The 2022 NBA All-Star Game saw a number of the stars that were named to the team unable to compete on Sunday night, with Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and James Harden all had to be replaced on the team by players named by commissioner Adam Silver.
Going into Sunday, there was also some uncertainty about Chris Paul’s status after he suffered a thumb injury earlier in the week, but he remained on the roster. Just over two hours before the festivities began, a different All-Star from the West pulled out of the game, as Donovan Mitchell announced he had an upper respiratory illness that was not COVID-related, but would keep him from playing.
Statement from Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell: pic.twitter.com/jC6Rtwn5dZ
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 20, 2022
Hopefully Mitchell is able to get over his illness before the season restarts later this week. Mitchell was a member of Team LeBron, who will now be down to 11 players including Paul, who one would figure won’t play too much given his thumb issue. That likely means we’ll see a considerable amount of Darius Garland, Luka Doncic, and Fred VanVleet as the reserve guards on Team LeBron beyond Mitchell and Paul. If there’s a silver lining from a roster standpoint, it’s that this year’s All-Star rosters were very guard heavy so it shouldn’t mean anyone gets too over extended in the exhibition.
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