John Wall's misfortune is Andre Drummond's gain.
The Detroit Pistons center has been named by NBA commissioner Adam Silver to replace the Wizards point guard on Team LeBron in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, Feb. 18 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
It will be Drummond's second All-Star Game. His first berth came in 2016 in the event held in Toronto.
The 6-foot-11 Drummond is averaging an NBA-leading and career-high 15.1 rebounds per game to go with 14.7 points, a career-high 3.8 assists, a career-high 1.54 steals and 1.37 blocked shots.
He already has more assists this season (176) than in his previous two seasons combined (157). The six-year veteran has recorded an Eastern Conference-high 33 double-doubles in 46 games.
Wall, an All-Star for the fifth consecutive year, will miss the All-Star Game because of a left knee injury. He was selected by NBA head coaches as an All-Star reserve and drafted by captain LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
According to NBA rules, when an All-Star is unable to participate, the commissioner shall choose a replacement from the same conference as the player who is being replaced. Wall and Drummond both play for Eastern Conference teams. Drummond received the most voting points from head coaches among Eastern Conference players who were not selected as reserves.
"It is what it is," Drummond said. "I don't control that."
Drummond's agent Jeff Schwartz released a statement to the Free Press.
“This is a big miss by the coaches. Andre deserves to be an All-Star. By any measure –regular stats, advanced stats, defensive stats – he is having an all-star season," Schwartz wrote. "Not to mention that he has elevated his play this year to expand beyond the post and become an effective playmaker for the team. His assist numbers are a career high, he’s leading the league rebounding and his free throws are markedly improved. I guess he does have to do back flips.”
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