All-Star 2020 comes with a new game format, with charity money being awarded to the winner of each quarter, and with an untimed fourth quarter in which the teams will play to a target score.
This is also Year 3 of the All-Star draft, with teams selected by the top vote-getters in each conference. LeBron James has been a captain for all three All-Star drafts, and he was joined by Giannis Antetokounmpo for a second straight year.
James and Antetokounmpo stuck with players in their respective conferences when selecting starters, but they changed things up after that. Team Giannis has two of the league’s top three scorers (Antetokounmpo and Trae Young), but Team LeBron has eight of the top 10 scorers among All-Stars.
Team LeBron also includes four of the five All-Stars who have won an MVP and/or Finals MVP award. It also includes first-time All-Star Devin Booker, a last-minute injury replacement for Damian Lillard, who suffered a groin injury on Wednesday.
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Here are some numbers to know about the 12 members of Team Giannis…
— Clutch time = Last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime with a score differential of five points or less.
— Effective field goal percentage = (FGM + (0.5 * 3PM)) / FGA
— True shooting percentage = PTS / (2 * (FGM + 0.44 * FTA)))
All stats through Thursday, Feb. 13.
Giannis Antetokounmpo | F | Milwaukee Bucks
- Leads the league in usage rate, having used 36.6% of the Bucks’ possessions (via his field goal attempts, turnovers and trips to the line) while he’s been on the floor. Has seen an increase in usage rate every season he’s been in the league.
- Leads the league in cumulative plus-minus, with the Bucks having outscored their opponents by 492 points with him on the floor.
- Has averaged 20.8 points in the paint per 36 minutes, the most in the 24 years for which we have shot location data.
- Has drawn a league-high 8.4 fouls per game and is the only player who has accounted for more than half of the fouls his team has drawn while he’s been on the floor.
- Has the highest single-game marks for fast break points (17), points in the paint (34 – tied for the highest), and fouls drawn (15 – tied for the highest). All three came in the same game (Dec. 16 vs. Dallas), which the Bucks lost.
Joel Embiid | C | Philadelphia 76ers
- Ranks second with 9.7 post-ups per game, according to Second Spectrum tracking. The 1.11 points per possession he’s scored on post-ups ranks first (by a wide margin) among 21 players who have averaged at least 2.5 post-up possessions, according to Synergy play-type tracking.
- The Sixers have allowed <a href="https://stats.nba.com/team/1610612755/onoffcourt-summary/?Season=2019-20&SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="stats“>6.5 fewer points per 100 possessions with Embiid on the floor (100.9) than they have with him off the floor (107.4). That’s the biggest on-off DefRtg differential among full-time starters that have played at least 1,000 minutes. Embiid ranks third with 0.162 defensive win shares per game.
- Effective field goal percentage of 50.7% is the lowest mark in his four seasons.
- Has averaged just 8.5 points in the paint per game, down from 13.1 last season. That’s the biggest drop among 271 players who played at least 40 games last season and have played at least 25 games this season. Has taken 28% of his shots in the restricted area, down from 40% last season.
- Leads the league with 1.1 field goals per game in the last four seconds of the shot clock.
Pascal Siakam | F | Toronto Raptors
- Has a usage rate of 28.6%, up from 20.5% last season. That’s the biggest jump among 258 players who have played at least 500 minutes in each of the last two seasons.
- Has a true shooting percentage of 55.3%, down from 62.8% last season. That’s the sixth-biggest drop among 192 players with at least 250 field goal attempts each of the last two seasons. Has seen big drops in both the percentage of his shots that have come in the paint (from 72% to 54%) and free throw rate (from 32 to 25 attempts per 100 shots from the field).
- Has averaged 3.5 pick-and-roll ball-handler possessions and 4.2 isolation possessions per game, according to Synergy play-type tracking. Those averages are up from 0.8 and 1.5 per game last season.
- Has already set a career high with 93 3-pointers. Only 25% of his 3-point attempts have come from the corners, down from 70% last season.
- Has contested 5.8 3-point shots per game, most in the league by a wide margin.
Kemba Walker | G | Boston Celtics
- Registering career-high marks in both effective field goal percentage (53.0%) and true shooting percentage (57.9%).
- Has scored 1.11 points per possession as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, the second-best mark among 50 players who have averaged at least five ball-handler possessions per game.
- Has taken more than half of his shots from 3-point range for the first time in his career. Has seen an increase in his ratio of 3-point attempts to mid-range attempts in each of the last six seasons, from 0.8 in 2013-14 to 4.2 this season.
- The Celtics have allowed 9.8 more points per 100 possessions with Walker on the floor (108.5) than they have with him off the floor (98.7). That’s the sixth-worst on-off DefRtg differential among 313 players who have played at least 500 minutes with a single team.
- Ranks fifth with 0.37 charges drawn per game.
Trae Young | G | Atlanta Hawks
- Averaging 29.7 points per game, up from 19.1 last season. That’s the second-biggest jump (behind that of Devonte’ Graham) among 271 players who played at least 40 games last season and have played at least 25 games this season.
- Leads the league with 15.4 pick-and-roll ball-handler possessions per game. His 1.00 points per possession ranks ninth among 50 players who have averaged at least five ball-handler possessions per game.
- Leads the league in time of possession (9.1 minutes per game) and dribbles per game (527). Ranks second in both average seconds per touch (6.29) and average dribbles per touch (6.07).
- Has drawn 7.8 fouls per game, third most in the league. On the other end of the floor, he’s accounted for just 9.7% of the fouls his team has committed while he’s been on the floor, the third-lowest rate among 314 players who have played at least 500 minutes.
