Starting Five: Yaron's Eastern Conference All-Star picks

By Yaron Weitzman
FOX Sports NBA Writer

The NBA All-Star Game is still nearly two months away (Feb. 20 in Cleveland), but All-Star voting has begun. And that makes this a perfect time to declare who should be receiving the votes.

A refresher for those who need it: The NBA no longer breaks down the lineups by position. Instead, fans, players and select media are asked to nominate three "frontcourt" and two "backcourt" players in each conference. 

Here are the five players I believe should represent the East in Cleveland. (We’ll do the West next week.)

Frontcourt spot No. 1: Kevin Durant

Durant, possibly in line for his second MVP award, is one of the two easy choices in the East. 

He’s leading the league in scoring (29.7 points per game), second in minutes (37), shooting a scorching 52.3% from the field and dishing out 5.9 assists per contest, which matches a career high. Oh, and he has led a Nets team that has been ravaged by both injuries and COVID and hasn’t gotten a minute of action this season from Kyrie Irving yet is holding down the top spot in the Eastern Conference with the league’s sixth-best point differential.

Durant also deserves props for the amount of energy he’s exerting on the defensive end of the floor. The Nets have transformed into the league’s sixth-best unit, with 107.2 points surrendered per 100 possessions, not including garbage time possessions, an incredible leap from the 113.7 points per 100 possessions that they surrendered last season, the league’s ninth-worst mark. Consider that Durant has been the most constant presence in the Nets’ rotation and that they often slot him onto opposing top guns, and it’s fair to assign much of this credit to him.

Also, he has been an absolute joy to watch. He's an overwhelming force, not because of his physicality but rather because of his set of polished and perfected skills.

Frontcourt spot No. 2: Giannis Antetokounmpo

This is the other easy call in the East. Giannis has been as dominant as ever this season. The basic counting stats are, per usual, video-game-like (27.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals per game). He boasts the league’s second-best Player Efficiency Rating, behind only Nikola Jokic. And the Bucks, at 23-13, own the East’s third-best record. 

But Giannis has also expanded his game this season. With starting center Brook Lopez out since opening night due to a back injury, the Bucks have slid Giannis to the 5 more often than ever. He has played 49% of his minutes at that position this season, compared to just 12 last season, according to Cleaning the Glass. And Giannis has responded by holding opponents to 46.2% shooting at the rim, the league’s best mark.

Frontcourt spot No. 3: Joel Embiid

Things get a bit trickier in trying to figure out who belongs in the East’s final frontcourt spot. Jimmy Butler (22.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.2 steals, 50.2 FG%) has been fantastic this season, but he has played only 20 games. Jayson Tatum’s scoring is there, but his efficiency has dropped (41.7 FG%, 32.9 3P%), and the Celtics have struggled. 

One stealth candidate, a name you might scoff at if you haven’t watched a lot of Cleveland Cavaliers basketball, is Jarrett Allen. But Allen has been incredible. He’s averaging 16.8 points and 10.8 rebounds and shooting a ridiculous 70.2% from the field.  

He’s one of the league’s top rim protectors, a key component of a defense that’s second in the NBA and a major reason the Cavaliers are currently in third place — yes, the Cavs are in third — in the East. Allen has played like an All-Star.  

But if we’re talking about starters, I’m going with Embiid. He has played only 22 games, but, per usual, when on the floor he has been absolutely dominant. The Sixers might be struggling and barely hovering above .500, but if not for Embiid, they’d be a lottery team. When he’s on the court, the Sixers perform at a level equal to the Bucks’ fifth-ranked offense and the Jazz’s fifth-ranked defense, according to Cleaning the Glass. 

Embiid is the only player in the league who is the fulcrum of everything his team does on offense and defense. Granted, he has struggled a bit with his midrange jumper after putting up career-best marks last year, but he’s still a force, one opponents largely have no answer for. 

Backcourt spot No. 1: DeMar DeRozan 

Forget the All-Star Game. DeRozan might actually get some MVP votes this season. He’s fifth in the league in scoring (27 PPG), is doing it on 50% shooting, owns the league’s ninth-best Player Efficiency Rating and has been simply unguardable one-on-one. 

Only Steph Curry has registered more points per isolation possession, according to NBA Advanced Stats, and, maybe most importantly, DeRozan has been the catalyst and closer for an electric Bulls team that currently holds the East’s second-best record.

Backcourt spot No. 2: Trae Young

To me, the final spot comes down to two options: Young and Zach LaVine. I’m going with Young.

Now, Lavine has a strong case. He’s sixth in the NBA in scoring (26.4 PPG) and doing so efficiently (49.6 FG%, 40.6% from deep). Young, however, has quietly made another mini leap and is having the best offensive season of his career so far. He’s fourth in the league in scoring (27.3 PPG) and posting career-best shooting numbers (45.6 FG%, 37.1 3P%). 

When Young is on the floor, the Hawks' offense has scored a scorching 118.1 points per 100 possessions, which is right in line with what the league-leading Jazz offense produces. When Young sits, that number plummets to 101.9. That difference is one of the league’s biggest marks. 

Young also has a slight edge in most advanced numbers. Yes, his Hawks are a hugely disappointing 15-18, mostly due to a putrid defense (112.6 points allowed per 100 possessions, 25th in the NBA), with Young one of the biggest culprits. But LaVine is far from a defensive stopper himself. He also has a better team around him. That, combined with Young’s excellence, earns the Hawks' star the nod.

Come back next week for my Western Conference choices!

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports and the author of "Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports." Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.