Trae Young and Scottie Barnes Named as All-Star Replacements

The NBA All-Star Game coming up in Indiana is bound to be one for the ages. However, two of the originally selected All-Stars will not be able to participate due to injury. Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid just recently underwent successful meniscus surgery. Unfortunately for him, he is now ineligible to repeat as the league MVP due to the NBA’s newly implemented 65 game mandate to qualify for awards. New York’s Julius Randle is currently nursing a shoulder injury. An injury that will reportedly sideline him for two to three weeks.

As a result, two new All-Stars have been selected in Embiid and Randle’s place to participate in the upcoming event. Those two players are none other than Trae Young and Scottie Barnes. Many felt Young should have been selected in the first place. When one looks at his season numbers, they have a point. As for Scottie Barnes, he is who the Toronto Raptors are building around for the future and has taken a step forward this season.

Trae Young and Scottie Barnes to Replace Julius Randle and Joel Embiid in All-Star Game

Trae Young’s Terrific Season

While the Atlanta Hawks have struggled to find any consistency this year, it is not due to Trae Young’s production. So far this year, he is averaging numbers of 27.3 points, 1.5 steals, 10.9 assists per game and a three-point shooting field goal percentage of 38.4 percent. Young also has a player efficiency rating of 21.1, a true shooting percentage of 59.1 percent, and an offensive box plus/minus rating of +5.4.

This will be his third All-Star appearance in his six-year career. Without him, the Atlanta Hawks would once again be a lottery team. Right now, the team is in the play-in picture in the Eastern Conference at the 10th spot. Their current win-loss record is 22-28. Considering Trae Young is averaging a double-double this year, he was a no-brainer to be an All-Star replacement. He should have been selected to the big game in the first place if one is being perfectly honest.

Scottie Barnes’ Season Thus Far

Scottie Barnes is one of the most intriguing up-and-coming point guards in today’s NBA. There was a reason the Toronto Raptors were comfortable trading the former Most Improved Player of the Year, Pascal Siakam, to build around Barnes for the future. Not to mention, they also let Fred VanVleet walk in free agency last offseason. On the year, the young guard is tallying career-highs of 20.2 points, 8.1 total rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. The former Rookie of the Year is also averaging an effective field goal percentage of 53.9 percent.

His advanced analytics are also impressive. Barnes currently possesses a player efficiency rating of 19.4, a true shooting percentage of 57.5 percent, and an offensive box plus/minus rating of +3.0. While this production has not translated to much team success this year, one cannot deny how high Barnes’ ceiling is as he makes his All-Star debut. The future is certainly bright for this young phenom. There is a reason the Toronto Raptors are looking to build around him for the future.