NBA All-Star mock draft: Projecting Team LeBron and Team Durant

The 2022 NBA All-Star teams will be drafted by their respective captains - Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and injured Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant - on Feb. 10. To remind you how the All-Star draft works, we've put our mock draft hats on to take you through the process.

The only rule is that we must draft all players from the starter pool before selecting a reserve player.

As the top vote-getter in fan balloting, LeBron leads off the draft starting with the pool of All-Star starters.

Pick 1, Team LeBron - Giannis Antetokounmpo: With guards comprising the majority of this year's All-Stars, drafting size early will be imperative. Plus, the Bucks star was LeBron's first overall pick last year.

Pick 2, Team Durant - Nikola Jokic: The league's reigning MVP is somehow putting up near-identical numbers to his 2020-21 campaign. It's easy to make the case that the Joker is the best player in basketball.

Pick 3, Team LeBron - Stephen Curry: Sticking with tradition, Chef Curry is another Team LeBron holdover from 2021. He's having an off year but bet against him in a one-game showcase at your own peril.

Pick 4, Team Durant - Ja Morant: It might be Morant's first time in the All-Star Game, but there's no doubting he's ready for the big stage. Seemingly leading the league in highlight plays, he's sure to make more than a few for Team Durant.

Pick 5, Team LeBron - Joel Embiid: Getting an MVP frontrunner with the fifth pick is a steal. With James, Antetokounmpo, and Embiid, Team LeBron will have the size to handle anything Team Durant throws at it.

Pick 6, Team Durant - Jayson Tatum: There are few players with better natural scoring ability than Tatum. In an event where points are never at a premium, the Celtics star should get buckets with ease.

Pick 7, Team LeBron - DeMar DeRozan: More power forward than shooting guard at this stage of his career, DeRozan brings even more size to Team LeBron. Again, this squad will have no problem filling out its backcourt depth from the reserve pool.

Since Durant is unable to play due to injury, his team automatically gets the final two players left in the starting pool.

Pick 8, Team Durant - Trae Young: Young may not be a natural fit next to Morant, but he could showcase his elite shooting ability off the ball instead of his usual point guard duties.

Pick 9, Team Durant - Andrew Wiggins: Not to take away from a strong season for Wiggins, but he's nowhere near the caliber of his fellow All-Star starters. It would be shocking if he weren't the last pick in the event.

Here's how the rosters look so far:

Since Team LeBron made the first selection among the starters, Team Durant gets to pick first from the reserve pool.

Pick 10, Team Durant - Luka Doncic: It's not hard to declare Doncic the most talented player among all reserves. His shotmaking, creativity, and gamesmanship could have him lead Team Durant in scoring.

Pick 11, Team LeBron - Jimmy Butler: With the league's fifth-best PER, Butler would probably be starting in the East had he not missed nearly 20 games so far this season.

Pick 12, Team Durant - Karl-Anthony Towns: Between Jokic and Towns, Team Durant has the best big-man duo any coach could ask for. The amount of playmaking ability from the five spot is off the charts.

Pick 13, Team LeBron - Devin Booker: With a host of drive-and-kick maestros, it's time for Team LeBron to add some shooters on the wing. Booker is a good place to start.

Pick 14, Team Durant - Donovan Mitchell: Team Durant is severely lacking size and defense amongst its guards, but Mitchell's aggression and length fix that in a hurry.

Pick 15, Team LeBron - Chris Paul: Paul is one of the most tactically brilliant floor generals the game has ever seen. He's the guy you want lobbying the refs ahead of a pivotal late-game call.

Pick 16, Team Durant - James Harden: With the early draft order putting Team Durant at a major disadvantage, Harden is the safest bet as he's the best pure scoring talent available.

Pick 17, Team LeBron - Zach LaVine: When the All-Star Game inevitably turns into a track meet, having one of the speediest players in the game doesn't hurt. He's also an absolute highlight factory, equally capable of skying to the rim or catching fire from beyond the arc.

Pick 18, Team Durant - LaMelo Ball: He's the type of player who'll thrive in an All-Star Game setting. With so many points being scored, Ball could flirt with a double-double off the bench.

Pick 19, Team LeBron - Darius Garland: There hasn't been a Cavaliers All-Star since LeBron left in 2018. There's something poetic about the ex-Cav linking up with one of his Cleveland successors.

Pick 20, Team Durant - Fred VanVleet: The undrafted VanVleet is one of the few in this game who actually knows what it means to be a role player. He can seamlessly fill in as a pesky defender and shotmaker.

Pick 21, Team LeBron - Rudy Gobert: Look, we know the All-Star Game isn't a defensive-minded affair. Still, picking Gobert ensures Team Durant won't be able to use him to counter Embiid if the 76ers star proves unstoppable in the paint.

Pick 22, Team Durant - Dejounte Murray: Go ahead and look at Murray's stats this season. Surprised? His length, defense, passing, and underrated rebounding ability will make him Team Durant's ultimate glue guy.

Pick 23, Team LeBron - Khris Middleton: Middleton comes to Team LeBron by default, but that's alright. He's a solid veteran roleplayer. In a pinch, you could do worse than an emergency get-a-stop lineup of Paul, Butler, Middleton, Antetokounmpo, and Gobert.

Here's how the final rosters turned out:

Disagree with our mock draft order? Sound off in the comments.