Both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are slated to miss the All-Star game due to COVID-19 contact tracing, leading some to believe that Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks could replace one of them. Amid the drama happening in Atlanta at the All-Star festivities, Young posted a GIF of Jiminy Cricket as his response to the league.
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) March 7, 2021
It was revealed on Sunday — the day of the All-Star game — that both Embiid and Simmons were exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the NBA is going to withhold Embiid and Simmons from taking part in the events on Sunday night.
At the same time, the league hasn’t shown any interest in replacing Embiid and Simmons. Of course, with Young being in Atlanta — where All-Star weekend is taking place — he likely believes he should’ve been named a late reserve.
The third-year point guard definitely had a case for making the All-Star team as a reserve even before the news of Embiid and Simmons. In his first 34 games of the season, Young was compiling 26.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and a career-best 9.4 assists per game for the Hawks.
There’s definitely a case to be had on whether or not the NBA should’ve held an All-Star game in the first place. With the COVID-19 pandemic still going on, there were bound to be obstacles the league was going to create themselves if they went through with the festivities.
It would’ve been a perfect time for Young to be named to the All-Star team with the venue being in Atlanta. But the young point guard is seemingly using his snub from the league as motivation moving forward.
