Flashback, if you will, to about three weeks ago — it was colder, snowier, and darker then, I’m sure you remember it — when I reached out to Son with an idea.
Mr. Hooper: I’ve got three words for you, Son: the 2020-2021 Razzball Writers Fantasy Basketball All-Star Team. We’ve got some sharp players in this corner of the Razzverse. Why don’t we poll the writers and have them submit ballots? We can tally the votes, form our own super team, and then present our readers with a fantasy basketball All-Star team from each conference. It will be great!
Son: That’s a lot more than three words, Hoop, but as long as you do the polling and tabulating and writing, I won’t stop you.
How do you not love a guy like that? Such inspiring stuff. Flashforward past doing some research and a half dozen emails about Google Forms and then a few more about Google Sheets, and poof! We’ve got a couple of All-Star teams for you to enjoy/critique/grouse about.
Before we do the big reveal, a few notes about what exactly we’ve done here. The task was to fill out a 12-man ballot for each conference that has: 3 Guards, 3 Forwards, 2 Centers, and 4 Flex positions. It’s also important to keep in mind that we were using 9-category scoring (points, boards, dimes, steals, swats, turnovers, three-pointers made, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage) when punching our ballots. Because it was a collaborative effort to construct each team, I also enlisted my fellow writers to share their thoughts about their favorite All-Stars.
Observant readers will notice that we ended up with more than 12 Eastern Conference All-Stars. It turns out the Leastern Conference is actually pretty stacked (check out Keith’s piece exploring the why) and when it came to the final two flex spots we found ourselves with a five-way tie. Because this is a for-fun exercise and I didn’t have the foresight to create a tie-breaker, we decided to expand the bench and bring all our favorites on board (plus we needed to find a way to get Julius Randle onto this team so Vas could cook.) In this case, asterisks are not scarlet letters for PED users, but signifiers that the player listed was part of that five-way deadlock.
Without further ado, Razzball readers, here are your Eastern Conference Fantasy All-Stars!
The Guards
Fred VanVleet
20.1 PTS, 4.4 REB, 6.6 AST, 1.7 STL, 0.8 BLK, 3.4 3PM, 2.0 TO, 40.0 FG%, 89.4 FT%
From undrafted to NBA Champion, to now a fantasy All-Star, Fred VanVleet has come a long way in his NBA career. After a breakout season last year on the back of a memorable performance in the NBA finals, he has shown that last season wasn’t a fluke. With career-high averages in categories across the board, VanVleet has cemented himself as a fantasy cornerstone with elite assists, steals, and 3PM. Additionally, he is 3rd in minutes played this year so far, with availability being more valuable than ever in fantasy basketball in the era of load management and COVID-19. — Kian
Zach LaVine
28.7 PTS, 5.2 REB, 5.1 AST, 1.1 STL, 0.4 BLK, 3.5 3PM, 3.9 TO, 52.5 FG%, 85.7 FT%
All-Star Zach LaVine has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Not only is this dude a real-life All-Star, he’s a fantasy All-Star as well. He’s putting up the highest per-game numbers in his career for points, assists, rebounds, and three-pointers while shooting a career-high 52.2% from the field. That’s insanity and it’s good enough for easy second-round value for a dude that was likely drafted in the third or fourth round in most leagues. The Bulls were just recently owners of the 6th best record in the NBA thanks to his efforts, though they have slid a bit in the standings. That’s wild for a team near the bottom of the league last year that didn’t make many roster moves. — Keith
James Harden
25.3 PTS, 7.0 REB, 11.1 AST, 1.2 STL, 0.7 BLK, 3.3 3PM, 4.2 TO, 48.4 FG%, 85.9 FT%
I’ll be the first to admit that when Harden showed up to training camp looking unmotivated and well-insulated after months of rumors surrounding his future in Houston, I knocked him down a few spots in my draft rankings. Those of you that grabbed him in the second half of the first round are the ones laughing now, as he quickly reentered the top 5 after finding his footing in Brooklyn. — PB
The Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo
29.0 PTS, 11.7 REB, 5.9 AST, 1.3 STL, 1.4 BLK, 1.1 3PM, 3.7 TO, 55.7 FG%, 66.1 FT%
