The Boston Celtics will have both Kyrie Irving and Al Horford in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game. Will Irving be selected by LeBron James? Plus, was Horford deserving of the nod?
The Boston Celtics will have both Kyrie Irving and Al Horford in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game. There’s no surprise that Irving was selected to be in this year’s game, but what’s even more exciting is that this game is formatted a little different.
Instead of being East vs. West, this game will be split up by two captains drafting players for their respective team. No surprise here, but LeBron James and Stephen Curry will be the two captains as the lead vote-getters from each conference. That’s where things get interesting. Will James select Irving to be on his team?
We of course know what happened in the recent offseason with Irving wanting out of Cleveland. Who knows what really went on, or how it down. The main thing now is, will the drama continue to spill?
Irving will be the starter on either team with Curry and James; so, maybe it would be best for Curry to pass on Irving due them both playing the same position. In an interview with TMZ, the reporter asked Irving on how he feels about if James will draft him or not. Irving responded with this:
"“We’ll see.”"
On the other side of things, Horford’s selection was a little bit of a surprise to some people, sending a few shockwaves across the nation.
Shaq just said he could put up Al Horford numbers if the Magic signed him right now lmao
— Alexis Morgan (@alexismorgan) January 24, 2018
people who vote for al horford to be in the all star game definitely cut the crust off their bread
— drew (@sixersruinedme) January 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/gregotto/status/955951883528613898
Of course the best one of them all came from Detroit Pistons center, Andre Drummond. He was not a happy camper when he found out he was snubbed from the All-Star Game.
Guess I gotta start doing back flips after every point I score to get attention around here!
— Andre Drummond (@AndreDrummond) January 24, 2018
Lmao on to the next
There was one other tweet, but it’s NSFW material. In any case, does he have a point?
In my opinion, I believe that Horford was not as deserving as Drummond. Horford is a good player, whose stats don’t jump out at you. However, he does a great job of doing the little things.
The other side of things is that Detroit would not be in the position it’s in now without Drummond. The amount of injuries the Pistons have endured have been devastating to their season. But let’s take a look at the two players.
| Rk | Player | Season | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andre Drummond | 2017-18 | 5.7 | 10.5 | .543 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .000 | .543 | 3.0 | 4.7 | .629 | 15.0 | 3.9 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 14.3 |
| 2 | Al Horford | 2017-18 | 5.4 | 10.5 | .513 | 1.5 | 3.3 | .435 | .583 | 1.1 | 1.6 | .725 | 7.8 | 5.3 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 13.3 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/24/2018.
Drummond by far has the better stats, but it also helps that Horford plays for the Celtics (popularity and record-wise).
In any case, what’s done is done. If the East continues to be weaker in talent compared to the West, Drummond should have a pretty good chance of making it next year.
Next: 2017-18 Week 15 NBA Power Rankings
Whether Horford should be in it or not, both he and Irving will represent the Celtics in this year’s All-Star Game. Will James select Irving to be apart of his team? And was Horford as deserving as Drummond? Only time will tell.