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The NBA All-Star Game will be played this weekend but one player who will be conspicuously absent is Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings. The Lithuanian star was not among the pool of reserved players for the Midseason Classic.
Denied an All-Star spot, many quarters have viewed Sabonis’ snub as a huge disservice, which is not at all surprising considering he is posting good numbers for a winning team.
By missing out on a fourth All-Star nod, the Kings big man is also set to miss out on a $1.3-million bonus as stipulated on his contract. Below are five possible reasons why Sabonis is not an All-Star this season.
5 reasons why Domantas Sabonis is not an All-Star for a fourth time
#1, Improved play of the Minnesota Timberwolves
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This season’s Minnesota Timberwolves are like the Sacramento Kings from last year, and they were rewarded by having two All-Stars in Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Much like what SacTown did in the 2022-23 season, the Wolves have been a huge surprise as they have paced the Western Conference for much of the first half of the season. They hold the best record in the conference at 37-16 following Tuesday’s games.
While Sabonis, and possibly teammate De’Aaron Fox, is deserving of a spot, NBA coaches may have put more emphasis on what the Wolves have achieved and given them two All-Star spots.
#2, Stacked frontcourt out West
The Western Conference is stacked with equally talented frontcourt players and Sabonis was perhaps the odd-man out for this season.
Named frontcourt reserves in the West this year are Kawhi Leonard and Paul George of the LA Clippers, Anthony Davis of the LA Lakers and Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Except for Davis, all the aforementioned players are playing for teams with better records than the Kings.
Adding to that, Davis is playing very well this season, with averages of 24.7 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.
#3, Popularity not yet at par with other established stars
As much as the All-Star Game is about rewarding players who have performed well in the first half of the season, it is also about bringing popular players into the game.
While Domantas Sabonis is solid as a player, his fame is not at par yet with those playing in the same position as him in the West. This made it tougher for him to barge into the roster this season.
#4, Steady numbers not impressive enough
While he has been having steady numbers this season, coaches might not have been convinced since he appears to have plateaued.
In 52 games he has played this season, Domantas Sabonis has been good, averaging 19.9 points, 13.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists in 35.6 minutes. Last year, Domantas Sabonis had averages of 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists.
His numbers may be good, but they could be better and coaches may have felt that others have improved while Sabonis has stayed in the same gear.
#5, More chances of being an All-Star moving forward
There is no denying that Domantas Sabonis is an All-Star-caliber player who could be a fixture in the Game for many years to come with the way he plays the game. Maybe that is part of why he missed out this season.
The thinking could also be that Sabonis is a top-of-mind replacement if someone from the West is not available for the All-Star Game for whatever reason.
