The NBA will announce the All-Star reserves later today, and there’s a lot of speculation on whether or not De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis will make the team. Tuesday’s TNT Crew posted their All-Star Reserves the other day and all of them left Sabonis off the team while only a couple put Fox on. Looking around the rest of the media landscape, I’ve seen more lists leave both Fox and Sabonis off than I’ve seen with both of them on. Given that both Fox and Sabonis are having better years than they did last season when they both made it, how is this possible?
For their part, I don’t particularly think either Fox or Sabonis care all that much (Fox has in fact come out and said exactly that), and this is more just an argument for fans like me who like to see their team and their guys get recognition on a national stage. I also think the NBA needs to increase the amount of spots in the game from 12 to 15. It’s been 12 since the 70s when there were half as many teams in the league. The talent level in the NBA has never been greater, and a bigger roster would add representation from around the league.
For this year though, that’s not the case, and the Western Conference is absolutely stacked. This has also been a rare year in which there haven’t really been any major injuries to stars. Guys like Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, who have missed games before due to injury, have all been healthy. There’s gonna be some major snubs in this conference, simply because there isn’t enough room (and arguably some Western snubs will have better resumés than guys that do make it in the East, but what are you gonna do).
But enough about everyone else; We’re here to make the argument for De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Fox made his first All-Star game last season as an injury replacement. This season he’s been even better, averaging career-highs in points (27.2) and 3P% (.380). He’s improved his defensive effort and impact and the Kings are once again looking like a playoff team in a tough Western Conference. The biggest argument Fox has against him is that he’s fallen off quite a bit in January (just 22.5 points a game on 43.4% from the field) after a blistering start to the season. But if Fox misses the All-Star game, he’ll be the first player in NBA history to average 27+ points and 5+ assists to miss the game when not injured or on a below .500 team.
Domantas Sabonis has the strongest case to be named an All-Star in my mind, although I’ve seen him left off more lists than Fox has been. Sabonis has been Sacramento’s most consistent player, and I fully believe that if Nikola Jokic wasn’t doing what he’s been doing there’d be more people in awe of what Sabonis does on a nightly basis. Sabonis is averaging 19.9 points a game on 61.6% from the field (the best FG% in the league for anyone averaging 19 or more a game). He’s leading the league in rebounds per game at 13, career-high. He’s also 7th in the league in assists per game at 8, also a career-high. He’s second in the league in Triple-Doubles at 13, behind 14 for Jokic, and has recorded 29 double-doubles in a row. The only players in NBA history to average 19 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists (stats that are 1 fewer than what Sabonis is actually averaging) are Wilt Chamberlain (2x), Nikola Jokic (2x), Sabonis last year, and Oscar Robertson. I’m not sure how this is even a discussion.
I know it doesn’t really mean much in the grand scheme of things if one or both of these guys don’t make the All-Star team (and they’d both probably rather enjoy a nice break), but both are more than deserving. After 16 years of futility, it’s nice to have not just one, but two stars who can play at this level and are worthy of this conversation. We are watching two of the best Sacramento Kings of all time right now. Let’s take a moment to appreciate what we have while we have it.