Being Greek has its perks and one of them is that I get to have Giannis Antetokounmpo play for the national team and also the fact that I watched his development all the way from the second Greek Division and his team Philathlitikos to two consecutive MVP awards in the NBA. He is as easy to root for as any superstar as he has remained humble and positive and has also shown tremendous loyalty to the Milwaukee Bucks by resigning with them and helping them chase a championship. In terms of fantasy, he is the no. 2 player if you are punting free throws and can have a devastating effect on that build. — Kostas
Myles Turner
13.5 PTS, 6.5 REB, 0.9 AST, 1.0 STL, 3.4 BLK, 1.5 3PM, 1.4 TO, 48.4 FG%, 77.8 FT%
The 1/1/1 club is elite. Embiid, Giannis, Michael Porter Jr., and Myles Turner are its only members so far this season. The 1/1/3 club (recently down from 1/1/4) is much more exclusive. Myles Turner is its only member. — PB
Bam Adebayo
19.2 PTS, 9.5 REB, 5.4 AST, 0.9 STL, 1.0 BLK, 0.1 3PM, 3.0 TO, 56.3 FG%, 84.7 FT%
How freaking loaded is the frontcourt for the Eastern Conference? There’s the reigning, defending, two-time MVP in Giannis, the second-leading scorer in the league and MVP candidate (Joel Embiid), a legit DPOY contender (Myles Turner), and a damn-near 50/40/90 center in Nikola Vucevic. Between the accomplishments of his peers and the rocky re-start following last year’s bubble success, it’s easy to feel like Adebayo is lagging behind. Then you look at his numbers and realize, no, actually things are still going quite well for the fourth-year pro. He’s scoring more and with greater efficiency than any other season in his brief career, and he’s doing so without a three-point shot. The boards and defensive stats have slipped a touch from last year, but Bam’s still good for 9.5 rebounds per and 1.9 combined steals+blocks. Joker gets a ton of (well-deserved) praise as a passing savant who is also a giant human, but Bam’s 5.4 dimes per game is a better figure than Jamal Murray, Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, or Devin Booker is putting up. — Mr. Hooper
The Centers
Joel Embiid
30.2 PTS, 11.6 REB, 3.3 AST, 1.2 STL, 1.4 BLK, 1.2 3PM, 3.2 TO, 52.1 FG%, 85.6 FT%
Every year Joel Embiid seemed just a few minor things away from discovering his true fantasy ceiling. And finally, this was the year that everything clicked and Embiid is producing like a true MVP, ranking second in average value, with career highs in points, steals, and shooting percentages but, most importantly, missing only a few games until now. A true all-around fantasy producer that can fit in any fantasy team build but can be especially devastating if you punt turnovers. — Kostas
Nikola Vucevic
24.6 PTS, 11.6 REB, 3.7 AST, 1.0 STL, 0.6 BLK, 2.7 3PM, 1.7 TO, 48.3 FG%, 85.1 FT%
Nikola Vucevic is the synonym of consistent fantasy production. He is not flashy, both in fantasy and in real-life basketball, but this will mark his 9th straight top 50 season, with the last three being top 20 seasons. This year, he is a deserving fantasy All-Star by improving his triples, rebounds, and free throw percentage and is especially useful in roto or balanced builds, as he is slightly negative in only two categories and has the lowest turnovers in the top 12. It is unfortunate that Orlando’s struggles have made it difficult for him to feature in the actual All-Star game more regularly but this will be his 2nd straight year playing for the East team. — Kostas
The Rest
Bradley Beal
32.9 PTS, 5.4 REB, 4.7 AST, 1.4 STL, 0.4 BLK, 2.3 3PM, 3.3 TO, 48.2 FG%, 90.3 FT%
Despite the historic league-wide scoring binge taking place in 2021, Bradley Beal is currently one of only two men in the Association averaging more than 30 points per game (though Dame and Steph are knocking loudly on that door). Should the scoring Wizard maintain his pre-ASG numbers, Beal would be looking at logging consecutive 30+ PPG seasons. The dude can flat out score the basketball. He’s managing this success despite the arrival of Russell Westbrook and shooting relatively poorly from three. This year he’s down to 33.5%, a far cry from the career mark of 37.7% or even last year’s 35.3%, though I suppose that’s mitigated by career bests in FG%, FT%, and rebounding. A scoring machine in his prime, Beal is doing exactly what you hoped he would when you drafted him. — Mr. Hooper
Tobias Harris
20.2 PTS, 7.6 REB, 3.4 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.8 BLK, 1.6 3PM, 1.9 TO, 51.3 FG%, 88.7 FT%
If the fantasy All-Stars actually played a real basketball game, Harris would be the most likely candidate to play 12 bench minutes and shoot mid-range jumpers while the rest of the team is throwing uncontested alley-oops to each other. It’s well documented that he’s not a flashy player, but we’re all accepting of that when he’s providing 20/7/3 on solid percentages and improved defensive numbers. — PB
Clint Capela*
