NBA All-Star starters mock draft: Who should LeBron James pick No. 1?

The voters have spoken, and we have our 10 starters for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game. LeBron James, the leading overall vote-getter, is one of the two captains drafting teams under the NBA’s new All-Star format. Stephen Curry, who led the Western Conference in votes, is the other captain. LeBron has the first pick.

Here’s how it works: LeBron and Curry will alternate selecting the other eight starters regardless of conference. Once the starters are all picked, the captains will take turns selecting the All-Star reserves, who will be elected by coaches and announced on Tuesday, Jan. 23.

One further twist: None of this is public. The draft will be done in secret. The NBA says it won’t even reveal the draft order. Odds are it will leak. Based on how much bad information came out about the Rockets-Clippers fracas this week, though, we may never be certain who picked whom.

Despite that, here’s a mock draft for the starter picks. Enjoy!

Durant is No. 1 with a bullet, and it serves LeBron two purposes in picking him. He’s the best player available obviously, but taking him also separates him from his co-star, Curry. This would also be the first non-FIBA opportunity we’ve had to see Durant and LeBron together, which has some fun potential.

Curry has already hinted in the media that he’d like to play with Antetokounmpo at All-Star primarily so he doesn’t get dunked on again. Antetokounmpo, the rare All-Star who puts out real effort in the Sunday showcase, is a double-whammy: He’s possibly the best player available, and he’ll probably actually sprint back on defense.

If Durant and Giannis go in the first two picks, LeBron has an interesting choice between Harden and Anthony Davis. With Durant in tow, he should probably go backcourt, and nabbing Harden to balance out Curry on the other team is a smart move. Durant and Harden reunited under the boot of Capitan LeBron! This All-Star format really does have potential.

I am just salivating at the thought of The Brow and Giannis on the same team, with shooting around them. It’s too bad this is the All-Star Game and not, like, a legitimately competitive game. Davis broke the All-Star scoring record and won MVP in New Orleans last year. It looks like he’s ready to make a league MVP run right now.

This is the point at which I really, really wish the NBA were televising this bad boy. I’m torn as to whether LeBron would draft Kyrie Irving to torture him after the bad break-up, or if he’ll refuse to pick Kyrie, even if it means kneecapping his starting five.

Like, imagine LeBron takes DeMarcus Cousins here, and his last pick comes down to Joel Embiid or Kyrie, when Team LeBron already has three frontcourt players (himself, Durant, and Boogie) and one guard. “Guess I’m playing shooting guard!” (Of course, there will plenty of reserve guards to pick as well.)

But regardless, LeBron seems to have a healthy respect for DeRozan and is smart enough to see the writing on the wall that with All-Star in L.A. the Raptor is poised for a breakout night.

Curry needs another guard/shooter, and there’s only one left on the board, and he kinda knows he’s going to end up with Kyrie one way or another — unless LeBron is truly cruel and picks him.

This is a preference pick between the two true centers and last two available starters. Embiid is the better rim protector and is hilarious. Boogie is a beast and his biggest weakness — commitment to running the floor and getting back on defense — is, uh, less relevant at All-Star. Taking Boogie might spark some rumors about Cleveland’s trade deadline plans, and content is king.

The great thing about the draft system the NBA has cooked up is that there are two last picks: the last starter and the last reserve. Somehow, some way, Embiid is going to find out he was the last pick of the starters’ draft, and he is going to torture Team LeBron in the All-Star Game. This is destiny!

This mock draft leaves us with these starting fives.