NBA All-Star Game 2019: Biggest snubs, surprises to make rosters | NBA

February 1, 2019 John NBA 0

The complete list of players competing in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game was released Thursday.

The Magic’s Nikola Vucevic and Denver’s Nikola Jokic will make their first appearances in the game while Blake Griffin became an All-Star for the first time since 2014-15. Thunder guard Russell Westbrook and Pelicans star Anthony Davis were also obvious reserve selections.

But, as always, there were a few surprises while some notable players were left off the rosters.

Here are the biggest snubs and the surprises to make the 2019 NBA All-Star Game rosters.

Snubs

D’Angelo Russell / Jimmy Butler

Russell has put the Nets in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014-15 and Butler has elevated the 76ers into championship contention.

Both of these players could have been in the game and one of them will probably end up there.

Pacers star Victor Oladipo was named a reserve Thursday. However, he suffered a season-ending leg injury last week and will be unable to participate. Russell and Butler are the leading candidates to replace him.

Tobias Harris

The eight-year veteran is having his best season and is undoubtedly the Clippers’ go-to scorer.

He’s averaging 21.2 points and 7.9 rebounds while shooting 43.3 percent from 3-point range in 2018-19. All of those are career highs.

Los Angeles has exceeded expectations this season and is fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Harris deserved an All-Star spot.

Luka Doncic

Doncic has had a fantastic season and many believed he’d end up in the game.

The third-overall pick in the 2018 draft is top five amongst rookies in almost every statistical offensive category. He’s registered 20.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.

The Mavericks are just 23-27 but are much improved this season. Doncic is the main reason why.

Surprise

Khris Middleton

Middleton has certainly been good this season. He’s averaging 17.3 points and 4.2 assists in 31.1 minutes per game while shooting 37.6 percent from 3-point range. The Bucks are also one of the best teams in the NBA and enter play Thursday in first place of the Eastern Conference standings with a 36-13 record. They deserve to be rewarded for their success.

Middleton, however, is clearly Milwaukee’s secondary option behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and he has also had better statistical seasons. He tallied 20.1 points per game in 2017-18 and has knocked down more than 40 percent of his 3-pointers three different times during his seven-year career.

While he is deserving of a spot, a case could definitely be made that Russell or Butler should be on the team over Middleton.

Klay Thompson

Thompson is one of the best shooters of all time and a major reason for the Warriors’ success since 2014-15. But, he isn’t putting up his typical numbers from 3-point range this season.

Thompson struggled to open the year and while he has rebounded, he’s shooting 37.9 percent from behind the arc, his worst percentage in his eight-year career. He’s also connected on 46.2 percent of his total shots, his worst field-goal percentage since 2013-14.

The 2019 game will be Thompson’s fifth All-Star appearance. He is averaging 21.7 points, but Harris or Doncic may have been more deserving of a selection this season.

The teams will be picked by captains LeBron James and Antetokounmpo at 8 p.m. ET Feb. 7 on TNT. This will be the first year the event is televised. The game will be played Feb. 17 in Charlotte, N.C.

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