With Kevin Love expected to miss six to eight weeks after breaking his hand Tuesday, another All-Star roster spot is open.
Could it go to Ben Simmons? We'll likely find out from commissioner Adam Silver later today.
Simmons is one of a handful of worthy candidates to replace Love. Andre Drummond is no longer on that list after replacing the injured John Wall.
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Simmons' main competition for that final All-Star roster spot appears to be Heat point guard Goran Dragic and Hornets PG Kemba Walker.
Lou Williams is another consideration, but it's more likely that Love's roster spot is filled by someone from the Eastern Conference.
So let's compare the numbers of Simmons, Dragic and Walker.
Simmons: 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.9 blocks, 52% FG, 56% FT, zero made threes
NBA
Dragic: 17.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.8 steals, 44% FG, 76% FT, 1.5 made threes per game
Walker: 22.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 42% FG, 84% FT, 2.6 made threes per game
Simmons has the edge in rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and field goal percentage.
Another advantage he may have over the other two is that, positionally, he'd make more sense as a replacement for Love. (In that regard, Kristaps Porzingis is also a consideration, averaging 23.3 points and 6.7 rebounds for the 23-28 Knicks.)
Of course, stats aren't the only consideration. Team records also matter.
Miami is 29-21, fourth in the East and without an All-Star representative. That plays into Dragic's favor.
The Sixers are 24-23, eighth in the East and with an All-Star starter in Joel Embiid.
The Hornets are 20-29, 11th in the East and five games out of the playoffs.
Another name we saw surface Tuesday when Wall's injury came out was Jaylen Brown. Though it's confusing why Brown would even be considered. He's averaging 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals, shooting 46 percent from the field, 38 percent from three and 59 percent from the line.
Solid numbers, but not All-Star worthy, even when you account for his defense and his team's record.
Drummond himself threw some shade at Brown on Instagram while simultaneously praising Simmons.
