective teams this season, LeBron is likely trying to get in their heads before their looming free agencies. Big things go down behind the scenes at All-Star Weekend and can determine how to dominos will fall this summer. The seed for the Heat’s Big 3 was planted at All-Star 2010, so who know what all this can turn into down the road.
As much I hate it, I’m going with Team LeBron this year because of how the draft panned out. Last year James picked up MVP honors but I don’t see that happening again. He’s coming off an injury and will likely have a restriction on his minutes, so the next person in line to carry the team has to be Kevin Durant. Durant already has it in his head that he’s better than LeBron, so when the captain isn’t on the floor expect the Slim Reaper to be racking up buckets.
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My pick to win: Team LeBron
My pick for MVP: Kevin Durant
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