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February 7, 2022

LaMelo Ball and Dejounte Murray Make All-Star Game as Replacements

Stud guards LaMelo Ball and Dejounte Murray have made their first All-Star Game. They’re both replacements for the injured Kevin Durant and Draymond Green who have been out since January with a MCL sprain and back/calf injury respectively.

Since Durant and Green will miss the annual All-Star festivities, they will be replaced in the starter pool for the Draft by the All-Star reserve from the same conference and of the same position group who received the highest ranking in the voting for All-Star starters. As a result, Durant will be replaced in the starter pool by Tatum. Green will be assigned to the same team that drafts Murray. The All-Star Draft will air on Thursday.

Ball and Murray will selected with the reserves in the second round.

Ball, the 2021 Rookie of the Year averaged 19.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. The Hornets are in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff seeding race, sitting at the ninth seed with a 28-26 record. The Hornets are just a game behind the Celtics for eighth place in the conference despite dropping four straight games.

Murray made the All-Star game thanks to his stat-sheet stuffing first half, averaging 19.6 points, 8.4 boards, and 9.2 dimes per game, career-high marks across the board. The 25-year-old point guard also recieved a key endorsement from Spurs legend George ‘the Iceman’ Gervin. His 10 triple-doubles are the second most in the NBA, Murray set the single-season record for most triple-doubles in Spurs history.

As of Monday, the Spurs (20-34) are in 12th place in the Western Conference.

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