NBA decides on All-Star replacement for injured Joel Embiid
Nov 27, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) warms up before action against the Sacramento Kings at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The NBA is rectifying one of the big wrongs from this year’s All-Star vote.
The league announced Tuesday that Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes have been named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team as injury replacements. They will be filling in for reigning MVP Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Julius Randle of the New York Knicks.
Toronto’s Scottie Barnes and Atlanta’s Trae Young have been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as injury replacements on the Eastern Conference team for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.
The two players will replace Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and New York’s Julius Randle. pic.twitter.com/ZkP7gZmbhj
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 6, 2024
For Young in particular, his initial snub had been a major talking point around the NBA. Young is averaging a stout 27.3 points and 10.9 assists per game this year. No other player with those numbers has ever failed to make an All-Star team (though Young himself was also snubbed last season with similar stats). Young even received shows of support from some top NBA superstars over the slight.
It is all a moot point now though as Young officially steps onto the All-Star roster as the effective replacement for Embiid, who is expected to be out for significant time after deciding to undergo knee surgery. The up-and-comer Barnes also gets to make the first All-Star appearance of his career (with the injured Randle vacating a spot of his own), so the fans have to be satisfied with how everything played out.
