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Andrew Wiggins' All-Star starter selection has people talking

Originally posted on Sportsnaut | By Vincent Frank | Last updated 1/27/22

The 2022 NBA All-Star Game will take place on February 20 from Cleveland. This exhibition game is an opportunity for the Association to provide fans with the most-talented players in the world in a game that is for entertainment purposes more than anything else.

On Thursday, NBA All-Star starters were announced for both the Western and Eastern Conferences.

Out West, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James earned his whopping 18th appearance in the mid-season game. He was joined by Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who will be making his eighth appearance in the game.

Rounding out the Western Conference, there was one rather huge surprise. In his second full season as a member of the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins has earned a starting nod. While the former No. 1 pick has certainly looked like an NBA All-Star this season, earning a starting five spot was rather shocking.

MVP candidate Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies and reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic also round out the starting five for the Western Conference.

Back east, reigning NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks headlines the group. He’s joined by a dominating Joel Embiid in the frontcourt and an injured Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets. The Eastern Conference backcourt consists of Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young and DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls.

Andrew Wiggins NBA All-Star selection shocks the masses

Andrew Wiggins pops out as the biggest surprise of the 10 announced. Acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves midway through the 2019-20 season, Wiggins has meshed in extremely well with the Warriors. He enters Thursday’s game against his former Timberwolves squad having put up some stellar numbers this season.

Andrew Wiggins stats: 18.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 48% shooting, 40% three-point

Some will conclude that there were more other deserving starters out west. And that’s justified. The reactions were somewhat mixed to Wiggins earning the starting nod.

Andrew Wiggins is starting in the All-Star Game. What an absolute farce
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) January 28, 2022

Andrew Wiggins is an All-Star starter.

He has been voted as All-Star starter more than Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell combined in their careers. pic.twitter.com/nvGYwtFA8w
— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 28, 2022

"I want to congratulate him."

The NBA on TNT crew congratulates @22wiggins on his first #NBAAllStar selection ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/3Z0iekRK7x
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 28, 2022

Warriors' Andrew Wiggins has been named an All-Star starter over Clippers' Paul George.
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 28, 2022

Cannot wait to see what the next contract Andrew Wiggins signs is.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) January 28, 2022

Andrew Wiggins was named a starter over Luka, Devin Booker, CP3, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, among many others.

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 28, 2022

Obviously, it’s all about the fan vote. Wiggins drew a ton of votes through social media pushes. Logically, he’s not an NBA All-Star starter over Devin Booker or Luka Doncic. In no way does this mean Wiggins shouldn’t have earned a spot on the team. Despite his reputation, he’s played like an All-Star this season.

This article first appeared on Sportsnaut and was syndicated with permission.

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