- The Hawks have scored 17.0 more points per 100 possessions with Young on the floor (110.4) than they have with him off the floor (93.4). That’s the biggest on-off OffRtg differential among 313 players who have played at least 500 minutes for a single team.
Bam Adebayo | C-F | Miami Heat
- Is one of two players (Antetokounmpo is the other) averaging at least 10 rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block per game.
- Has shot 59.8% on drives, the best mark among 146 players with at least 75 field goal attempts on drives. Is one of eight players who have shot better than 70% on at least 100 shots in the restricted area and at least 45% on at least 100 shots elsewhere in the paint.
- Ranks third with 7.6 elbow touches per game.
- Ranks third with 5.3 screen assists per game.
- Has shot 18-31 (58.1%) with the score within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, the third-best field goal percentage among 78 players who have taken at least 25 clutch shots.
Jimmy Butler | F | Miami Heat
- Has an effective field goal percentage of 73.6% in the first six seconds of the shot clock, the fifth-best mark among 160 players with at least 50 field goal attempts in the first six seconds, according to Second Spectrum tracking. He has an effective field goal percentage of just 44.5% otherwise.
- Has an effective field goal percentage of just 34.6% on shots from outside the paint, the worst mark among 158 players with at least 200 field goal attempts from the outside (not including backcourt shots). Has shot 31.2% from mid-range, the second-worst mark among 66 players with at least 100 mid-range attempts.
- Has attempted 67.8 free throws per 100 shots from the field, the second-highest rate among players (lower than that of Rudy Gobert – 68.9) with at least 300 field goal attempts. 37.2% of his points, the league’s highest rate (among players that have played at least 25 games) by a wide margin, have come from free throws.
- One of two players (Memphis’ Tyus Jones is the other) who have played at least 1,000 minutes and have more steals (82) than personal fouls (65).
- Has an assist/turnover ratio of 2.68, the third-best mark among 44 players with a usage rate of 25% or higher.
Rudy Gobert | C | Utah Jazz
- Leads the league with 7.3 screen assists per game.
- Has taken 89% of his shots in the restricted area and 99.6% of his shots in the paint. Those are both the highest rates among 200 players with at least 300 total field goal attempts.
- Ranks fourth in the league with 1.9 blocks per game. Has accounted for 68.7% of his team’s blocks while he’s been on the floor, the highest rate among 314 players who have played at least 500 minutes. Opponents have shot 50.8% at the rim when he’s been there to protect it. That’s the fourth-best rim-protection mark among 35 players who have defended at least five shots at the rim per game.
- Has allowed just 0.63 points per possession on isolations, the best mark among 45 players who have defended at least 50.
- The Jazz have been 13.8 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor (plus-9.0) than with him off the floor (minus-4.8). That’s tied for the second-biggest on-off NetRtg differential among 313 players who have played at least 500 minutes for a single team.
Brandon Ingram | F | New Orleans Pelicans
- Has seen increases in usage rate, effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage every season he’s been in the league.
- Has an effective field goal percentage of 61.4% on catch-and-shoot jumpers, up from 44.7% last season.
- Has taken 34.8% of his shots from 3-point range, up from 12.9% last season. That’s the fourth-biggest jump among 192 players with at least 250 field goal attempts both seasons.
- Ranks fourth in the league with 34 corner 3-pointers.
- One of two All-Stars (Trae Young is the other) with a negative plus-minus. The Pelicans have been outscored by 72 points with Ingram on the floor.
Kyle Lowry | G | Toronto Raptors
- Tied for the league lead with 1.1 secondary assists per game.
- Has drawn 0.60 charges per game, second most in the league.
- Has attempted 39.5 free throws per 100 shots from the field, up from 26.3 last season. That’s the fourth-biggest jump in free throw rate among 192 players with at least 250 field goal attempts in each of the last two seasons.
- Has taken 56.4% of his shots from 3-point range. That’s down from 61.3% last season, but is the highest rate among All-Stars.
- One of four players — James, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook are the others — that have averaged at least five assists and one steal in each of the last 10 seasons (40 games minimum).
Khris Middleton | F | Milwaukee Bucks
- One of four players who have shot 50% or better on at least 300 field goal attempts and 40% or better on at least 100 3-point attempts. Is the only of the four who has shot 90% or better at the free throw line.
- Effective field goal percentage of 58.3% and true shooting percentage of 62.4% are both career-best marks by a healthy margin.
- Has an effective field goal percentage of 56.0% on pull-up jumpers, the best mark among 129 players who have attempted at least 100.
- Has shot 52.3% from mid-range, the third-best mark among 67 players with at least 100 mid-range attempts.
- Part of what has been the league’s best defensive lineup. The Bucks’ lineup of Eric Bledsoe, Wesley Matthews, Middleton, Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez has allowed just 90.8 points per 100 possessions, the lowest mark (by a wide margin) among 27 lineups that have played at least 200 minutes together.
Donovan Mitchell | G | Utah Jazz
- Ranks fourth in the league with 12.1 pick-and-roll ball-handler possessions per game. The 0.95 points per possession he’s scored on those rank 16th among 50 players who have averaged at least five ball-handler possessions per game.
- Tied for the league lead 5.2 non-restricted-area paint attempts per game. His 44.6% on those shots ranks 23rd among 78 players who have attempted at least 100 total.
- Free throw rate of 22.8 attempts per 100 shots from the field is the lowest among All-Stars.
- Has scored just 0.86 points per possession in transition, the worst mark among 40 players who have averaged at least three transition possessions per game.
- Has seen an increase in usage rate with each quarter, from 27.0% (25th in the league) in the first quarter to 33.5% (10th) in the fourth.
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John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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