Curry will play in his 8th All-Star game while Andrew Wiggins will make his debut in an All-Star starting lineup
The Golden Crop of players with the Golden State Warriors has been rewarded with an All-Star game appearance. The team already had some former All-Stars in the team like Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson; now Andrew Wiggins will join them after getting a nod for the 2022 All-Star game.
NBA just announced the 2022 All-Star starting lineups for the Eastern and Western Conferences. As per the rule, the top 2 back-court players and top 3 front-court players are picked in the starting lineup for respective conferences.
Western Conference starting lineup led by LeBron James (LAL) will have Stephen Curry and Ja Morant as backcourt duo, while Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jokic will complete the frontcourt trio. As for the Eastern Conference, Trae Young and DeMar DeRozan will handle backcourt with a potent frontcourt of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid.
Team LeBron has won 3 consecutive All-Star games and will now face team Durant in Cleveland for the 2022 All-Star game; 2nd time in a row. 9 out of 10 starters were expected by many but Andrew Wiggins’ selection was a big surprise.
Andrew Wiggins’ case as a 2022 All-Star starter
After sub-par 8 seasons in the NBA, Wiggins is having his so-called breakthrough season with the Warriors. Although there might not be a huge spike in his stats, the efficiency and effectiveness are clearly visible.
The forward is averaging 18 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2 assists per game for the Warriors. His career average is nearly the same. These are by far the least averages for any All-Star starter in NBA history, but his rise at field goal percentage and 3 point shooting does provide strong backing to his selection.
Also playing in a team with many sharpshooters and great rebounders, these stats are commendable. He is an excellent two-way player also. His defense is underrated by many, but advanced stats suggest that he is an excellent defender.
There might be strong competition at the frontcourt position in the west, like Paul George (injured), Carmelo Anthony (low key performances), Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert, and Karl-Anthony Towns; still, Wiggins performances have helped his team to be in a better position in the table than others. And this counts as massive weightage.
We will have to wait till 3rd February for a complete list of selected reserves.
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