I hate to admit it, but the All-Star game needs saving, man. Again. This year’s game just didn’t have the vibe that is required to make the game, well, good.
Instead, the players just hot-dogged it up and down the court. They were just out there getting cardio. It’s cool to see all the star power on the court, but it’s not as fun when they’re not actually trying. The fans notice that — that’s why they tuned the game out.
So, with that being said, the For The Win NBA team here is dedicated to fixing it. We’re going to solve the problem that is the All-Star game.
How does one fix this game? By getting the players to play a bit harder. We figured out the perfect way to do it — by only picking players who are going to play hard.
It’s genius, y’all.
Myself, Bryan Kalbrosky, Prince Grimes and Cory Woodroof put together a serpentine draft to select 12 players total with 3 going to each of us. The only goal for each person’s 3-man squad was to put together a team that would not only win, but also give the maximum effort on the court for our star-studded exhibition.
Below, you’ll see all of our individual picks and why we picked them. The crux of it all is this: We know these dudes are bringing it. And they’ll have a bit of fun, too. Because that’s just how they are.
With that being said, here let’s get into the results.
Pick 1: Sykes takes Giannis Antetkounmpo
I don’t really feel like I need to remind anyone of Giannis Antetkounmpo’s effort. The dude is diving for loose balls and going for chase-down blocks in regular-season games. He cares, man. That’s why he actually made the effort to play for a few seconds on Sunday despite having an injured wrist.
Pick 2: Prince takes Russell Westrbook
Westbrook was the first player to pop in my head when I thought of dudes who go hard no matter what. He might not be the same MVP-caliber player he once was, but he might be the only person who doesn’t know it. His effort is always 100%.
Pick 3: Cory takes Ja Morant
There is a reason that Memphis fans won’t ever be that upset about being a pick away on Zion Williams back in 2019, and it’s Ja Morant. The pride of Murray State continues to be one of the league’s true young stars, an offensive powerhouse who goes hard every night. He’s also the perfect “villain” for the social media age of the NBA, adding to the fun of having him play in an All-Star Game like this.
Pick 4: Bryan takes Jimmy Butler
Give me the player who took Minnesota’s practice squad and challenged his own starters during a profanity-laced scrimmage — and somehow won! Butler is liable to beef with his teammates (and his coaching staff) during the heat of a battle. He might even call his teammates soft. This guy isn’t scared of anything; he may even confront the visiting locker room. As he told me earlier this season: He is just a sweetheart “until you poke the bear” during competition.
Pick 5: Bryan takes Dillon Brooks
Dillon Brooks is a literal chaos agent embodied in the form of a human basketball player. This is a dude who was unafraid to beef with the illustrious Coach K when he was in college, and he is not above taking the most theatrical flop you will ever see. We may see some dirty cheap shots if Brooks is in the All-Star Game (let’s hope he avoids the groins of his opponents) but we know he is going to play hard and take some absurd attempts from the field.
Pick 6: Cory takes Damian Lillard
Outside of being one of the best scoring machines in the NBA, Lillard is an undeniable personality and just can’t be left out in a simulation like this. My team has Morant and Lillard going on scoring frenzies and chirping at you while they do it. What more could you ask for? Just don’t make a joke about Dame’s appearance in the second Space Jam movie. He’ll make you pay for it on the stat sheet.
Pick 7: Prince takes Zion Williamson
D’Angelo Russell said Williamson is out there playing football, and, well, yeah. Have you seen this dude? The best way he knows how to get buckets is to go through (or over) you, so he doesn’t really have a choice but to go hard.
Pick 8: Sykes takes Chris Paul
Listen, man. I think we’ve all got our complaints about Chris Paul. He seems to wear his welcome with teammates very, very quickly. There’s a reason so many players don’t like him. BUT. He’s going to play hard and he’s going to try and win every game. Kobe Bryant actually once talked about how hard he and Chris Paul used to play together on All-Star teams. If Kobe swore by him, the rest of us should, too.
Pick 9: Sykes takes Jose Alvarado
OK, look. I know this is a weird pick. But Jose plays hard, man. That’s just how he rolls. Who else hides out behind other players to sneak for steals? Who else talks trash this well? Come on, man. Jose is an automatic selection for this team. Sure, he and Chris Paul probably have some beef, but that’s OK. We’ll cross that bridge once we get there.
Pick 10: Prince takes Kevin Durant
I’m convinced nobody on earth loves basketball more than KD. He’ll play in just about any game, and if everyone else is going hard, he’ll be activated too. Just ask Patrick Beverley what happens when you bark up this tree.
Pick 11: Cory takes Patrick Beverley
With Morant and Lillard, I didn’t really need another pure scorer. What I did need was an abrasive defender who could get people riled up and give the folks at home pristine television. Pat Bev will do the dirty work on defense while helping throw fuel on the fire of competition (and on-court trolling). He’s a hard-edged veteran who would make any lineup like this complete.
Pick 12: Bryan takes Marcus Smart
We don’t usually see a lot of defense played during All-Star Games, so let me get the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Smart isn’t going to back down from anybody for any reason, not even Joel Embiid. Smart is going to give the game everything he has (even if he is injured) and he might even get fined for flopping. Smart is a winning player and he is the kind of guy whose intensity would translate well to what the All-Star Game needs to be next year.
