NBA Health & Safety Protocols Features All-Star Lineups

With the NBA's Christmas Day slate set to feature games full of replacement players, we thought it might be better to imagine an All-Star matchup of players currently out of action on COVID-19 Health & Safety Protocols.

Here's how the starting lineups could look, made up of current Covid-affected players (as of Wednesday, Dec. 22nd late afternoon—subject to change!):

Team KD

Kevin Durant
James Harden
Trae Young
Jarrett Allen
Scottie Barnes

Team Giannis

Giannis Antetokounmpo
Luka Doncic
Zach LaVine
Anthony Edwards
Fred VanVleet

The benches wouldn't look too shabby, either, consisting of the likes of:

Evan Mobley
Andrew Wiggins
Bobby Portis
De'Aaron Fox
Pascal Siakam
OG Anunoby
Al Horford
Clint Capela
LaMarcus Aldridge
Cade Cunningham

Some of those players were slated to play in the NBA's annual Christmas Day showcase of games, but unless they can turn out two negative tests within a 24-hour span, they'll all have to settle for this imaginary matchup.

The two exceptions are Giannis and James Harden, whose 10-day stays on the protocols list are up on Christmas Eve. Whether they'll be ready to go the next day is anybody's guess at this point.

Please note that the lists above only include players who've actually played NBA games this season, not those who've chosen to sit out due to vaccine mandates.

Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports