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LeBron James sets All-Star record, but he shouldn't be a starter
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James sets All-Star record, but he shouldn't be a starter

The NBA announced that LeBron James would be starting his record 20th All-Star Game. Although, he probably didn’t deserve to.

James was once again the Western Conference’s leading vote-getter, and he’s having an incredible season for a player who just turned 39 years old. He’s averaging 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists for the Lakers, who won the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament.

The problem is, he hasn’t been one of the three best frontcourt players in the NBA this season. James isn’t even the best frontcourt player on his own team.

Anthony Davis is averaging 25 points and 12.2 rebounds per game, plus he’s blocking 2.4 shots per game. He’s played more games and more minutes per game than James, who is only better than Davis in assists and three-point percentage.

The other negative is that, even with those two putting up gaudy numbers, the Lakers have lost more games than they’ve won. They’re tied for ninth in the Western Conference. If Davis has been better than James, the only way James would start is if voters decided a 22-23 team deserved two starters.

Ultimately, this mainly matters for posterity. James is nursing an injury, so he’s likely to play limited All-Star Game minutes, so whoever was snubbed will get plenty of playing time. And he’s certainly worthy of a spot on the team!

But in James’ 20th straight season as an All-Star starter, it’s also the game he’s least deserving to start.

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