After being named as injury replacements by NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Monday, Dejounte Murray of the San Antonio Spurs and LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets will make their All-Star Game debuts.

Murray will take the spot for Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green while Ball will sub for Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant.

The starters were announced two weeks ago, and the reserves followed a week later, but with Durant still recovering from a sprained MCL in his left knee and Green out with a lower-back disk injury, both conferences were still in need of one player, ESPN reported.

From a positional sense, the choices were a bit surprising. Both Murray and Ball are guards, while Durant and Green are both forwards. The All-Star rosters will be a little unbalanced as a result of this.

Fortunately, until the last few minutes of the game, the All-Star Game isn't a particularly competitive affair.

Green Advocates Murray's Inclusion

Murray was the apparent choice in the Western Conference based on merit alone. Green and his coach, Steve Kerr, both advocated for his inclusion.

With a career-high 19.6 points and 9.2 assists per game, the 25-year-old Murray leads the league with 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game - numbers that no player has reached during a single season in NBA history.

Murray is looking to join Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan as the only players in the NBA to average eight assists, eight rebounds, and two steals in a season.

The San Antonio Spurs player is also second in the league this season with 10 triple-doubles, trailing only Nikola Jokic.

Murray will be playing in his first All-Star Game and is one of the top candidates for Most Improved Player.

ALSO READ: Zoo Miami: NBA Star Shaquille O'Neal Admits Gorillas Are Scared of Him

'Pretty Much Blessed' - Ball

Last season, Ball won the NBA Rookie of the Year award and is on his way to superstardom, but there was quite a bit of competition in the Eastern Conference for the final playoff place. Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen, who was widely expected to make the team, has missed the cut yet again.

The Hornets guard is averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 assists, and 7.1 rebounds this season. In addition, the 20-year-old was chosen to participate in the Rising Stars festivities.

Before the Hornets' game against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, Ball said he is "pretty much blessed" and "excited."

Hornets coach James Borrego called it "exciting news," and feels "happy for Melo, happy for his teammates."

Borrego also said that the Hornets "are extremely happy for him, proud of him, as am I as his coach."

Durant's role as a starter will be filled by Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, as according to NBA regulations, a starter must be replaced by a reserve from the same conference and position group (backcourt or frontcourt) who achieved the highest rank in the All-Star starters voting.

Durant will still participate, along with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, in the All-Star draft as a captain. On Thursday, both Durant and James will select their All-Star teams.

READ MORE: NBA MVP Race: Did Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry Make It to Top 5 in Latest Rankings?

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: When LaMelo Ball Found Out He Was Going To The All-Star Game - from MLG Highlights