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

Devin Booker

The Phoenix Suns deserved two All-Stars, and they only got one. For years, people said Devin Booker was putting up empty numbers on losing teams, and that if he wanted to prove himself as a legitimate star in this league, he needed to win. Well, the Suns finally got him some help, and now they’re winning as the fourth-best team in the Western Conference … and he’s still not worthy of an All-Star spot?

Sure, Book’s numbers are slightly down, but he’s still putting up All-Star numbers with 24.7 points and 4.3 assists per game on .501/.381/.848 shooting splits. More importantly, he’s playing better defense and making the right plays for a 20-10 Suns squad whose record would be even better if they hadn’t coughed up a number of double-digit leads (as young teams tend to do). It’s not that Zion isn’t deserving, but leaving Book out when the numbers are a wash and Phoenix is so much better feels shortsighted.

Book got off to a slower start as he and Chris Paul were busy getting acclimated, but he’s been on a tear since he sat out three games with a hamstring injury in late January, knocking down game-winning 3s against the Dallas Mavericks, burying the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks with his shot-making and earning his first Western Conference Player of the Week award.

Much like last year, when he only got in as an injury replacement despite being deserving of his own spot, leaving Devin Booker out of the All-Star mix is a boneheaded mistake. He’s easily the biggest snub of 2021, and if he’s not named Anthony Davis’ injury replacement, Suns fans may riot (on Twitter).

Verdict: Incorrect call (should’ve been in over Zion Williamson)