5 unlikely candidates to make the 2020 NBA All-Star Game

1. Chris Paul

Chris Paul has been no stranger to the NBA All-Star festivities throughout his career. He’s been present at nine of them and even took home MVP honors at the 2013 game in Houston.

But after a three-year absence at 34 years old coupled with a trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder, there didn’t appear to be an avenue for CP3 to earn another selection.

His averages of 16.6 points, 6.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game pale in comparison to previous years’ production and certainly don’t stack up to some of the superstar guards out West.

What was previously viewed as a rebuilding OKC team, however, has accelerated to playoff contention in large part due to the presence of Paul. They’re a surprising seventh in the conference at 18-15 after going 11-4 in December, tied for the third-best mark of the month.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1212218571599818752

If the Thunder are to be gifted an All-Star, a case could very well be made for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a second-year guard posting breakout numbers of his own as the team’s leading scorer.

Remember, though, that it’s the coaches who vote on All-Star reserves. The same coaches who have immense respect for the future Hall of Famer and would probably like to give him one final nod over a player who’s got plenty of selections in his bright future.

This makes it seems that Paul, amid a crowded pool of Western Conference guards, is no more than a sympathy addition at this point in his career, which is far from the truth.

He’s been one of the most valuable contributors across the league — 11th in win shares and 16th in VORP — pushing a team far beyond its preconceived limitations. It’s what he’s done his entire career, and only the doubters expected otherwise.