ESPN’s early All-Star list snubs several Celtics
The only Celtic represented on Kevin Pelton's list was Jayson Tatum, who he named a reserve.
The Celtics sit with the best record in the Eastern Conference and are widely considered to be among the favorites to win the NBA championship this year. But to some people, that’s not enough to award their players with All-Star selections.
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ESPN’s Kevin Pelton published his early list of NBA All-Stars on Monday. Not a single Celtic was listed as one of Pelton’s starters, and only Jayson Tatum received any representation.
Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White were not listed, though Pelton claims that Porzingis and White could potentially be All-Stars by the time those rosters are officially announced.
It appears as though Pelton left Tatum off of his starting lineup due to the forward’s usage rate being lower than it was last year.
“As part of one of the NBA’s most talented starting fives, Tatum hasn’t had to be as ball-dominant as a year ago, seeing his usage rate drop from 33% to 30% — his lowest since 2019-20,” Pelton wrote. “Tatum has taken advantage of the lighter load by making a career high 61% of his 2-point attempts and shooting nearly 50% from the field overall.”
Instead, Pelton has Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Scottie Barnes as his Eastern Conference frontcourt starters. Antetokounmpo and Embiid are no strangers to starting in the All-Star game, and it seems as though Barnes’s increased usage rate and improved three-point percentage won him that final spot over Tatum.
“Barnes has boosted his usage rate from 20% to 24% with more ballhandling duties after Fred VanVleet’s departure, but his dramatic development as a 3-point shooter (38%, up from 29% his first two seasons) has improved his efficiency,” Pelton wrote.
The NBA All-Star game will take place on Feb. 18, 2024.
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