The 2024 NBA All-Star rosters are now set, with the coaches’ selections for the 14 reserves being announced on Thursday night. As is always the case, there are a number of players that will feel they met the criteria for an All-Star berth only to get left off of the rosters.
This year felt like there was a particularly deep pool of deserving candidates, which makes for fertile ground for snub talk. The truth is, there aren’t enough roster spots for how many All-Star caliber players exist in the NBA today. Everyone on the 12-man roster for the East and West has a deserving case, as do these players that sit on the outside looking in. As always, there’s the potential for injury replacements to pull some of these names into the festivities in Indianapolis, but for now they’ll just have to try and turn it into some positive motivation going forward.
EAST
Kristaps Porzingis (Celtics): 19.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.8 bpg; 52.1/35.8/83.9 shooting; 34 games
The Celtics boast the NBA’s best record and while Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown rightfully grab headlines, the addition of Kristaps Porzingis has unlocked another level for Boston on offense. Porzingis doesn’t have the gaudy stats of some of his other All-Star contenders, but watching Boston play, it’s impossible not to see how vital he is to their success. Even with a middling year as a three-point shooter, he’s having a career-year with efficiency overall, providing Boston with not just floor spacing from the center position but a much-needed cutting and rolling threat at the rim. Ultimately, his lower games played total and averages being a level below the other All-Star candidates keeps him off the roster, but given how often coaches reward the league’s best team with a third All-Star, it was a bit surprising to see him left off.
Trae Young (Hawks): 27.0 ppg, 10.9 apg, 2.9 rpg; 42.3/36.8/86.3 shooting; 42 games
Young being left off the All-Star roster (again) is equal parts shocking and not surprising. The Hawks guard is producing at an insane level this season, as the only player in the league averaging 25+ points and 10+ assists per game, and is doing so on strong efficiency. However, the Hawks have underperformed to expectations this season, at times looking like a flat out disaster (especially on defense where Young carries a reputation as a poor defender), and on top of that Young is not exactly a beloved figure within the league, as evidenced by him finishing sixth in both player and media voting. He was left off by the coaches last year with a similar stat line for an underperforming Hawks team, and unfortunately for Young, history repeated itself this year as he fell short in a brutal class of Eastern Conference guards.
Derrick White (Celtics): 15.8 ppg, 4.7 apg, 4.0 rpg; 45.8/40.0/89.5 shooting; 44 games
White’s case is entirely based on his critical importance to the Celtics being the best team in the league, as his two-way brilliance has been vital to Boston holding the NBA’s best record. Unfortunately for White, this is an incredibly deep year for East guards, and as such being a very good point guard on the best team is not enough to land an All-Star nod. White absolutely deserves the praise he’s gotten for his play this season, but this year just wasn’t one where the coaches could ignore some of the other incredible guard performances to get him a roster spot.
Scottie Barnes (Raptors): 20.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 5.8 apg; 47.6/35.9/76.6 shooting; 47 games
There was a time where I thought Barnes was actually going to make the roster with the leap he’s made, but then January happened and the Raptors took a nosedive. Barnes has been terrific this year, but his production has not been outrageous enough to earn him an All-Star nod on a team struggling the way Toronto has. The Raptors clearly believe in Barnes’ upside as a star of the future, as they’ve shifted their organizational plan to building around him long-term. If that pans out, All-Star selections will be part of his future, but for now, he’s on the outside looking in.
WEST
Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves): 13.4 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 2.1 bpg; 63.9/0.0/63.2 shooting; 47 games
Gobert’s always a weird case in these sorts of things. His game isn’t exactly fun to watch, he’ll never create baskets for himself or others, and let’s be frank, his game doesn’t translate to an All-Star game. But at the same time, when it comes to impacting winning, Gobert is up there with anyone else in the league, as he’s the lynchpin of what has been the best defense in the league for more than half of the season. He looks as good as ever on that end of the floor and trying to score at the rim against him continues to seem like a miserable experience. Ultimately, the Wolves were going to get two All-Stars, one being Anthony Edwards, and the coaches went with Towns over Gobert for the other spot.
De’Aaron Fox (Kings): 27.2 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.1 rpg; 46.7/38.0/72.4 shooting; 40 games
The Kings getting double snubbed is particularly brutal, and one wonders if their two stars split votes among coaches. Fox just keeps finding ways to get better. This year, he’s managed to become a reliable shooter from behind the three-point line, which has long been considered his biggest achilles heel on that end of the floor. On the other side of things, he continues to be one of the best perimeter players in the league at interrupting the flow of an opposing offense, as his steal and deflection numbers are among the best of his career. He just makes good things happen for a Sacramento team that has continued to stay above the Play-In line in the Western Conference.
Domantas Sabonis (Kings): 19.9 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 8.0 apg; 61.6/45.1/63.6 shooting; 46 games
One of the most unique players in the NBA, Sabonis’ touch around the rim, playmaking, and rebounding are invaluable for the Kings. While De’Aaron Fox shoulders the largest scoring load on the team, Sabonis generally takes care of the rest. Only Nikola Jokic executes more passes per game than the Lithuanian big man, who is a killer when he’s able to direct the Sacramento attack from the nail. A special bonus snub shout out goes to Alperen Sengun of the Houston Rockets, who is brilliant in a similar role on a team that isn’t quite as good as Sacramento.
