Ranking the most egregious NBA All-Star snubs

Near NBA All-Star #1: James Harden (Philadephia 76ers)

Hey, wasn’t James Harden supposed to be washed up? While the former league MVP hasn’t reached his Houston Rockets peak, he’s still shooting (95th percentile in catch-and-shoot 3-point percentage, 73rd percentile in pull-up 3-pointers), creating for others (99th percentile in box creation), and passing (99th percentile in assist rate) at a high level.

And yes, he’s still using the same old tricks to get to the foul line, as his 8.6 attempts per 100 possessions suggest.

The pairing with Joel Embiid has flourished as well; the Philadelphia 76ers average 120.2 points per 100 possessions when Harden and Embiid are on the floor together (the league average is roughly 114). If you’re a Sixers fan, you couldn’t ask for anything more: Harden’s putting up the counting stats that provide meaningful value (plus-5.1 EPM), and he meshes well with the franchise’s main pillar.

Harden missed 16 games this year, so that might’ve cost him a spot this year. Of course, Curry, Dončić, James, Anthony Davis, and Zion Williamson have missed varying amounts of time and made the All-Star team with little difficulty, so that likely didn’t keep Harden off the team. Philly’s place in the standings certainly wasn’t a deterrent.

Again, this speaks to how well guys like Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown have played to make the team over a guy like Harden. Any other year, Harden’s a shoo-in.