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We still don’t have a timeline on Steph Curry’s return, but we know he won’t play in the All-Star Game. That’s why Adam Silver has tapped Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves and De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings to replace Curry and the injured Zion Williamson.
Minnesota's Anthony Edwards, Toronto's Pascal Siakam and Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox are expected to be named the three All-Star reserve replacements for Feb. 19 game in Salt Lake City, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 10, 2023
Steph’s replacement in the starting lineup will be Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies Dynasty. We suspect Adam Silver was prepared to make Oakland’s own Damian Lillard the starter, before he noticed a red laser dot on his chest and changed his mind. Joel Embiid will replace the injured Kevin Durant, and the Finnisher himself, Lauri Markkanen, will replace Zion, and be the last starter left for Team Giannis at the end of the draft.
Edwards was chosen just one pick ahead of the Warriors’ No. 2 pick, and Minnesota has to be very pleased with their decision - no disrespect to the draft’s No. 3 pick. 2022 All-Star LaMelo Ball. He’s scoring 24.7 points per game and leading the league in total steals. But does he speak Mandarin? No he does not.
The other replacement guard is De’Aaron Fox, thriving under new coach Mike Brown in Sacramento. Hey, the third former Warriors assistant coach is the charm! He and Domantas Sabonis are the third-place Kings’ first All-Stars since Boogie Cousins in 2017. It’s the first time Sacramento has had two All-Stars since 2004 - can you name them? (Answer provided at article’s end.)
Fox has been a huge part of Sacramento’s top-scoring offense, and he’s especially good in the clutch, where he’s shooting nearly 60%. The big question comes with the captain’s picks, which will happen before the game. If Sabonis and Fox are on the same team, and they win, does Sacramento still light the beam?
Pascal Siakam also became an All-Star, replacing Kevin Durant, who is rehabbing his MCL sprain and studying the menu for Pizzeria Bianco. That means that with Siakam and Embiid, there are more All-Stars from Cameroon than any single nation besides the US, and one Canadian player (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) to go with one from a Canadian team. Looks like Andrew Wiggins is going to need to reach out to the K-Pop community next year. For his country!
(The 2004 Kings All-Stars were Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic.)
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