Channing Frye and Greg Anthony share their All-Star selections for the Eastern Conference.
Each week, NBA.com’s writers will weigh in on some of the most important topics around the league.
Who are your All-Star starters from the Eastern Conference?
Editor’s Note: The All-Star starters and captains will officially be announced on Thursday night on TNT (7 ET).
STEVE ASCHBURNER:
Backcourt
• Donovan Mitchell
• Jaylen Brown
Frontcourt
• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Kevin Durant
• Jayson Tatum
These are the players for whom I cast my votes for the league’s media panel late last week, so I’m sticking with them. We get the easy part, by the way, helping to determine starters because the reserves are where the toughest in vs. out calls get made. Here, the biggest dilemma was having to leave out Joel Embiid from my starting frontcourt. Four worthy guys, three chairs; somebody’s not sitting when the music stops. Antetokounmpo, Durant and Tatum got the edge on my ballot. Embiid might wind up finishing ahead of all three in Kia MVP or All-NBA balloting, but by the voting deadline, he had appeared in the fewest games of the four. And showing up matters.
In the backcourt, Mitchell’s seizing of his Cleveland arrival and opportunity was a very showy first-half demonstration that demanded this reward. Brown has taken yet another leap and done so in a way that complements rather than competes with Tatum, the Celtics’ frontcourt star. Kyrie Irving was my Embiid of the backcourt in terms of musical chairs. In this case, he had played in fewer games than the other two and he couldn’t stop the Nets’ sag last week when Durant went out.
The one guy I might have included to make a statement as much as anything was Jalen Brunson. His work with the Knicks has been special and his fit in a free-agent signing that raised eyebrows has been ideal. It’s a crowded field but I hope he gets the recognition from the East coaches to be part of the proceedings in Salt Lake City.
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BRIAN MARTIN:
Backcourt
• Donovan Mitchell
• Jaylen Brown
Frontcourt
• Jayson Tatum
• Kevin Durant
• Joel Embiid
The most difficult task here was deciding the three frontcourt spots among four worthy candidates: Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Tatum was a lock for me: he’s the best player on the league’s best team (35-13) and posting career highs in points (31.0, third in NBA), rebounds (8.4), assists (4.4) and true shooting percentage (61.0%). Embiid gets my second spot in the frontline as last year’s scoring champ (30.6 ppg) has increased his average to a league-leading and career-best 33.6 ppg and has Philadelphia (30-16) sitting in second place in the East.
The final spot came down to Durant and Antetokounmpo, who are both worthy of the starting nod behind their play on both ends of the floor. It’s tempting to give the spot to Giannis given the fact that Durant is currently sidelined with an MCL sprain that may keep him out until after the All-Star break.
While the frontcourt decision was tough, the backcourt selections were much easier. Mitchell has excelled in his first season in Cleveland – averaging career highs in points (28.4 ppg, ninth in NBA), field goal percentage (48.4%) and 3-point percentage (39.5%) — while fitting in seamlessly to elevate the Cavs to a top-five team in the East.
If there is one team that deserves two All-Star starters, it is the league-leading Celtics as Brown and Tatum have established themselves as the top-scoring duo in the league at 57.9 combined ppg. Brown is averaging career highs in both points (26.9 ppg, 12th in NBA) and field goal percentage (49.2%) in his seventh NBA season.
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MARK MEDINA:
Backcourt
• Donovan Mitchell
• Jaylen Brown
Frontcourt
• Jayson Tatum
• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Joel Embiid
This difficult process became relatively easier for one reason. Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant remains sidelined with a sprained MCL in his right knee, an ailment that could keep him out of All-Star 2023. Otherwise, it would be hard not to vote for Durant, who stayed remarkably consistent both during the Nets’ slow start and recent resurgence. Durant has averaged 29.7 points on a career-high 55.9% clip, his best scoring output since collecting the Kia NBA MVP trophy in 2014 with Oklahoma City (career-high 32 points per game).
Then again, I would also feel guilty for excluding Tatum, Antetokounmpo or Embiid from a starting All-Star nod. How could Tatum miss the cut when he has led the Celtics to the top of the Eastern Conference with a career-high in points per game (31.2 points), shooting percentage (46.8%) and minutes played (37)? How could Antetokounmpo get overlooked when he has kept the Bucks near the top of the East while Khris Middleton has nursed various injuries? How could Embiid settle for an All-Star reserve role when he has showcased his expected scoring and defensive dominance while improving his playmaking and his durability?
