Biggest ‘snubs’ from the 2021 NBA All-Star Game

The rest: Fred VanVleet, Gordon Hayward, Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler

With Pascal Siakam’s numbers down, Fred VanVleet is the Toronto Raptors‘ best All-Star candidate. Unfortunately, they may have waited too long to turn their season around, and even with their current 16-15 record after the 7-12 start, VanVleet’s 20.1 points and 6.6 assists

The Charlotte Hornets are in the playoff picture, and Gordon Hayward is the biggest reason why, but his 22-5-4 stat line for a sub.-500 team was never going to get the job done. The same goes for Jimmy Butler, who’s been great since he returned, but has missed too many games for a 13-17 Heat squad.

Tobias Harris may have a legitimate gripe, but the Philadelphia 76ers weren’t dominant enough — even as the No. 1 team in the East — to warrant a third All-Star, and you could make the case Simmons getting in was a stretch. Still, Harris’ career-high 20.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game on tidy .513/.403/.894 shooting splits definitely deserve a shout-out.

Verdict: Correct call