Why Dray would pick Ant over Fox as Steph's ASG replacement originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
All hell broke loose when Kings star guard De'Aaron Fox was not named one of the seven reserves in the West for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game -- but it looks like he still might have a chance.
The face of the Golden State Warriors, Steph Curry, is sidelined with a lower leg injury and will be out through the All-Star break, meaning a spot opened up. Curry's longtime teammate Draymond Green weighed in on who he believes deserves to fill that spot.
"Maybe De'aaron Fox. Maybe [Minnesota Timberwolves guard] Anthony Edwards. We'll see," Green said on his podcast "The Draymond Green Show," which was released on Tuesday. "I think those are probably the two frontrunners for the replacement spot. Me, personally, I don't think you can go wrong either way.
"If I had a vote, as much as I think De'aaron Fox deserves to get in -- and I mean De'Aaron Fox is an All-Star, he should've been an All-Star even without replacement consideration -- but if I had a vote, I would probably put Anthony Edwards in."
In his third year in the league, Edwards is averaging 24.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.7 steals in 36.2 minutes this season -- all career highs for the 6-foot-4, 225-pound guard.
The former No. 1 overall pick also is shooting a career-high 46.3 percent.
But Green's reasoning goes beyond the numbers that Edwards has been putting up.
"[Karl-Anthony Towns], who's an All-Star, got hurt. Anthony Edwards has kept that team afloat, he's kept that team in the mix of the playoffs, and he has had big games," Green said. "That may be why I, if I had a vote, would vote for Anthony Edwards. But again, by any means, De'Aaron Fox is an All-Star. Point blank period."
Towns has missed the last 36 games with a right calf strain. Edwards is averaging 25.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.9 steals in 36.2 minutes since then, and Minnesota has gone 19-17 in that span.
Meanwhile, Fox has been making his All-Star case all season. But perhaps his biggest argument to make the All-Star team came when ... he wasn't even playing.
Fox missed two consecutive games for personal reasons. The first game, a three-point loss to the Indiana Pacers, showed how much the Kings missed Fox's presence. The second game, a 32-point blowout loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, showed how much they need him.
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The 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 24.1 points on 50.5 shooting this season, along with 4.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 33.6 minutes. He and his co-star Domantas Sabonis, who was named to his third All-Star Game, have been major contributors to the team's turnaround this season and a big reason why they sit at third in the Western Conference with a 30-23 record.
"Now, on top of my reasoning for Anthony Edwards getting in, I also say the Kings already have an All-Star in," Green continued. "But they are also a top-three seed. So should they have two if they have two players who are capable? Probably so.
"The No. 2 seed [Memphis Grizzlies] got two players in, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant. No. 1 seed [Denver Nuggets] didn't get two, but if Jamal Murray was healthy longer, they would have gotten two in. So, you can make the argument that they are the third seed and they should get two in. And I can't argue that. De'Aaron Fox is an All-Star, but I probably would give Anthony Edwards the nod."
Now, Luka Dončić's latest injury could open yet another spot in the West, but that's another story.
In the end, it's not up to Green or anyone else not named Adam Silver. The NBA commissioner ultimately gets to decide who will be Curry's replacement.
