The 2017 NBA All-Star game featured a mere 15 (after one injury replacement) of the 24 players who will feature in the 2018 edition  that takes place tonight. Of the ten absentees, injuries are to blame for six of them. John Wall, Kawhi Leonard, DeMarcus Cousins, Paul Millsap, Kevin Love and Gordon Hayward will all miss out this year due to them, while Carmelo Anthony and Marc Gasol are not quite the players they used to be, Isaiah Thomas is currently about a twelfth of the player he was, and DeAndre Jordan just didn't make the cut. That is how much things can change in a year, and how fickle the concept of stardom is. Indeed, the change goes beyond the playing rosters, as this year's entry will feature a new format. The inaugural All-Star Draft was introduced this year precisely because of what happened last time out.