Pascal Siakam and De’Aaron Fox have been incredible this season, but not quite incredible enough to make the NBA All-Star team.
With the NBA reserves announced Thursday, we now have our full Eastern and Western Conference rosters set for Salt Lake City. These announcements sparked much debate, with fans griping about snubs. Let’s take at the players who should be most frustrated at being left out of the NBA All-Star game.
De’Aaron Fox was the biggest All-Star snub in the Western Conference
Perhaps the most surprising of all snubs, Fox is averaging 24 points and 6 assists on a Kings team that has shocked the NBA this year. Fox has been the leader of this Kings’ offense, an offense that is currently ranked third in team offensive efficiency. While leading this offensive machine, Fox has also answered perhaps the biggest knock on his game: clutch-time scoring.
While Fox had good numbers last season, he struggled to score in important late-game moments. This year, Fox leads the league in clutch time scoring with 119 total points on a 60 percent field goal percentage. In his new pairing with All-Star big Domantas Sabonis, Fox has blossomed into a truly elite NBA point guard.
But it wasn’t just Fox who was surprised he didn’t make the squad, with Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards quoting “I was more surprised De’Aaron Fox didn’t get in” when asked about his thoughts on being left off the team. With Stephen Curry missing the All-Star game, is it possible we could see Fox as a late addition to this loaded Western Conference All-Star team?
Anthony Edwards, Guard, Minnesota Timberwolves
With Karl-Anthony Towns injured for an extended period of time, it was clear Anthony Edwards needed to step up if Minnesota wanted to stay alive in the playoff hunt. The 21-year-old has averaged career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Paired with these career highs are an impressive display of durability, with Edwards leading the league in minutes played, failing to miss a single game this year.
Minnesota currently sits at 28-27 in the eighth seed, 1.5 games back of the fourth seed in a crowded Western Conference. Despite missing out, Edwards has maintained a positive disposition insisting that making the playoffs is more important. At 21, the future is bright for Edwards …regardless of an All-Star nomination, we’ve clearly got a budding star on our hands in Minnesota.
Pascal Siakam was the biggest All-Stars snub in the Eastern Conference
After not being selected to the 2023 Eastern Conference All-Star roster, Siakam became the first forward to average 25-8-6 without an All-Star selection. While these numbers are terrific, let’s also remember the elite offensive company of Siakam’s team. Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, and Gary Trent Jr. are all averaging 15 points per game or more, yet Siakam still continues to lead this group with stellar numbers.
It’s crazy to think the Raptors are this bad, especially with these five players averaging over 15 points per game. While Siakam has clearly dominated this year, this porous Raptors squad is arguably the most disappointing team in the NBA. Despite having all this scoring talent paired with an elite NBA coach in Nick Nurse, Toronto currently finds themselves at 24-30, currently 12th in the Eastern Conference. It seems that a rebuild may be imminent.
Siakam’s numbers haven’t been stellar recently, averaging just around 21 points per game since Jan. 14. Perhaps the recent struggles were another reason he was left off? Regardless, if an East reserve goes down Siakam should be the first player to receive consideration for being added to the team.
James Harden, Point Guard, Philadelphia 76ers
Washed, lazy, slow. These were just a few of the many murmurs we heard about Harden over the offseason. This season has been a prove-it campaign for Harden, with the 33-year-old bouncing back, showing the league he’s still an elite point guard. Despite being ranked seventh in the current MVP ladder, Harden found himself left off the Eastern Conference All-Star roster. With the Sixers currently slotted in the third seed at 34-17, Harden has been an instrumental part of Philly’s success, averaging 21 points and 11 assists per game.
While the stats are clearly present, Harden has missed 16 games this year, and you can’t help but think this had something to do with the 33-year-old not being selected. The same goes for Anthony Davis. At 27 points per game with 12 rebounds, he’s incredibly deserving, yet he missed nearly six weeks of the season, which likely took him out of contention. It’s simple; if Harden played in more games, he clearly would be a member of this roster.
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