Three Players That Deserve an NBA All-Star Selection

January 1, 2019

975

Clippers Grizzlies Basketball — Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (11) shoots against Los Angeles Clippers forward Tobias Harris (34) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

To many, the NBA All-Star is nothing more than a goofy event for pure entertainment. But for the players, getting an all-star selection is a sort of vindication that others around the league respect and recognize their play. Because at the end of the day, one of the first qualifications we seek when discussing a players legacy is their number of all-star selections. And in each generation, there is a core of superstars that will continuously show up in the game no matter the circumstances. This generation’s core would go as follow:

LeBron James

Stephen Curry

Kevin Durant

And then beyond this core, we have the players that are surefire selections this season: James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker, Joel Embiid, and Anthony Davis. This would leave 12 open spots for the rest of the NBA. And of those twelve spots, here are three players that deserve an all-star selection:

Tobias Harris

Throughout his career, Tobias Harris has flown under the radar of most NBA fans. Averaging a career 15/6/2, Harris has been a top-tier role player suffering on sub-par teams. However, this year, Harris is averaging 21 points and 8.2 rebounds on 50/42/88 shooting while leading a Los Angeles Clippers team that sits at third in the western conference. Usually, most playoff teams will receive at least one all-star (especially when in the top four) and it also helps that Harris is not only having one of the most efficient seasons in the NBA but was the western conference player of the month in November. Honestly, I’m confident Harris will earn a spot off the bench but if he is in fact subbed, it will down as a top-five all-star snub in NBA history.

Latest From FPC on SportsCastr

Mike Conley

At this point in his career, Mike Conley should already have multiple all-star selections. Years such as 2016-17 and 2103-14 immediately come to mind. But, we have a chance to forgo all our wrongs if we vote Mike Conley into the 2019 all-star game. Averaging 20.5 points and 6.5 assists per game on 42% shooting from the field, Conley has been the floor general through the thick and thin of this Grizzlies franchise. Time after time he has shown up clutch when it matters and has hung with the best of them in the playoffs. Yet, he still trails Jeff Teague and David Lee in all-star selections. He’s undeniably a top five point guard in the west and this is our chance to undo all our wrongs by awarding him one of those final two flex positions.

Nikola Vucevic

I understand that Nikola Vucevic is on the most irrelevant franchise in the NBA and has only been to the playoffs once in his career where he scored just one point. But right now, Vucevic is averaging 20.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game on 53% shooting and 38% from three. A dynamic center, Vucevic is also forcing three turnovers per game. If Vucevic was putting up these kinds of numbers on any other team he would be a surefire all-star. And if you look at the standings, the Magic aren’t even that bad. Four games below .500, you sort of have to put Vucevic in the all-star game with how good of a statistical season he’s having. It would also make for a pretty interesting offseason considering Vucevic is an unrestricted free agent this summer. Will any competitive teams be willing to sign a player who’s been thriving with a lottery franchise to a near-max deal?