After OKC’s Shai-Gilegous Alexander sustained an abdominal strain, which will sideline him till after the All-Star break, it was said that there would need to be a replacement. Early Sunday, it was revealed that NBA commissioner Adam Silver selected Rockets center Alperen Sengun to be SGA’s replacement. It is important to note that this year the NBA is using a new format. This season, there will be three teams competing in the 75th NBA All-Star Game, in a novel round-robin format: two teams of American players (USA Stars and USA Stripes) and one international team, Team World. Four 12-minute games will be played between the teams. The event will take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on Sunday, February 15, so it was crucial that SGA’s replacement would be an international player since SGA is from Canada.
Last week, Silver also named Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers to the All-Star team as an injury replacement because in order to guarantee that each side would have the necessary minimum of eight players, Leonard was required to bring the overall number of U.S. All-Stars for the new U.S. vs. World format to the required 16.
Şengün is making his second consecutive appearance on the All-Star team. Throughout the season, the 23-year-old has averaged 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. Along with Nikola Jokić of the Nuggets and Jalen Johnson of the Hawks, Sengun is one of three players who have averaged at least 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists this season. Additionally, both players were chosen to play in the All-Star Game.
Şengün will play alongside Kevin Durant, a forward for the Rockets. The Rockets are one of the clubs with several All-Stars, along with the Pistons, Lakers, Knicks, and Nuggets. Durant will be a member of the USA Stripes. In his debut season with the Rockets, Durant has averaged 25.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. 32-19 is the Rockets’ record.
Houston will play its second-to-last game before the All-Star break at home on Tuesday at 7:00 versus the Clippers. As always, be sure to check out The DreamShake for pre- and post-game coverage.