Let me just say this.
Can they just revert back to the old draft format? This brings me back to my high school days... but not the happy kind of memories.
As an asthmatic fat kid, playground-style picks would often ruin my day.
Why can't all-star players have a day with off-court embarrassment?
The thing about this format is that there is an arena checking the players' egos. It can be a simple thing like DeMar DeRozan's awkward look when the announcer called him "the master of the midrange" or that equally-awkward handshake between LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
But then, there's the tension between Domantas Sabonis and Jaren Jackson Jr. when they were the last two players left on the stage. I bet they are thinking that they would probably have the least screen time in the proceedings until they take the draft seriously. JJJ, in particular, had that awkward greeting between him and LBJ when the latter said "let's go JJ" to the former.
Anthony Edwards going number one can also be a cause of concern. Whenever superstars combine, James has this knack to win people over. It's like he's a sales manager inside an expo. Giannis Antetokounmpo is one dude from a team in need of roster depth but LBJ, from Redeem Team to the current all-star spectacle, has done his best to scout his possible teammates.
And there's Nikola Jokic, who purposely went to LeBron James so he wouldn't become the last starter on the stage. Now, Lauri Markannen was loved by the crowd and I guess he understood it since he's just a replacement starter but what if James decided to put Lauri over The Joker?
When the draft was held via Zoom call or whatever, at least the last players that got picked had a lot of time to get their emotions in check. Also, at least they have comic relief with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O'Neal. This hits differently and other players get their mojo by making things personal. I know the three also did their shtick here but it's not the same because how can they shield a player from choosing another player when the captains are on the stage and they couldn't even have a close-up shot?
Maybe the Jaren Jackson pick happened because of what Memphis said to the Western Conference. The barrage of boos that Kyrie unearthed wasn't because of whatever evil thing he did to the Utah franchise.
I know they are professional players in an all-star game but maybe it's not wrong to have at least a system toward the end. I get why Giannis chose Jayson Tatum as the starter because with Jaylen Brown on Team LeBron, at least Joe Mazulla will have a player who will understand and share a semblance of his system when they need it.
Tatum thrived in this circumstance - winning the All-Star MVP award by scoring 55 points and ably subbing for Giannis who played and rested after less than a minute of action due to injury.
Regardless, the NBA must tread lightly here. The first-time and second-time kids might be okay with this but I doubt if the top dogs would like it if they are picked last because the captains wouldn't want to play with them.