Hoops Habit
Fansided

Ranking the most egregious NBA All-Star snubs

By Christopher Jeter

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 28: James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid #21 react against the Denver Nuggets. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 28: James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid #21 react against the Denver Nuggets. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
De’Aaron Fox (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /

Near NBA All-Star #3: De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)

After 17(!) seasons of futility, the Sacramento Kings have finally seemed to figure things out. With a 31-23 record, the third spot in the Western Conference standings, and the league’s second-best per-100-possessions offense, the Kings have a great chance to end what is now the longest playoff drought in professional sports.

Sacramento’s reward for this strong start was an All-Star nod for multi-talented forward Domantas Sabonis, whose versatile offensive skillset has allowed the Kings to adopt a ball movement-centric style (third behind the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors in cuts per game and first in handoffs per game) to great effect.

Sabonis unquestionably deserved his All-Star selection, and you could argue that sixth-year guard De’Aaron Fox should’ve joined him on the team.

Even though his 3-point shooting has cooled off (30 percent in January/February after shooting 39 percent during the first two months), the relentlessly aggressive Fox still punishes defenders in the paint (97th percentile in drives per 75 possessions, 92nd percentile in rim field goal percentage) and has become one of the game’s better mid-range shooters.

You’d think a player that ranks in the top 20 in points per 100 possessions would be a no-brainer All-Star selection, but a conference that boasts the likes of Curry, Dončić, Ja Morant, and Chris Paul makes earning such a nod a tough task.

Nevertheless, Fox should get some praise for making the partnership with Sabonis work and helping turn transform the Kings into one of the most fun-to-watch teams in the NBA.