By Nick Dermer & James Brady ’20
The 2018 NBA All-Star Game is to be held on February 18 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. This year, the teams were picked in schoolyard style by superstar team captains, Stephen Curry and Lebron James. In these all-star games, however, there is always a list of people who had all-star quality but got snubbed. There are others who were picked as an all-star only due to their popularity even though they lack the impressive stats.
Top 3 All-Star Snubs
- Chris Paul: This season, Chris Paul has helped the Houston Rockets to one of the best records in the league of 42-13. In these games, he has averaged 19.4 points per game, 8.3 assists, and 5.6 rebounds. Clearly, these stats are of all-star caliber. Even more, he has led his team to win the season series against the defending NBA Champions and arguably the best team in the league, the Golden State Warriors.
- Ben Simmons: In his rookie season, Ben Simmons has proved to be a huge spark plug for the Philadelphia 76ers. Last year, the Sixers were the worst ranked team in the league as they were 15th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 10-72. This year, Simmons has contributed to a 7th place team with a winning record of 29-25. His stats are also quite impressive as he averages 16.4 points per game, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. Simmons has definitely been a huge snub in this year’s all-star game.
- Nikola Jokic: In his 2017-2018 season with the Denver Nuggets, Jokic has proved to be a huge asset. His incredible ability in the post and magical passing ability has helped the 7th place Nuggets of the Western Conference achieve a winning record of 30-26. Last year, he also proved to be a crucial piece of the Denver Nuggets offense which was rated 1st in the league towards the end of last season, which began after Nikola Jokic was inserted into the starting lineup. His breathtaking talent and beneficial influence on his team definitely proves he is and should have been an all-star. Even sophomore Graham Foltz claimed, “It’s unfair because he’s good enough, but since he’s part of an unpopular organization like the Denver Nuggets, he was left out.”
Biggest All-Star Scrub
Draymond Green: Green is easily the biggest scrub the NBA All-Star Game. With his stats averaging only 11.1 points per game, 7.3 assists, and 7.9 rebounds, Draymond does not have enough of an effect on the game to be in such a prestigious event as the All-Star Game. Since he is a starter on the nationally popular Golden State Warriors, Green was able to weasel his way into the game solely through his popularity rather than his skills, stats, and talents. As shown in the snubs, there are clearly plenty more deserving of an opportunity than Draymond Green.