The NBA All-Star player voting added another wrinkle to the process and while the intention was to improve the quality of the selections the reality is that there are a number of potential All-Star worthy players that will not compete in the event. We took a look at the numbers to figure out which players that didn’t get in have the best case to be there. Here are the six biggest snubs for this year’s NBA All-Star game.
C: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
The center position is absolutely loaded so there was bound to be at least a couple of popular big men that missed the cut. However, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year definitely had a strong case to be there, especially considering he leads all players at his position in scoring. Towns has averaged a ridiculous 23.0 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 blocks while barely keeping Minnesota in the Western Conference playoff picture. The fact that Towns is an entertaining player that can provide some flash add to his case as an All-Star candidate but he will not compete in this year’s event.
C: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Embiid rallied hard to get fans to vote him in banking on an All-Star selection landing him a date with the pop star Rihanna. However, after falling just short of earning a spot Embiid became an obvious pick for this list. Embiid has made his care for NBA Rookie of the Year by averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game this season and Philadelphia has won seven of its last 10 overall. The number of talented big men pushed Embiid outside the All-Star voting but he was definitely a worth candidate.
PG: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
The fact that Portland is on the outside looking in on the Western Conference playoff picture probably has something to do with the fact that Lillard didn’t make an All-Star roster. However, Lillard has put up some excellent numbers this season as he has averaged 26.3 points, 5.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds including 2.5 three-point shots per game. Lillard’s numbers might not have been enough to get him in but they are definitely good enough to earn him a spot on this list of the biggest All-Star snubs.
PG: Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
Paul’s relatively average scoring numbers probably hurt his All-Star stock more than anything as he has averaged just 17.5 points per game. However, Paul has maintained his status as one of the best pure passers in the association as he has averaged 9.7 assists along with 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. Paul is still one of the top point guards in the NBA but he will not compete in this year’s All-Star game.
C: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
One more name that deserves to be on this list is Gobert, who is enjoying a career year while helping to lead Utah to a playoff position at the All-Star break. Gobert has averaged 12.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 66-percent from the field. Gobert’s dominance at both ends of the floor made him a popular All-Star candidate but after falling short of getting voted in he earned a spot on this list of the top All-Star snubs instead.
PG: Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies
There were a lot of people who shook their heads when the Memphis Grizzlies signed Mike Conley Jr. to the richest contract in NBA history but he’s delivered. He signed for five years and $153 million, and many people felt that number was a little too rich for a player that had never been named an All-Star. He’s been fantastic, though, averaging 18.7 points per game along with 6.2 assists while shooting 43.4% from the field. He’s been even better this month as he’s pouring in 19.5 points per game along with 7.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 threes and 1.2 steals in the month of January. Those are pretty good numbers across the board. More impressively, he’s been doing this through a nagging back injury, which is never easy to do. A lot of what Conley does – including stellar defense – doesn’t translate to the box score so well. On top of that, there’s the issue that Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook and James Harden are in front of him.
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