When the NBA All-Star Game tips off Sunday, Feb. 18 in Indianapolis, IN, two new faces will be representing the Eastern Conference.
On Tuesday afternoon, it was announced that Atlanta Hawks' guard Trae Young and Toronto Raptors' forward Scottie Barnes will replace injured stars Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Julius Randle of the New York Knicks.
Embiid, the MVP front-runner, will miss at least four weeks after undergoing a knee procedure. Embiid is averaging 35.3 points per game and is on pace to join Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player in league history to put up at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a season. He's also on pace to join Chamberlain as the only players to average more than one point per minute played, which Chamberlain did in 1961-1962, the season that he averaged 50.4 points per game. This was the seventh-consecutive season that Embiid was named an All-Star.
Randle, meanwhile, will be re-evaluated in two-three weeks because of a shoulder injury. Randle has been an integral part of the New York Knicks' season thus far. The Knicks, who have an 18-6 home record, are currently 32-18, fourth in the Eastern Conference, and had won nine consecutive games prior to Saturday's defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers. Randle, averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, is shooting 47 percent for the season. He was named to the All-Star team for the third time in his career.
Young is averaging 27.3 points and 10.9 assists per game, and will make his third appearance in the All-Star Game. In 2021-2022, he led the NBA in total points and assists, becoming the first player to do so since Nate Archibald in 1972-1973.
A career year is being had by Barnes, who is averaging 20.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists on 47.9 percent shooting. His ability to defend and improved shooting have further cemented that he is the Raptors' cornerstone. He is just 22, and with improvements each season should see many more All-Star games over the course of his career.
The 73rd NBA All-Star Game will take place at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18 from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. LeBron James of the Lakers and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks were the leading vote-getters for their respective conferences.
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