Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis was selected for his eighth consecutive All-Star Game as a member of the reserves. Davis will likely need a replacement due to his calf strain, but he will receive the selection accolade, adding to an already impressive résumé.
A total of 14 reserves were chosen for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game that is taking place March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. They will be selected to rosters by team captains LeBron James and Kevin Durant in the fourth annual All-Star Draft on March 4 at 5:00 p.m. PT.
Davis was one of seven Western Conference reserves. The two guard spots were given to Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell and Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard. The three forward spots went to Davis, Rudy Gobert, and L.A. Clippers’ Paul George.
The wild card openings went to Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns, and New Orleans Pelicans sophomore Zion Williamson.
In the Eastern Conference, Chicago Bulls’ Zach Lavine and Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden were chosen as the guards. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Julius Randle of the New York Knicks were the three forwards. Finally, Nikola Vucevic and Ben Simmons rounded out the wild card selections.
Williamson, Brown, Lavine and Randle are all first-time selections and will join either Team LeBron or Team Durant. With James being the top vote-getter, Durant will have the first selection of the reserves pool while James will get the first choice of starter.
As Davis is likely going to sit the game out to recover from his strained calf and Achilles tendonosis, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is tasked with picking his replacement. The most probable selection is Suns guard Devin Booker. However, Mike Conley and DeMar DeRozan also have compelling cases.
Coverage of the All-Star Game, the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, the Mountain Dew 3-Point Contest, and the At&T Slam Dunk Contest will begin on March 7 at 2:00 p.m. PT and should span approximately six hours.
Davis focusing on strengthening leg
While Davis is still not allowed to play any sort of basketball as he rehabs his calf injury, head coach Frank Vogel gave some insight into the recovery process.
“I don’t know the exact details, but he’s not allowed to run around the court obviously,” Vogel said. “So it’s really just about strengthening the leg around the calf, and he’s able to lift upper body. I think that’s his focal point right now.”
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