After the NBA’s 2023 All-Star starters were named on Thursday, a few reserves with justifiable complaints were expected. The starting have been announced, with the fan vote accounting for 50%, the media vote for 25%, and the player vote for the remaining 5%. It was revealed that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been named an NBA All-Star for the 19th time, matching Abdul-Jabbar for the most All-Star appearances in NBA history.
James, who received the most votes in the league as a whole, will lead one team in the next All-Star Game on February 19 in Salt Lake City. The other team’s captain will be Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, who received the most votes in the Eastern Conference. The NBA has employed a captain system for the All-Star Game for the last six years, and James has participated in every one of them.
In addition to 2019 and 2020, Antetokounmpo now has the honor of serving as captain for a third time. Unlike previous years, when captains choose a week or two in advance of All-Star weekend, this year’s game will include an unannounced twist: the two players will choose their teams in the days leading up to the game. These are the three biggest 2023 NBA All-Star starter snubs, as per CBS Sports.
3. Domantas Sabonis
Sabonis’s performance with the Kings has been outstanding. His absence results in a ten-point drop in scoring for every hundred possessions for the second-ranked Kings offense, according to CTG.
To add insult to injury, Sabonis has played 45 games to Zion’s 33 and Williamson is expected to miss at least two more weeks. When comparing their loss totals, the Kings are now three games ahead of the Pels.
2. Anthony Davis
Davis has a true shooting percentage of 65.9 and is averaging 27.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. The first three statistics are much superior than Zion Williamson’s bests, especially in terms of rebounds and blocks. In terms of TS, the numbers are quite similar.
Even without any other excellent defenders, the Lakers’ defensive rating would be the best in the NBA if Davis were playing. He is the Lakers’ defense, while Zion has improved defensively, but he is more of a byproduct of a successful New Orleans defense than a star in his own right. Davis was, for a while this season, the league’s top performer.
1. Joel Embiid
In this situation, Embiid was more deserving of a starting spot than Anteokounmpo was, therefore his exclusion was unjust. Embiid was voted third among frontcourt players by the media and players, behind Tatum and Durant, but he came in at a fourth place in the fan poll, which was won by Giannis. The key distinction lay there.
The notion that the fans are the game’s lifeblood and should have a say in the All-Star Game selection process has some merit, but in this case, the league made a mistake. Embiid outscores Antetokounmpo despite shooting at a far lower percentage from the field.
