NBA All-Star Game 2020: Explaining Draft Format, Examining Latest Voting Results

The NBA is now in its third year using the "draft" format to select All-Star teams, but it is quite possible the 2019 captains are in store for a rematch.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks sensation Giannis Antetokounmpo paced their respective conferences in votes after the third fan returns, with the official announcement of captains and starters set to air live on TNT's NBA Tip-Off on Thursday.

Here is a quick rundown of all the events leading up to and including the draft itself.

NBA All-Star Draft Schedule

Thursday, Jan. 23: Captains and starters announcement, 7 p.m. ET on TNT

Thursday, Jan. 30: Reserves announcement, 7 p.m. ET on TNT

Thursday, Feb. 6: NBA All-Star Draft, 7 p.m. ET on TNT

How The Draft Works

The top vote-getters from each conference are named captains. LeBron has been a captain in each of the last two seasons, with Antetokounmpo earning the other captaincy last year and Stephen Curry lining up against "The King" in 2018.

Regardless of who those two players might be, the format is pretty simple.

Each captain picks from a pool of eight remaining starters, chosen by a combination of fans, coaches and media. After selecting the starters, the captains will pick from 14 available reserves, chosen strictly by the coaches. 

The two captains alternate selections—they can choose any player they want, irrespective of conference—until the other 22 players are part of a given team. Should any player need to be replaced, commissioner Adam Silver will select a replacement to fill their spot.

For more information, visit NBA.com.

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Voting Breakdown

While Giannis will almost certainly be back as a 2020 captain, LeBron's status is hardly set in stone.

Antetokounmpo led Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam by over two million votes for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, but Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic trailed LeBron by 149,564 votes for the top spot in the Western Conference, meaning it is anyone's guess who will emerge as the top vote-getter. 

In any case, James and Doncic will likely be named starters. James should be joined in the frontcourt by Lakers teammate Anthony Davis and Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard. Davis was one of four players—LeBron, Luka and Giannis were the other three—to have racked up over four million votes as of last Thursday, while Leonard held a sizable advantage over teammate Paul George. 

George might still be named an All-Star reserve, and it would not be surprising if he were joined by Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic or New Orleans Pelicans swingman Brandon Ingram, who is having a career year in his first season in The Big Easy.

Houston Rockets guard James Harden is likely to be Doncic's backcourt partner, as he led Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard by nearly two million votes. Lillard still figures to be a reserve, and Harden might be joined by teammate Russell Westbrook.

Other Western Conference notables include Lakers guard and cult favorite Alex Caruso as well as Memphis Grizzlies rookie point guard Ja Morant, one of two rookies to crack the top ten (the other is Boston Celtics big man Tacko Fall, who is on a two-way contract).

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Things are tighter as far as the potential Eastern Conference representatives are concerned. Siakam and Miami Heat swingman Jimmy Butler—who was fourth among frontcourt players in the East—were separated by fewer than 400,000 votes, but Butler might have earned more votes in the final days, especially in light of Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid's torn hand ligament. Perhaps Celtics swingman Jayson Tatum will have gotten enough support to earn a starting nod.

In any case, Butler and Tatum are solid candidates to earn reserve spots if they do not creep in as starters. Butler has anchored a surprisingly good Heat team while Tatum has upped his overall productivity while playing some outstanding defense. Indiana Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis is another guy to watch.

In the backcourt, Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young held a slight advantage over Brooklyn Nets point man Kyrie Irving. Much has been made about whether Young should be an All-Star given he plays for the worst team in the NBA, but he is having one of the best sophomore seasons ever. Irving, meanwhile, has missed most of this season due to a shoulder impingement. 

Celtics guard Kemba Walker trailed Irving by fewer than 20,000 votes, and it is reasonable to expect he could catch Irving because of the aforementioned injury effect. Another fun name on the list is Detroit Pistons guard Derrick Rose, whose per-36 line is actually better than his 2010-11 MVP season.

Rose is unlikely to be named a starter, but he could be a reserve. Other reserve candidates in the East backcourt include Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine and Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal.