Scottie Barnes and Trae Young, having issues with coaches over….. NBA all-star game

Toronto Raptors small forward Scottie Barnes and Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young have been selected for the NBA All-Star Game as replacements for the injured Joel Embiid and Julius Randle, who will miss the event.

Those last two selections, as is appropriate in the case of players who are sidelined, have been made by NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

Why have Barnes and Young been chosen?

Barnes, in his third NBA season, will participate in the All-Star Game for the first time. He is averaging 20.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists, although his initial non-inclusion on the All-Star teams did not spark much controversy.

However, not including Young, whose numbers are 27.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 10.9 assists, was much more controversial.

Last year, the point guard was the first player in history to miss the event after putting up such impressive numbers. This season he was on track to yet again miss the event, despite playing so well, until injuries and the commissioner’s choice gave him a way in. He will play his third All Star in six seasons.

Embiid has undergone surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee after Warriors player Jonathan Kuminga fell on him. He will be out a minimum of four weeks. Randle, meanwhile, suffered a dislocated shoulder and is expected to be out until late February.

t isn’t the first time that a big-name player has missed out on the NBA All-Star event due to an injury, although the scale of Embiid‘s profile perhaps makes him the biggest star to miss it in recent years.

He has yet again been performing to an outstanding level with the Philadelphia 76ers, but will now have to turn his focus towards getting healthy.