The NBA All Star Reserves Are Out Which Means It's Time To Debate The Snubs
When it comes to All Star Starters, there's really not ever any surprises. Outside of that one year Andrew Wiggins was anointed a starter because he got the K Pop fan vote boost, those 10 guys are usually all the players we expect.
Instead, the fun comes once we learn about the reserves. This is where the snubs truly come into play and this year is certainly no different. I'm a firm believer that if you want to declare someone was a snub, then you also have to say who they should have been selected over. It's sort of like how people love to make a Top 10 list and then put in like 15 players. That's not how it works.
So, that's exactly what I'm going to do. I went through this exercise a few weeks ago
and now that we have the official lists, I think I did pretty well. Some injuries (Jalen Johnson) made some of the decisions a bit easier, but let's run through it all beginning with the East
OK, right off the bat a few things jump out at you if you've been paying attention so far this season. I know when I saw this list my initial shock was that you did not see any of these names
Trae Young
LaMelo Ball
Tyrese Maxey
Instead, those reserve guard spots went to Garland, Cade, Dame, and Herro. As surprising as it may be, all of those guys that made it had a legit case. Garland is part of the starting backcourt on one of the best teams in the league. Dame is Dame who is also having a solid season for MIL. Cade has been legit incredible during this Pistons turnaround and Tyler Herro has had to carry the Heat while Jimmy Butler is off acting like a dickhead.
At the same time, Trae Young once again leads the NBA in assists. Tyrese Maxey is 7th in the NBA in scoring at 27 a night. It's not his fault Embiid/Paul George can't stay healthy. LaMelo Ball is 4th in scoring and was 1st in fan vote and 3rd in player vote, but as you can see, neither the media (7th) nor the NBA coaches (who select the reserves) fuck with his game like that.
In that blog I talked about the debate between Pascal/Jalen Johnson, and since Johnson went out with a season ending injury, Siakam making it is no surprise.
That means really, if you think one of those guards should have made the team, you're probably looking at Evan Mobley or Herro, and I'm not sure any of those 3 are currently having a better season than each. Is the Cavs getting 3 All Stars too many? I dunno, you can argue both sides. OKC has 2, BOS has 2 (and had 2 last year), NYK has 2 so if you think only 1 of Garland/Mobley should have made it I get it. At the same time, both players have been awesome. It's not as if they aren't worthy, and I'd argue their leap is what has truly made the Cavs so good this year. Mitchell may be the "starter" but I don't think it's a stretch to say both Garland/Mobley have had the better seasons in CLE. But unfortunately, the fan vote matters.
So while it was a surprise to see the list, I can't really say anyone truly got "snubbed" in the East when you remember you have to take someone out who did get selected.
OK, now the West
This, is a little different. Guys like Ant, AD, JJJ, Jalen Williams and Wemby are no brainers to me. They were locks.
But when I think about someone like Sengun, this selection feels more like the coaches felt like the Rockets as a 2 seed needed an All Star. The thing is, you cannot tell me Sengun is having a better season than say, Damontas Sabonis. Sabonis averages more points, rebounds, and assists, is WAY more efficient, and is a triple-double machine. Why should he be penalized because the Kings are a bit of a disaster? He's having a great season that is definitely All-Star caliber. That's something I would absolutely call a snub.
I then look at someone like James Harden. Are we sure he's having a better season than his teammate Norm Powell? Harden is shooting under 40% from the floor and leads the NBA in TOs. Norm Powell is putting up 25 a night on 49/43/84%. If you wanted to reward a Clipper, I'm having a hard time understanding how that player isn't Norm Powell. He's been flat out better than Harden this season in my opinion and is a huge reason why they've been able to tread water without Kawhi.
I'd also say the same thing when it comes to Harden's selection and someone like Kyrie Irving. I'm not sure people realize Kyrie has been as good as he has been this year, putting up 24 a night on 48/41% while playing in 38 games. He's kept them alive while they've been without Luka, and off the court he's caused zero issues. Again, I'm not sure James Harden is having a better season than Kyrie, so I would also say he has a legit case to be considered a "snub".
With a few weeks to go until All Star weekend, you certainly can't rule out any potential injury replacements, so some of these snubs may still find their way in. What this does show us though is when you also bring in injured guys like Luka, Embiid, Zion etc, this is something that's only going to get tougher as the years go on. There is so much talent in the NBA right now, snubs are unfortunately inevitable.