NBA All-Star Game 2021: Luka Doncic says Damian Lillard ‘maybe deserved’ his starting spot against him

Earlier this week, the NBA announced the 10 starters for the 2021 All-Star Game, which is scheduled to take place on March 7 in Atlanta. As always, there has been a lot of debate over whether the right players have been selected – especially when it comes to the Western Conference backcourt.

The two guards who got the nod were Steph Curry and Luka Doncic, although many believe Damian Lillard deserved a spot. And, in fact, he almost did. Doncic and Lillard were tied after the full voting process, which includes input from fans, media, and players, and the Mavericks star only started because he won the based tiebreaker. on the fan vote.

Now a few days later, Doncic has weighed in on the situation. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Doncic admitted he was surprised to be named a starter and believed Lillard could have been the more deserving choice.

“I didn’t think I was going to start this match,” Doncic said. “I know that maybe [Damian] Lillard deserved it more than me. “

It was a kind thing on Doncic’s part, but he really doesn’t need to apologize. He didn’t have a say in the process and is preparing for an absolutely brilliant season. In 29 games, he averaged 29.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 9.4 assists. He is fifth in the league in points, third in assists and has the best career marks in both categories. If that doesn’t deserve to kick off the All-Star Game, then what is it?

Unfortunately, it’s just a difficult situation where there are more deserving applicants than places available. Lillard himself scores 29.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.7 nightly assists, and has the Trail Blazers in fourth place in the Western Conference. It surely deserves a starting place, but only two players can receive this honor, which is why there is a voting process to make the final decision. This time, Lillard didn’t.

The good news for the Blazers’ star man is that he will absolutely go into the game, and in the long run, no one really remembers if you started out, just whether you were there or not. And he will be there.