NBA All-Star Game Mock Draft: Team LeBron vs Team Giannis

The NBA All-Star Game has had two All-Stars serve as captains and pick teams playground style over the last few years. But this will be the first year where those picks are done on the night of the game. While NBA betting odds have Team LeBron as a slight favorite over Team Giannis, we have no idea who will be suiting up for each captain. That is why we decided to do an NBA All-Star Game mock draft.

NBA All-Star Game Mock Draft Rules

Using the player pool from this year’s All-Star game, the incomparable TJ Calkins and I each picked as one of the two captains. TJ opted to be Team Giannis, as his Ohio roots prohibit him from continuing to support LeBron James. That meant I picked as LeBron James, who is undefeated as an All-Star Game captain so far.

As for the NBA All-Star Game mock draft structure, a typical snake draft was the format used. The eight starters had to be selected first, after which we moved onto the reserves. TJ and I have provided some thoughts on each pick as the draft went on, which can be read below. Team LeBron (Jay) got the first pick in the draft. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy our mock draft.

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2023 NBA All-Star Game Mock Draft

Pick #1: Team LeBron (Jay) Selects Ja Morant

The biggest advantage to having the number one pick in this All-Star Game mock draft is not getting stuck with DeMar DeRozan at the end, as this is not a mid-range jump shooting contest. The second biggest advantage is getting Ja Morant. The All-Star Game is all about shooting threes and getting dunks, and Ja will get plenty of dunks while setting up teammates for threes in what will be a blowout win for my team.

Picks #2 and #3: Team Giannis (TJ) Selects Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum

In our first round of starters, we got everything we could have ever hoped for. Long, rebounding capable, three point shooters that can drop dimes or buckets as needed and run the offense as needed. It helps immensely that one of them is the best player on the planet, with all due respect to myself and Mr. Jokic.

Picks #4 and #5: Team LeBron Selects Kyrie Irving and Joel Embiid

After failing to land Kyrie Irving on the Lakers at the trade deadline, I will get Irving in our NBA All-Star Game mock draft. Irving is a lethal outside shooter and has been the best fourth quarter scorer in the league this season, which will matter once players start trying down the stretch here.

As for Embiid, he is one of the few players in the NBA who can get to the free throw line better than the captain of the losing team, that being Team Giannis. Embiid will get a ton of dunks early in the game and some easy putbacks, while being a key player when everyone flips the on switch.

Picks #6 and #7: Team Giannis Selects Donovan Mitchell and Nikola Jokic

We know well that natural centers are out of their natural environment in all star games. So when we must have one, we want the multiple time MVP that can shoot the lights out and very well might be the best passer on the team. Speaking of shooting the lights out, Donovan Mitchell also does that and will fill in our other starting guard spot perfectly. So far LeBron has done a worse job building this team than he did the current Lakers, although he did get Kyrie (this time).

Picks #8 and #9: Team LeBron Selects Lauri Markkanen and Damian Lillard

The biggest disadvantage to picking first is getting the last pick of the starters, which is always going to be Lauri Markkanen. While I am confident this team will still win in blowout fashion, and Markkanen will splash some open shots throughout the game, he is clearly not the best player of the 10 starters in this game and will have to make up for that by actually trying throughout the All-Star Game.

The first reserve selected in our All-Star Game mock draft is Damian Lillard, who is perfect for a game like this one. Without Steph Curry on the floor due to injury, Lillard will be the best long-range shooter in this contest. He will brick a couple of shots from way further out than he would normally shoot in a game, but he will also put up a ton of points from the perimeter.

Picks #10 and #11: Team Giannis Selects Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards

When our first reserves hit the floor, we want to go a little bit smaller. If I decide I want to take a breather, we can go smaller and have five across that can shoot from anywhere. We will get two more great scorers on the floor that can drop dimes as needed, but crash through the paint as well. They best not have any sort of shooting slump or the fourth quarter isn’t even going to matter.

Picks #12 and #13: Team LeBron Selects Bam Adebayo and Tyrese Haliburton

Two players who may compete for All-Star Game MVP off the bench are Bam Adebayo and Tyrese Haliburton. Adebayo will enjoy rim run after rim run and will be on the receiving end of plenty of alley-oops. Meanwhile, I may have got the steal of the draft in Haliburton, whose outside shooting and league-best assist numbers will make him a must-watch player whenever he is on the floor in this game.

Picks #14 and #15: Team Giannis Selects Paul George and Jaylen Brown

After gathering a true gaggle of amazing scorers that can shoot, rebound and create an open 3…we get two more? How is that possible? Well, here we are. Some very real disrespect for Brown and particularly George lasting this long, and they will make LeBron pay for his insolence.

Picks #16 and #17: Team LeBron Selects De’Aaron Fox and Jaren Jackson Jr.

Are we sure that Team Giannis wasn’t autodrafted by the same technology that always autodrafts injured players to our fantasy football teams? Because this is getting lopsided. De’Aaron Fox is incredible at getting to the rim and is one of the best crunch time scorers in the NBA this season, which makes him great for both the exhibition and competitive portions of the game. And Jaren Jackson Jr. is one of the better bigs for this game, as he can hit threes better than most at his position.

Picks #18 and #19: Team Giannis Selects Julius Randle and Jrue Holiday

When we are getting the last two players that are going to see the floor, we are hoping to not see bigs whose post games or defensive tenacity are their calling cards… and we didn’t. We get another pure point guard that can run the offense and score from the outside. More importantly we get  *another* big that can rebound and find the open man as part of the natural skill set in Randle. This has become so lopsided I wonder if the Space Jam writing team was calling the shots on the other side, because another flop is incoming over there.

Picks #20 and #21: Team LeBron Selects Pascal Siakam and Domantas Sabonis

Our final two picks won’t see much of the floor in this game, but they are versatile and can help set up the more marquee members of my team. More importantly, they are not DeMar DeRozan, which is terrific news in an All-Star Game setting.

Pick #22: Team Giannis Selects DeMar DeRozan

Not a prediction, a spoiler. Demar Derozan will not play – coach’s decision. 

In totality, we probably don’t even have to play the game. The outcome is not going to be a fair reflection for players like Ja Morant and Damian Lillard. Haliburton is another player we would have welcomed with open arms, but the coach on the other side is likely too dense to play him enough to matter. We will offer terms of your surrender if you would like to save the embarrassment Mr. James. 

The fact of the matter is they will have more dunks, we will have more 3’s. I’m no astrophysicist, but the math adds up for a blowout over here on Team Giannis.

Final NBA All-Star Game Mock Draft Rosters

Below you will find our final All-Star Game mock draft rosters. Feel free to let us know whose team you think is best on Twitter @io_ats.

Team LeBron	Team Giannis
LeBron James (captain)	Giannis Antetokounmpo (captain)
Ja Morant	Luka Doncic
Kyrie Irving	Jayson Tatum
Joel Embiid	Donovan Mitchell
Lauri Markkanen	Nikola Jokic
Damian Lillard	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Bam Adebayo	Anthony Edwards
Tyrese Haliburton	Paul George
De’Aaron Fox	Jaylen Brown
Jaren Jackson Jr.	Julius Randle
Domantas Sabonis	Jrue Holiday
Pascal Siakam	DeMar DeRozan