LaMelo Ball, Dejounte Murray named as NBA All-Star Game replacements

The NBA announced on Monday that Charlotte Hornets G LaMelo Ball and San Antonio Spurs PG Dejounte Murray have been named as All-Star Game replacements for the injured Kevin Durant and Draymond Green.

The NBA also announced that Boston Celtics SF Jayson Tatum will replace Durant as a starter.

Durant is dealing with a knee injury for the Brooklyn Nets and had already said he isn’t going to play for a second straight All-Star Game. KD was also named as one of the captains for the game, so he’s expected to draft his team similar to last season. Green announced he wasn’t going to partake in All-Star Weekend during the TNT broadcast last week when they announced reserves.

Ball and Murray make the most sense as replacements. Both were considered ASG snubs by the DK Nation staff at the time of the announcement. Ball is a walking highlight reel and belongs in this type of ASG format. Murray is having a breakout season for the Spurs. We could see one or both players end up in the NBA Skills Challenge on Saturday of that weekend. Ball makes a ton of sense for the competition. The Hornets phenom was already going to be there partaking in the Rising Stars tournament on Friday night.