The 2024 All-Star Reserves were announced on Thursday night, and there seemed to be some more glaring snubs than usual. With only 12 players making it in each conference, there are always going to be some players who have a case but miss the cut. But two players stood out with a really strong case. That would be Trae Young and Domantas Sabonis. You could throw De’Aaron Fox in that mix as well, but I’m focused on the other two. Sabonis is first in the league in rebounds per game at 13 per game, 2nd in triple doubles, and currently 7th on the NBA’s MVP ladder, yet he didn’t make the team. He was also utterly dominant in January, averaging 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists per game. He was arguably the best big man in the entire league last month. The Kings are also currently in 5th place in the eastern conference, so it feels weird to have no representation. The 6th place Suns have two, the 9th place Lakers have two, and the 11th place Warriors got one as well. Sabonis deserved a spot, but because his game isn’t sexy I guess he doesn’t get to make the team. On the other end, the argument against Trae is largely team record based as the Hawks sit 7 games below 500. He, however, has been phenomenal. He’s 10th in the league in scoring, 2nd in assists per game, and 8th in steals per game. He’s really improved as a defensive player, and is the best defender in the Hawks starting backcourt as Dejounte Murray’s has consistently regressed. With last season and this season, he now has two of the greatest non all-star seasons the game has ever seen. He’s one of the most unstoppable players in the game today, and is a more deserving all-star than Damian Lillard, who was named a starter. Both Sabonis and Trae deserved to be all-stars, and they may well both be named injury replacements by the time its all said and done, but it’s a crime that neither were named one originally. These are some of the biggest all-star snubs of all-time.
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