Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant have been named All-Star starters from the Eastern Conference frontcourt pool. DeMar DeRozan and Trae Young are the conference’s guards who will join them as starters, NBA Communications tweets.
Durant will be a team captain because he is the All-Star starter from the East with the most fan votes in the East. Durant is currently sidelined by a knee injury and isn’t expected to play in next month’s All-Star Game at Cleveland.
DeRozan was the leader among Eastern Conference guards in the fan voting. The fans vote counted for 50% in the selection process, with player voting accounting for 25% and the media getting a 25% say.
It will be DeRozan’s third All-Star start and fifth All-Star game. In his first year with the Bulls, DeRozan is averaging 26.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 4.8 APG. All of the starters from the East are among the NBA’s top six scorers, led by Durant (29.3 PPG) and Embiid (29.0 PPG).
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