Ranking the biggest NBA All-Star roster snubs: Trae Young, Kyrie Irving and more

The NBA announced its All-Star reserves Thursday night, and we now know who will represent the Eastern and Western conferences in San Francisco next month. That means we also found out which players won’t be going, barring an injury to any of the All-Stars. A number of players had strong cases to make the All-Star team this season, and the final couple spots in each conference could have gone to a handful of players. A razor-thin margin, or even just pure preference, is what separates the All-Stars from the snubs. So, who were those All-Star snubs? Here’s our list, in order of biggest to smallest. (All stats and records are as of the afternoon of Jan. 30.) Stats: 24.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 48.2 percent from the field, 42.2 percent from 3 on 7.0 attempts per game. Irving has been a ballast for the injury-riddled Mavericks this year as they hang tough in the brutal West. They’ve only received 22 games from Luka Dončić and 32 from center Dereck Lively II, yet they’re 26-22 and eighth in the conference. Irving has driven the Mavericks’ offense, and while his overall numbers are down from his peak (or even last season), he’s supplied reliable production for a Dallas team often starved of top options. He’s shooting the 3 at a career-high 42.2 percent, and Dallas is 23-15 when he plays. There are a lot of guards in the West who had a case to make the team, but it’s still hard to understand why Irving didn’t make it this season, especially as his experience as a multi-time All-Star likely would have given him a tiebreaker over the competition. Stats: 27.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 43.6 percent from the field, 34 percent from 3 on 9.7 attempts per game. Maxey might be the only good thing about the Sixers season so far, save for those 23 games they got from Jared McCain. Maxey is scoring more than he did as a breakout All-Star last season — his 27.1 points per game is tied for fifth in the NBA — though with worse shooting numbers. That could be attributed to him handling a much larger load for the Sixers this season with the injuries to Joel Embiid and Paul George. Philadelphia is averaging 9.9 points more per 100 possessions when Maxey is on the court than when he sits. Despite Embiid missing most of the season and George missing 15 games while not being the player the Sixers were expecting when in the lineup, Philadelphia is a game out of the Play-In Tournament, and its playoff hopes have not been extinguished. They have Maxey to thank for that. Stats: 21.0 points, 14.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 60.9 percent from the field, 48.1 percent from 3 on 2.4 attempts per game. Sabonis has been a prototypical snub since he got to Sacramento four years ago. He puts up huge numbers for a team outside of title contention and sometimes gets lost in the fray as a result. He’s actually made more All-NBA teams than All-Star Games in his full seasons with the Kings. This season, Sabonis leads the NBA in rebounding (14.6 per game), and he’s averaging 21 points and 6.5 assists. He’s a one-man transition machine, controlling the whole means of production by grabbing the board and either finishing at the other end or laying off a sweet dish. But he was also a victim to a deep West frontcourt and Kings team struggling to remain buoyant in the playoff race. Stats: 22.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 40.2 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from 3 on 8.4 attempts per game It is always strange when the league leader in a traditional statistic does not make the All-Star Game. Young doesn’t just lead the league in assists per game, but he averages 1.3 more per game than Nikola Jokić, the only other player in double digits. Young was in a similar spot last season. He was second to Tyrese Haliburton, averaging 10.8 assists per game. Young was not initially named as a reserve, but ended up going to the event as an injury replacement. He was having a better shooting year last season. This season, he is shooting a career-worst percentage from the field and is a full percentage point below his career average from 3. However, the Hawks were 10 games under .500 at this time last season. This season, they are just three games below, plus have an appearance in the NBA Cup semifinals on their resumé. Young’s reputation as one of the league’s worst defenders is always going to hurt him with coaches. Stats: 25.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 44.1 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from 3 on 7.8 attempts per game. Booker not an All-Star? It doesn’t seem possible. But it’s true. It’s hard to say Booker has a strong case this year, too. Yes, his per-game numbers are impressive, but he hasn’t displayed the same sort of production we’ve come to expect from Booker. His shooting numbers have tanked; his effective field goal percentage is his lowest since his third season in the NBA. The Suns have had their issues this year — they’re just 24-22 and in ninth in the West — so it’s hard to say Phoenix deserves a second All-Star this season beyond starter Kevin Durant. Ultimately, Booker is a victim of an uncharacteristic season with some slight drop-off, strong seasons from other guards in the West and the Suns struggling to remain above .500. The Cavaliers are the best team in the East by a mile, and Allen is the only one of their core four who didn’t get an invite to the All-Star Game. His numbers aren’t a career best, though the drop-off in counting stats is also a reflection of fewer minutes. Still, he is averaging 14 and 10 and shooting 70 percent from the field for a 37-9 team. Allen helps the Cavaliers dominate in the half court on both ends for a team that has the best offense in the league and an improved defensive rating. Stats: 13.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.5 steals, 55.5 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from the field on 3.3 attempts per game Do the Knicks deserve a third All-Star? Maybe not just based on their record alone or their place in the East standings, but Hart has made a compelling case as a non-conventional All-Star. He’s stuffing the stat sheet and has a ridiculous 61.8 effective field goal percentage as a perimeter player. He’s also a 6-4 wing who is the Knicks’ second-best big man because of his rebounding and the chaos he causes in transition. There’s a case to be made for OG Anunoby as the Knicks’ third-best player, which muddies Hart’s campaign for this spot. But Hart is the heart and soul of a very good, and fun, team in New York. Stats: 28.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 41.9 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from 3 on 12.3 attempts per game It’s been a rough run for Ball, whose love from the fans wasn’t matched by that of his peers, the media or the coaches. He’s the fourth-leading scorer in the league but on the team with the fourth-worst record in the league. It’s hard to reward big numbers and middling efficiency on a very bad team. He’s taking an absurd 12.3 3s per game —most in the NBA — but shooting just 33.7 percent on them, and his 3.7 turnovers per game are the fifth-most in the league. Still, Ball is having a very good season, and the top-line numbers are better than his All-Star campaign in 2022. Other names considered (in no order): Norman Powell (LA Clippers wing), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers guard), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls guard), Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic forward), Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors wing), OG Anunoby (New York Knicks wing), Jalen Green (Houston Rockets guard).