Just like always there were a lot of amazing players that did not make the all-star team this year. These players are often called snubs, meaning they should have made the all-star team but didn't.
However, the truth is that there are just a lot of amazing all-star-level players in the NBA, so unfortunately not all of them will get a spot on the limited all-star rosters.
One thing that made it harder for some of these players to be all-stars was their team's record. When coaches and media decide on the all-star reserves they often consider the team record of players, which I never thought made much sense. I think if a player is playing at an all-star level, they shouldn't have less of a chance of being an all-star just because their teammates are terrible.
For example, this season Cade Cunningham is averaging 23 Points, 7.5 Assists, 4 Rebounds, and 1 steal. These stats are almost the exact same as Damian Lillard (all-star starter), except nobody has even mentioned Cunningham as a potential all-star because he is on the worst team in the league.
Here are some of the top players that were not named all-stars this year:
Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox
Both Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings were in the all-star conversation.
Domantas Sabonis is averaging:
20 Points
13 Rebounds
8 Assists
62% of shots made
De'Aaron Fox is averaging:
27 Points
5.4 Assists
4 Rebounds
1.6 Steals
47% of shots made
Sabonis's stats alone are impressive, almost averaging a 20-point triple-double. He is also #1 in the NBA in rebounds per game and #7 in assists. Additionally, he is the first player in NBA history to average 19+ Points, 13+ Assists, 8+ Assists, and 60% shooting in a season. Fox also has very good stats and is 9th in the NBA in points per game, and 4th in steals per game. Sabonis arguably could have been an all-star over Karl Anthony-Towns, but there are just so many talented point guards in the league that it would have been hard for Fox to make it.
The Kings currently have the 5th best record in the Western Conference (27-19) and are on track to make the playoffs thanks to Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox.
Trae Young
Trae Young is the guy that everybody is saying should have been an All-Star.
This season he is averaging:
27 Points
11 Assists
3 Rebounds
1.5 Steals
43% of shots made
Trae Young is 2nd in the league in assists per game, 8th in steals, and 11th in points. It is surprising to think anybody averaging 27 Points and 11 Assists wouldn't be an all-star. While 43% shooting isn't as good as some of the other all-star point guards, Damian Lillard is also only making about 42% of his shots and he was named an all-star starter with worse stats for some reason, so it is pretty surprising that Trae Young wasn't an all-star at all.
The Hawks are currently 10th in the Eastern Conference (20-27), not on track to make the playoffs.
Lebron James Tweet about Trae Young:
Scottie Barnes
This season Scottie Barned is averaging:
20 Points
8 Rebounds
6 Assists
1.5 Blocks
1.3 Steals
48% of shots made
The Raptors aren't a very good team, currently with the 4th worst record in the Eastern Conference, and having lost 8 out of their last 10 games. The Raptors do have a few pretty good players such as Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett but they don't have any amazing or all-star players so it will be hard for them to make a good run in the playoffs for a while. Scottie Barnes arguably still could have been an all-star over Paolo Banchero but it was pretty close.
Alperen Sengun
Alperen Sengun hasn't seemed to come up much in the all-star conversation, but his stats are definitely at that level.
This season Sengun is averaging:
22 Points
9 Rebounds
5 Assists
1.2 Steal
54% of shots made
The Rockets are currently the 5th worst team in the Western Conference and Sengun just became really good this year, so people might be looking to see just a little more from him before he is named an all-star.
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Other notable players who were not named all-stars include James Harden, Kristaps Porzingis, Rudy Gobert, DeMar DeRozan, and more.
Luckily for them, 2 of these players still have a chance to be named All-Stars, if Joel Embiid and Julius Randle don't recover from injury in time for the All-Star game.
The All-Star game is Sunday, February 18th, at 8:00 PM EST in Indianapolis, Indiana.
:-)