14.7 PTS, 14.2 REB, 0.9 AST, 0.8 STL, 2.2 BLK, 0.0 3PM, 1.4 TO, 58.9 FG%, 55.0 FT%
My man Clint Capela has been ballin’ outta control since he returned from a sore left Achilles. He’s posting third-round value on the season on a per-game basis and was likely drafted in the sixth round or later in every league. He has been the go-to big man for the Hawks, averaging a career-high AND league-leading 14.2 rebounds per game while chipping in a career-high 2.2 blocks per game as well. The crazy thing is that this isn’t even his ceiling on a paced-up Hawks squad as he’s shooting just 58.9% from the field, which is a whole four percentage points below his career average. As long as you’re not trying to win free throw percentage, he’s a bonafide fantasy stud. — Keith
Khris Middleton*
20.6 PTS, 6.1 REB, 5.7 AST, 1.1 STL, 0.2 BLK, 2.3 3PM, 2.6 TO, 49.5 FG%, 88.4 FT%
Middleton’s case for the fantasy All-Star squad begins and ends with the fact that he is scoring 20 points per game on 50/43/89 shooting splits. That’s four categories that he anchors from the jump. When you add in the 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal per game, the overall 9-cat production rivals that of his MVP teammate. — PB
Julius Randle*
23.2 PTS, 11.1 REB, 5.5 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.2 BLK, 1.9 3PM, 3.2 TO, 48.3 FG%, 80.5 FT%
Julius Randle is an NBA All-Star! Now that is something I thought I would never say while I was watching Julius stumble and bumble into double and triple teams in the paint and constantly turn the ball over for the New York Knicks. Last year in 64 games, Randle averaged 19.5 points and 9.7 rebounds with 3 turnovers on a horrid Knicks team that finished that season with a 21-45 record before the world stopped on a dime.
However, this year everything changed. And I mean EVERYTHING! Not only did Julius seem like a competent basketball player with no more bonehead moves and mistakes, but he has also propelled the Knicks into a playoff spot in the East this year! On the back of Julius averaging 23.2 points and 11.1 rebounds with 5.5 assists, as well as nearly a steal game, while also shooting 41.2% from beyond the arc!
Julius Randle has made a phenomenal turnaround. He has made the Knicks fanbase go from wanting to trade for a pack of gum, to being anointed the locker room leader and doing everything they can to vote him into the illustrious All-Star game on the 7th of March. Long gone are the days of frustrating us fans with ridiculous turnovers. Long gone are the nights of empty points and inefficient scoring. And most importantly, long gone are the days of a losing feeling for the Knicks. The Knicks as a whole finally seem like a tough opponent after many years, and that is due in large part to Julius Randle this year.
Julius has proved he has the capabilities and the skill to put this team on his back and get them over that finish line and win games where last year would have been blowouts. He has improved his game and has made winning a priority. His shot has improved and so has the playmaking. He has made the corner mid-range a shot of his own while also becoming automatic on fadeaways with his back to the basket. Julius now also looks to set up his teammates instead of just getting his numbers and that is evident in the multiple games where has come close to reaching double digits in the assists category. An improved team and improved play as well as improved stats for sure spells All-Star!
The winning and the stats are all nice, of course, but Julius Randle has done something no other All-Star has done this year. He has brought hope to a whole fanbase. He has become a fan favorite and has greatly contributed to a swing in the culture that will hopefully continue in New York for years to come.
From all of New York and myself, we thank and congratulate Julius Randle! Or should I say Julius “NBA All-Star” Randle! — Vas
Kevin Durant*
29.0 PTS, 7.3 REB, 5.3 AST, 0.7 STL, 1.4 BLK, 2.6 3PM, 3.5 TO, 52.4 FG%, 86.9 FT%
Jayson Tatum*
24.9 PTS, 7.1 REB, 4.5 AST, 1.4 STL, 0.5 BLK, 2.6 3PM, 2.5 TO, 43.7 FG%, 85.9 FT%
Durant and Tatum both fit into the category of “rightful All-Star who has missed too much time.” No slights here, as Tatum has had to deal with the lingering effects of Covid-19 en route to earning an All-Star nod IRL. KD, despite the unavailability due to health and safety protocols and a balky hamstring, is the captain of an All-Star team, so we’re not throwing any shade. Yes, Kevin, we know who you are. — Mr. Hooper
Come back tomorrow when we unveil the Western Conference Fantasy All-Stars! In the meantime, feel free to leave your gripes, snubs, and corrections in the comments.
