NBA All-Star Rosters 2020: Final Mock Draft for Team Giannis vs. Team LeBron
Last season, the draft for the NBA All Star Game became must-see TV.
Watching team captains Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) and LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) select their respective rosters in real time was the kind of drama that fans couldn't wait to behold.
Who would go first?
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Who would go last?
Those were the kind of burning questions that were answered with the live broadcast.
This year, the Draft show, presented by Jordan Brand, will air on TNT on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. ET.
The format for the draft remains the same.
As the leading vote-getter, James will choose first, followed by Antetokounmpo.
In the second round, the Bucks superstar will make the first selection from the pool of reserves, followed by the Lakers superstar.
Here's the latest mock draft for the 69th annual midseason classic.
Starters
4. Team Giannis: Pascal Siakam
5. Team LeBron: James Harden
6. Team Giannis: Joel Embiid
8. Team Giannis: Trae Young
For Team LeBron, the first pick should be a no-brainer, if not somewhat forced.
As a Lakers teammate, Anthony Davis, who is playing at an MVP level, he should be the first player off the board.
From there, it's anybody's guess.
Conventional wisdom suggests that Antetokounmpo select Joel Embiid to offset Davis, but this is the All Star Game.
It's not about height, it's about ability, especially in the open court.
That means Luca Doncic should be the next one to hear his name called.
Things get interesting from there.
Kawhi Leonard is battling with James for the title of "King of L.A.," but the latter may put all of that aside for the good of the game and take him next.
James Harden is the most logical choice to get selected after Leonard, but considering his history with Antetokounmpo, it's probably a reach that all will be forgotten.
Pascal Siakam, who's made the most of his opportunity to step into a starring role with the Toronto Raptors, will likely be Antetokounmpo's next choice.
None of this is for certain, though, so the order of the draft should be very interesting.
Reserves
9. Team Giannis: Khris Middleton
11. Team Giannis: Damian Lillard
12. Team LeBron: Russell Westbrook
13. Team Giannis: Jimmy Butler
14. Team LeBron: Chris Paul
15. Team Giannis: Donovan Mitchell
17. Team Giannis: Brandon Ingram
19. Team Giannis: Kyle Lowry
20. Team LeBron: Nikola Jokic
21. Team Giannis: Rudy Gobert
22. Team LeBron: Domantas Sabonis
Team Giannis will find itself in the same position as Team LeBron for the second round because teammate Khris Middleton is on the board.
Ben Simmons will likely go next, considering his association with Team LeBron.
Team Giannis will likely then go with Damian Lillard, who was the hero of last year's game, scoring 18 points on six three-pointers. He also chipped in six rebounds and five assists.
At this point, things will get harder to predict.
Both captains will be out for players that can help them, but also play hard.
No one plays harden than Russell Westbrook, who tends to play well in All Star Games. He's scored 41 points twice (2015, 2017).
Jimmy Butler should have been a starter, but here he is in the second round and he's likely to get picked up by Team Giannis for his toughness and ability to play cool under pressure.
Team LeBron will likely pick up Chris Paul because they go way back and Paul has shown that he can still guide a winning team.
Of the eight remaining players, six of them will be playing in the game for the first time in their career.
Who Team Giannis and Team LeBron picks from here will be like rolling the dice, since it's unlikely that they'll get more than a handful of minutes each.
Follow Maurice Bobb on Twitter, @ReeseReport
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