8 candidates to be All-Star guards in the Eastern Conference

Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray both figure to be in the mix for an East All-Star guard slot.

We explored the tough decisions regarding the selection of Western Conference backcourt players looming later this month once the league officially opens voting for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.

So, naturally, it’s time to turn attention to the Eastern Conference, which added a couple of 2022 All-Star guards from the West in Donovan Mitchell and Dejounte Murray to an already deep pool that features a total of 17 All-Star nods between two players — James Harden and Kyrie Irving — that aren’t even locks to make this year’s squad.

The starting groups for both conferences feature two guards and three frontcourt players and the reserves are made up of two guards, three frontcourt players and two wildcard selections. Seven guards from each conference played in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.

Here’s a quick look at eight guards from the Eastern Conference that should figure prominently in the mix for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, listed alphabetically:

1. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

Season stats: 26.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.7 apg

It’s hard to believe Brown has played in only one All-Star Game. But the 26-year-old dropped 22 points with eight rebounds and eight assists on Monday in helping the Celtics drop Toronto to 9-3 at home. Interestingly, Brown and MVP candidate Jayson Tatum have each poured in 30 points or more in 16 games together, which is tied for the third most by any duo in NBA history (the Celtics own a record of 15-1 under those circumstances). Brown is currently averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, field goal percentage (50.4%) and free throw percentage (83.2%), and Monday’s performance marked the 88th career game he finished without a turnover.

2. DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls

Season stats: 25.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 4.7 apg

The 14-year veteran and five-time All-Star isn’t slowing down. DeRozan ran off a string of seven straight games from Nov. 16-30 with 25 points or more, marking the second time he’s accomplished that feat as a member of the Chicago Bulls (Michael Jordan did it 30 times). Both DeRozan and 2022 All-Star Zach LaVine have struggled somewhat this season with bouts of inconsistency and Chicago has lost four of its last five outings on a six-game road trip that closed Sunday at Sacramento. The Bulls are 9-14 entering Wednesday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards (8 ET, NBA League Pass).

3. Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers

Season stats: 22.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 7.7 apg

Donovan Mitchell lights up the scoreboard, but you could argue that Garland is the engine that makes Cleveland run. The fourth-year guard made his first All-Star Game last season and is currently averaging career-bests in scoring, minutes per game (35.9) and 3-point percentage (40.8%). Garland has dished…