NBA All-Star voting: Tatum likely to start; will Brown make the cut? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics will have at least one representative at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game next month, and he could play a central role.
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum ranked fourth among Eastern Conference forwards in the NBA All-Star voting results revealed Thursday night. His teammate, Jaylen Brown, ranked 10th among East guards.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
This year's All-Star format is the same as last year's: Based on voting results, the top three forwards and top two guards will comprise the East's five starters (same in the Western Conference), with captains LeBron James and Kevin Durant each picking their teams in a draft on Feb. 10.
Durant is sidelined with an MCL sprain, however, and Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reports the Brooklyn Nets star is expected to sit out the All-Star Game on Feb. 20. By rule, Durant's replacement in the East starting lineup would be the next-highest vote-getter at forward -- which is Tatum.
NBC Sports
Forsberg: Could these trends alter Celtics' trade deadline strategy?
So, assuming Durant pulls out, Tatum will be an All-Star starter for the first time in his career.
That'd be an impressive achievement for the 23-year-old, who has endured several shooting slumps this season but still is averaging 26.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while ranking second in the NBA in points scored behind Trae Young.
Tatum, who's eyeing his third consecutive All-Star nod, helped his cause this week by pouring in 87 points over his last two games.
Brown will need a lot of help to make his second All-Star Game in as many years, though. While the 25-year-old has strong numbers across the board -- 24.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game -- he's missed 14 of Boston's 49 games due to a hamstring injury.
Then again, Kyrie Irving is ahead of Brown in guard voting despite playing in just seven games this season. The All-Star reserves will be revealed next Thursday, Feb. 3, so we'll find out Brown's fate soon enough.
