Breaking down the 2023 All-Stars from the Eastern Conference

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game will take place at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on February 19 and the Eastern Conference field has been finalized. After the East starters were announced last week, the rest of the east reserves were announced on Thursday.

Like in recent years, the teams for the game itself will be selected by captains with LeBron James leading one squad and Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the other. Nevertheless, here’s the full pool of All-Stars from the Eastern Conference in 2023:

Starters

Nets F Kevin Durant
Nets G Kyrie Irving
Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo (Captain)
Cavaliers G Donovan Mitchell
Celtics F Jayson Tatum

Reserves

76ers C Joel Embiid
Bulls F DeMar DeRozan
Celtics F Jaylen Brown
Heat C Bam Adebayo
Bucks G Jrue Holiday
Knicks F Julius Randle
Pacers G Tyrese Haliburton

Analysis

It makes sense that the East starters are representing four of the top five seeds in the Easter Conference with Antetokounmpo earning a spot as a captain. Meanwhile, Embiid heads up the list of Eastern Conference reserves after he was notably snubbed from the starter list last week. He is making a strong case for MVP this season, averaging 33.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. DeRozan, Brown, Adebayo, Holiday, and Randle are all making return appearances to the All-Star Game while the third-year guard Haliburton is making his first appearance after leading the league in assists.

Notable snubs include 76ers guard James Harden, Hawks guard Trae Young, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, and Raptors forward Pascal Siakam.