NBA All-Star snubs: Is there a case for Jaylen as injury replacement?

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Will Grant Williams' efforts pay off?

After watching Boston Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown fail to land an Eastern Conference reserve spot for the 2022 NBA All-Star Team on Thursday night, Williams launched a Twitter campaign to earn Brown an injury replacement spot.

Here's how that works: Since All-Star starter Kevin Durant isn't expected to play due to injury, NBA commissioner Adam Silver likely will name a replacement for Durant on the roster. (Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who was named to his third straight All-Star Team, is expected to fill Durant's spot in the starting lineup as the leading vote-getter among reserves.)

UPDATE (Feb. 7): Tatum has officially been named an All-Star starter, replacing the injured Kevin Durant.

Brown is one of several candidates to replace Durant on the East squad. First, here's a look at the current rosters for both teams:

And here's a list of potential replacement options on the East:

  • Jaylen Brown, Guard, Boston Celtics
  • Jrue Holiday, Guard, Milwaukee Bucks
  • LaMelo Ball, Guard, Charlotte Hornets
  • Tyler Herro, Guard, Miami Heat
  • Domantas Sabonis, Forward, Indiana Pacers
  • Jarrett Allen, Forward, Cleveland Cavaliers

Brown has been excellent when healthy for Boston. He's averaging 24.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game and has scored 30 or more points 11 times this season. But he faces an uphill battle here.

Ball is certainly deserving for the upstart Hornets, who sit a half-game ahead of the Celtics in the standings yet surprisingly don't have an All-Star. The 20-year-old is averaging a near triple-double (19.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game) and just dropped 38 points on the Celtics on Wednesday night.

Sabonis and Allen also are both very qualified. Sabonis leads the Pacers in points (19.1) and rebounds (12.1) while also averaging five assists per game, and Allen (16.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.4 blocks per game) has been a force for the surging Cavs.

What may hurt Brown's case the most is Boston's record: The C's aren't likely to land two All-Stars as the current No. 9 seed in the conference. What's more likely is that Ball gets tabbed to represent the Hornets, or Sabonis earns the nod as Indiana's lone All-Star. Silver also could appeal to the host city of Cleveland by selecting Allen.

Brown may end up with better stats than his 2020-21 All-Star campaign when it's all said and done, but the East field is a bit too crowded this year for the 25-year-old to earn his second All-Star appearance.

Perhaps that "snub" will motivate Brown to lift the C's to a higher level down the stretch.

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