Stiles Points: There Is Still Value in All-Star Weeknd

Last season, the criticisms of NBA All-Star Weekend hit a fever pitch. A G Leaguer won the NBA Slam Dunk contest, and the All-Star game was even more a defense-less disaster than usual in recent vintages. This forced some to question whether the league should still conduct the event and forced Adam Silver to do something different.

To take a step forward, the League took a step back, doing away with the NBA All-Star Draft and instead going back to the Western Conference vs Eastern Conference format. This will make things less confusing for those who have watched most of the 73 All-Stars games.

Though, more important than the format change, it will be on the players to change the narrative of the mid-winter classic. While this will never be a defensive master class that results in 48 minutes of diving for loose change, taking charges, and forcing turnovers, no one has demanded that. Just looking like you care even one percent about playing actual basketball has been the reasonable request.

Regardless of whether the All-Star game gets fixed this year, which I happen to think it will, the weekend at large still matters.

This is a time where players are more relaxed, comfortable, opening up more in interviews to flash their personalities. This is where conversations happen in back tunnels that can change the league landscape. It is basically a big party for the NBA, with three nights of prime-time television events as the only thing on television. Sure, College Basketball and Hockey exist, but the NBA is in a different tv rating tax bracket than them.

Despite the Slam Dunk contest having Mac McClung and Jacob Topin participating from the NBA G League, Jaylen Brown enters the competition as a current All-Star. A good showing from the Celtic star, significantly if it raises his Q rating, could open the door back up for other top players in the sport to return to the Slam Dunk contest. Still, McClung put on a great show last year, Topin will likely do the same, despite being G League players. The 3-point contest is an entertaining event. Now throw in Steph Curry going up against Sabrina Ionescu, and you have a recipe for an instant success.

Even though the rising stars' format of four teams committing in a tournament was a smashing success a year ago, Jose Alvarado's MVP performance still echoes from last year's Salt Lake City circuit.

All-Star Weekend is still one of my favorite stretches in the NBA Calendar, and if the players turn around their Sunday finale, the rest of the weekend will get the credit it deserves.

Stiles Points:

Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Cason Wallace will compete in the Rising Stars challenge tonight. Wallace finds himself on the reigning Champions, Team Pau Gasol, while Holmgren and Williams team up on Team Jalen Rose. In this tournament-style format, it can create some highly competitive short-burst games. I think we will see at least one fun moment of Wallace matching up with his fellow OKC Thunder comrades.
Current players continue to rave about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this season, confirming him as one of the sport's best players. While that should be obvious with Gilgeous-Alexander firming in the MVP conversation, these peer reviews only solidify the beliefs already held around the NBA.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams each have public appearance events today to meet and greet fans here in Indianapolis.
How much coffee is too much coffee for a 13-hour drive? I am not sure, but I settled at five yesterday.

Song of the Day: All Star by Smash Mouth

Who Goes No. 1 in a 2022 NBA Re-Draft?

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