Who should join LeBron James and Stephen Curry among the NBA All-Star Game starters?

But the strange results have been confined to the margins, as the fan selections for the starters are all defensible. In the Eastern Conference, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid are leading the way in the frontcourt, with Bradley Beal and Kyrie Irving in the backcourt. Out in the Western Conference, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic and Kawhi Leonard are pacing the frontcourt, while Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic are atop the backcourt.

Once the fan voting process is complete, players and members of the media will have a chance to cast their ballots, with the full starting lineups revealed Thursday. While the basketball world waits to find out whether the proposed All-Star Game will take place on March 7 in Atlanta, here are The Washington Post’s picks for the 10 starter spots. The Post’s selections for the rest of the rosters will be made next Sunday. (Note: these picks consider individual statistics, health and team success.)

Embiid finished third in the East fan vote, but he’s worthy of the conference’s first overall pick as the engine of the top-seeded 76ers. The 26-year-old center has bounced back from a disappointing showing in the bubble by captaining a top-five defense and posting a career-high 29.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Philadelphia has posted a sterling 11-2 record in games that were within five points in the last five minutes thanks, in part, to Embiid stepping up in key moments.

While Antetokounmpo has flown a bit under the radar since he signed his supermax contract extension in December, the back-to-back MVP continues to post monster statistics on a consistent winner. Despite shooting struggles at the free throw line and beyond the arc, the 26-year-old forward remains the lead option on the NBA’s most efficient offense. He’s averaged 28.1 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game this year while enjoying near-perfect availability for the Bucks, who hold the East’s second seed.

The only knock on Durant, 32, is that he has already missed nine games this season, in part because he has been sidelined twice for week-long quarantines because of contact tracing protocols. The 2014 MVP has picked up right where he left off before an Achilles’ injury that cost him all of last season, averaging 29.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists while shooting a sparkling 44.9 percent on three-pointers. That’s plenty to earn a starter’s selection over Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton and Boston’s Jayson Tatum, the next best candidates in this category.

Brown deserved to finish better than fourth among East guards in the fan vote because he separates himself from his top competition as a two-way force. At 24, Brown has made the most of an expanded role following the free agency departure of Gordon Hayward, posting a career-high 26 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while picking up playmaking duties when Kemba Walker was out injured. Brown’s filled-out offensive game combined with his focused and physical defensive presence have helped keep the surprisingly shaky Celtics afloat.

Some voters will surely penalize Harden for his indefensible antics as he forced his way off the Houston Rockets in December. Fair enough, but Harden, 31, remains the East’s most devastating playmaking guard despite those warts. He’s adjusted to a facilitating role in Brooklyn, averaging 23.9 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists per game while playing setup man to Durant and Kyrie Irving.

On this ballot, Harden got the nod over Irving, who missed an extended stretch of the season due to personal reasons. Washington’s Bradley Beal was a tough cut, but his league-leading scoring prowess was undercut by his unenthusiastic defense and the Wizards’ abysmal record.

There are five strong candidates to start in the West frontcourt, but the fans nailed the best three.

The 36-year-old James was the overall leading vote-getter through the second round with 4.369 million votes, and he’s raced to the front of the MVP conversation despite a shortened offseason. While James is averaging 25.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game and leading the Lakers to the league’s second-best record, his most impressive stat is zero. As in, zero games missed. Los Angeles enjoyed less than two months off between the 2020 Finals and the 2020-21 training camp, but the ageless James has appeared in every game so far during his 18th season.

Denver isn’t currently in the West’s top tier, but Jokic has more than done his part by averaging 26.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game. The 25-year-old big man is challenging Wilt Chamberlain’s mark for the most assists per game by a center in NBA history, and he’s stepped up his aggressiveness as a scorer to compensate for his inconsistent supporting cast. Without Jokic, who has somehow guided a top-five offense, the Nuggets would likely have one of the West’s worst records.

Leonard, 29, edged past Clippers forward Paul George and Lakers forward Anthony Davis to claim the West’s third frontcourt spot on this ballot. The 2019 Finals MVP has averaged 26.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5 assists, carrying the Clippers to the West’s most efficient offense and third-best record. Leonard’s efficient scoring and disruptive defense have had an even bigger impact this season because he is no longer regularly missing time due to long term injury management.

George had a strong case thanks to a sizzling start shooting the basketball, but a recent foot injury set him back. Davis has captained the NBA’s stingiest defense, but his night-to-night impact has fluctuated as he has eased himself into this season after the Lakers’ 2020 title run. Look for Utah’s Rudy Gobert to join George and Davis among the frontcourt reserves.

Take it from Curry himself, who said this week that he is “100 percent” in the best groove of his illustrious career. The 32-year-old point guard has rebounded from an injury-plagued 2019-20 season to average 30 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists, numbers that are nearly identical to his 2016 unanimous MVP season. Curry is threatening to record his second career 50/40/90 shooting campaign, and he has lifted the Warriors from the West’s basement last season to a respectable 14-12 start. Simply put, he’s been a sight to behold.

The toughest decision on this ballot came down to Lillard versus Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. Both players are among the NBA’s most exciting, and both have eye-popping stats. For comparison, Lillard, 30, has averaged 29 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game to Doncic’s 28.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game.

While the fans preferred the 21-year-old Doncic, the pick here is Lillard for three reasons: his shooting efficiency has been vastly superior, Portland’s offense has been more potent than Dallas’s attack and the Blazers have been a clear cut above the Mavericks in the West standings all season. After Doncic, Conley, Phoenix’s Chris Paul and Utah’s Donovan Mitchell will have to compete for reserve spots.