NBA All-Stars announced: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander does not make team
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will not be rewarded for his breakout season with an All-Star nod.
The third-year player was not among Western Conference reserves, the NBA announced on Tuesday night.
The reserves from the Western Conference are:
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis
Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert
Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell
Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 22.8 points, 6.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game over 25 appearances. He is shooting 50.6% from the field and 40.7% from 3, both of which are career-bests, and has a true shooting percentage of 62%, eighth-best among guards whose usage is at least 20%.
He has helped the Thunder surpass expectations through the early parts of the season, posting a 12-19 record far better than many foresaw entering the season.
“Most nights that he’s on the court, I feel like we’ve got the best player on the court,” head coach Mark Daigneault said on Sunday. “That’s what an All-Star feels like.”
It’s not quite over for the Thunder guard. Davis will need an injury replacement, and the most logical inclusion would either be Gilgeous-Alexander, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker or Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley.
Even so, it’s a longshot for Gilgeous-Alexander, as the contenders on the Jazz (25-6) and Suns (20-10) can both make arguments based on wins, stats and narrative: Conley is among the advanced stats leaders in the NBA and has yet to make an All-Star game, while Booker has been penalized for years over his team’s poor record while posting dominant numbers, yet also missed the cut this year while his team is good and he continues to be an offensive weapon.
Even if there is no All-Star berth, that doesn’t take away from how strong Gilgeous-Alexander’s season has been. He has taken a leap as the lead guard, and at just 22, he looks like he should have several appearances in the near future.
Here is the full list of NBA All-Stars this season, sorted by conference:
Western Conference
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (starter)
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (starter)
Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (starter)
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (starter)
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (starter)
Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell
Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson
Eastern Conference
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (starter)
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (starter)
Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (starter)
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (starter)
Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden
Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (starter)
Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine
New York Knicks forward Julius Randle
Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons
Boston Celtics wing Jayson Tatum
Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic
