OKC Thunder: Chris Paul moxy tops 5 takeaways from 2020 NBA All-Star Game

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Giannis Antetokounmpo #24 attempts a shot while being guarded by Kawhi Leonard #2 and Anthony Davis #2 of Team LeBron at NBA All-Star Game (Photo by Lampson Yip – Clicks Images/Getty Images) /

The true superstars are two-way players:

Another definitive takeaway was punctuated by who played in the closing minutes for both teams. Every player on the court had two-way capabilities and needed to be able to defend man to man. No gimmicks, no double-teams, no zones- – simply straight-up defensive chops. James Harden and Kemba Walker were the players each side tried to isolate on due to matchup advantages.

Walker more for his size and Harden because he was the least defensively capable on the floor. In both cases, the teams either switched for Walker or collapsed to help Harden.

That Kawhi Leonard was the man who took home the hardware was the perfect reflection of this takeaway. Each of Chris Paul, Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid’s names were also mentioned as viable options.

Every one of those players is a superstar with two-way above-average ability. Yet the notable takeaway was each of them made game altering defensive plays.

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