As for the Eastern Conference All-Star starting backcourt, Mitchell and Brown seemed like obvious picks. Mitchell has immediately bolstered the Cavaliers as a playoff threat since his arrival. He has even become a better version of what he displayed as a scorer and playmaker during his five seasons in Utah. After showing mixed progress with coexisting with Tatum at the beginning of last season, Brown has mastered how to complement Tatum and ease his burden.
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SHAUN POWELL:
Backcourt
• Donovan Mitchell
• Kyrie Irving
Frontcourt
• Joel Embiid
• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Jayson Tatum
Let’s get right to the most head-scratching decision facing all voters — the East frontcourt, with four very worthy candidates. Someone had to get nudged aside, and in my opinion, it’s Kevin Durant. A tough call, no doubt, especially because, when he was healthy, KD was on an MVP level. However, same for the other three. Embiid and Giannis have been terrific at both ends of the floor, while Tatum has returned strong from a faulty performance in the 2022 Finals. There’s no right or wrong answer here, no reason to make a case for someone while diminishing someone else. It’s just one of those years that call for a coin flip. In the backcourt, Mitchell was an automatic call, Irving slightly less so. Tyrese Haliburton leads the league in assists; he’d be the only other guard worthy of keeping Kyrie from the starting lineup.
JOHN SCHUHMANN:
Backcourt
• Jaylen Brown
• Donovan Mitchell
Frontcourt
• Kevin Durant
• Joel Embiid
• Jayson Tatum
There were obviously four players for three spots in the frontcourt, and it was very weird to not include Giannis Antetokounmpo. But when my ballot was submitted, he was last among the four in both total minutes played and true shooting percentage (scoring efficiency), having seen a pretty big drop from the last four seasons in regard to the latter. Durant, Embiid and Tatum have all been the best players on three of the four best teams in the East. In fact, all five of these selections come from the East’s top five.
The backcourt wasn’t nearly as difficult. Donovan Mitchell has combined high usage with high efficiency, while Jaylen Brown’s defense and the Celtics’ team success give him the edge over the other candidates. I went into my research thinking Tyrese Haliburton would be my second guard, but I imagine he’ll get selected as a reserve. That’s what makes voting for All-Star starters easier than awards. It’s not like Antetokounmpo isn’t going to be an All-Star.
MICHAEL C. WRIGHT:
Backcourt
• Jaylen Brown
• Donovan Mitchell
Frontcourt
• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Jayson Tatum
• Joel Embiid
Yes, the first thing that sticks out here is the omission of Kevin Durant, who practically carried the Brooklyn Nets before a freak knee injury suffered on Jan. 8 knocked the 2014 Kia MVP out of commission. The thinking here is there’s a decent chance Durant will opt out of the All-Star Game due to the knee injury. So, no need for all the handwringing about picking between Durant, Embiid or Tatum for that third spot in the frontcourt. All four of those players are worthy starters for the East squad, and each rank as the leading scorers for the top four seeds in the conference going into Tuesday night’s action. Tatum seems to have exorcised the demons that haunted him in the 2022 NBA Finals, and we witnessed a strong example on Jan. 19, when the 24-year-old pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds in Boston’s gritty overtime win over the Golden State Warriors. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, is putting together arguably his best season. The two-time Kia MVP is averaging 30-plus points (30.9) for the first time in his career. So, it was no surprise to see Antetokounmpo leading the latest returns from the fan votes. Embiid continues to battle through injuries that have kept him out of 12 games, and that’s admirable considering he’s the catalyst for the Sixers winning 10 of their last 12.
In the backcourt, Kyrie Irving deserves his position as the leader in fan voting among the guards. All-Star recognition should be solely about what a player does on the court. But on that front, Jaylen Brown and Donovan Mitchell have simply been better. Brown is averaging career highs in points and rebounds (26.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.3 apg), but Tatum rightfully receives all the shine in Boston. That’s why it was important from this vantage point to make sure to recognize the 26-year-old who has played in only one All-Star Game. Former Utah Jazz star Mitchell (28.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.8 apg) has missed Cleveland’s last three games. But he’s been the most consistent performer of all the other options at guard that include Irving, Trae Young, James Harden and rising star Tyrese Haliburton. Mitchell started 2023 with a 71-point heater against the Chicago Bulls, becoming just the seventh player in league history to rack up at least 70 points in a game.
