Ten Possible All-Star snubs

[WigNosy]

Every year, there are players who get left off the All-Star team. And I always think it's fun to take a look at who didn't make the team and figure out who was genuinely snubbed, who just got forced out by the numbers crunch, and who really didn't deserve to be in the conversation in the first place. Let's get started.

But before we get started, let's look at six "honorable mentions" - guys who didn't make this list but I think still have a shot at making an all-star team next year if conditions are right.

DAngelo Russell, Wizards
Derrick Rose, Trailblazers
F. Cole Medina, Nets
Kristaps Porzingis, Raptors
Gustave Lecroix, Lakers
Eckbert Winkler, Pelicans

AND NOW, THE LIST:

Phil Milburn (Bobcats)
21.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg

Milburn has to be annoyed that Kevin Durant made an all-star appearance while he didn't. He's averaging more points, boards, and blocks than Durant and playing fewer minutes. At this point in his career, while KD is still producing, an argument could be made that he got on the all-star team thanks to name recognition rather than production.

Daniel Randle (Hawks)
21.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.9 bpg

Randle has been stuffing stat sheets across the board this season, and if his scoring is a little down, he's averaging career highs everywhere else. You could argue fairly convincingly that Randle deserved the spot that went to Tyler Ulis, who is averaging 2.5 more points per game but averages less in every other statistical category.

Jabari Parker (Thunder)
22.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.3 spg

Parker has had a very productive season with the Thunder, but his squad has only made it to 8 wins so far this season, which is kind of a problem. Parker suffered a broken cheekbone on 2/6 and so was out due to injury when the all-star game arrived. He probably could have taken Giannis' spot if healthy. But the lack of wins and the injury mean this probably isn't really a snub.

Karl-Anthony Towns (Celtics)
16.0 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 4.3 apg

Towns is having his best season yet since signing a huge deal in the off-season, but the problem for him is that he's in the Eastern Conference where Anthony Davis has the starting PF spot locked up until further notice, meaning he has to compete with the likes of Ben Simmons, Buddy Pedraza, and Dirk Hardpeck (who made the squad and all are posting better numbers). Deserving of an all-star spot? Perhaps. Casualty of getting squeezed out by having more great PFs than slots available? Definitely.

Dexter Aguilar (Spurs)
20.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.8 apg

Aguilar continues his ascent this season in San Antonio, but it's probably helped by a lack of other guys who are ready to play. The Spurs have some young pieces, but they're still raw. Aguilar's numbers are probably a little hollow and they're also not as good as Andrew Wiggins, Kyrie Irving, or Jayson Tatum, the guys who made the team ahead of him. Where the East is loaded at PF, the West is loaded at SG and that means Aguilar falls victim to the numbers crunch.

Damion McNary (Pelicans)
19.8 pg, 8.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.5 bpg)

McNary escaped the East, so he had a little easier path to the all-star game this season. Kevin Love, like AD, has a chokehold on the starter spot, but Joseph Kight sliding from sF to PF has pretty much locked out power forwards in the West now unless they sneak in using an at-large spot. James Harden (19.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 7.7 apg, 2.1 spg) is probably a slightly better choice than McNary at the moment with his well-rounded game, but you have to at least listen to a case for McNary. You could make the case this is a snub and I'd listen but eventually disagree.

Keith Pfeffer (Timberwolves)
17.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 7.1 apg

Pfeffer at the PG slot competes more directly with Harden, and Harden bested his numbers in all areas. And of course Jeffrey Duren (bona fide star) and John Wall (Clippers aren't great, so his numbers might be a bit inflated but they're better than everyone but Duren's) are locks at PG. So can't really call this a snub.

Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
19.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.1 apg

Another guy that might have an edge case, but if Phil Milburn's numbers aren't knocking Kevin Durant out of his spot on the team, Jaylen's aren't either. Maybe in another year, but Jaylen didn't deserve to crack the all-star squad this season.

Aaron Gordon (Mavericks)
16.7 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.1 bpg

Enjoying his best season ever, you could argue for Gordon in much the same way you could argue for McNary. In fact, I'd even say Gordon may have a better case to make the all-star squad than McNary did, this season... but I still don't have a problem with him missing the game, because James Harden is still better. Not bad for a guy Nick Malone still gets grief for signing.

Ricky Rubio (Bucks)
12.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 10.2 apg, 2.5 spg

I honestly thought Rubio was going to make the all-star squad and Harland Ellinger was not. Ellinger made the team as the backup PG, and averaged 15.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 10.7 apg, and 1.0 spg - in other words, a case can be made for either one since each is better in two categories. I think, though, that unlike Durant, Rubio maybe missed the game on reputation this season, since the thing with Rubio has always been, "well, he doesn't score, but he is so much better than everyone else on assists, you can't leave him off." This year he isn't the best assist man in the game, and that may have disappointed the voters, who could no longer justify putting him on the team with that low scoring average.

[ballsohard]

No Fultz on the next year list?!

[WigNosy]

Fultz missed enough games due to injury that I didn’t consider him a snub.

[NOLa.]

Great read Wig.

[garbageman]

No Fultz on the next year list?!

I look forward to your next article: One Possible Wig's Next Year List Snub

[ballsohard]

No Fultz on the next year list?!

I look forward to your next article: One Possible Wig's Next Year List Snub

1 possible snub from wigs 10 possible snub list.

[digiskunk]

Good article!!

[ballsohard]

Wig you can collct 5 points