Top 5 Least Deserving All-Star Selections Of The Past 5 Years

Feb 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (0) reacts with teammate Kevin Durant (35) in the second half during the NBA All Star Game at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Every year, there is always at least one player that gets snubbed from the NBA All-Star Game. But what about the players who got in over someone more deserving?

The primary goal of the NBA All-Star Game is to select the best of the best for that particular NBA season, and for the most part, the NBA has accomplished that goal.

We constantly see superstars such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and many others make the All-Star Game and display some unbelievable performances, giving fans a glimpse at what a true superteam would look like.

However, every season there is always an argument over who was snubbed from making the team.

From being unjustly placed on the All-Star team to being selected as an injury replacement, there is always some sort of controversy surrounding who makes or misses the All-Star game.

I took a peek at the rosters from the past five All-Star teams (starting with the 2011-12 season), including this year’s squad, and picked the five players who, while putting up great numbers and having excellent seasons, made the team over another player who was more deserving.

This article isn’t meant to downplay the season of previous All-Stars, rather it is meant to make an argument for players who had just as good, if not better, of a season than a player that was selected over them.

Players will be picked from the same conference but are not position restricted.

Any statistics used throughout this article will be from the first 40 games ONLY from that respective season, as the All-Star rosters are not usually announced until about halfway through the season and all stats are via Basketball-Reference.com.

Starting with No. 5, we go back to the 2014 All-Star Game.

Mar 4, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Nuggets won 100-85. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

5. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs, 2013-14

The 2013-14 NBA season was the best season Ty Lawson, who was 24 at the time, has had as an NBA player, but he was not picked for the All-Star Game.

Damian Lillard and Tony Parker both made the All-Star Game over Lawson and there could be an argument made for Lawson over both players, but there is an argument that Parker was less deserving than both Lillard and Lawson.

Through the first 40 games of the 2013-14 season, Lawson’s averages were 18.0 points per game, 8.9 assists per game, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from 3.

However, he did average 3.1 turnovers per game on a Denver Nuggets team that was only 20-20 and whose second-best player was Wilson Chandler, as Danilo Gallinari missed the entire season with a torn ACL.

Parker’s season was much like his entire career, incredibly consistent.

Parker, 31 at the time, averaged 17.9 points per game and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from 3 to go along with 2.5 turnovers per game.

Quite the opposite of the Nuggets, Parker’s San Antonio Spurs were 31-9 and arguably the best team in the NBA, eventually winning the NBA Finals that season.

Parker was shooting better than Lawson, but it’s important to remember the situation.

The Spurs were coming off their Finals loss to the Miami Heat in the previous year and all season they looked out for revenge with the same loaded roster that included Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Danny Green and a young Kawhi Leonard.

Oh, and Hall of Fame head coach Gregg Popovich, of course.

Lawson was required to do much more on a significantly less-talented team with a coach who was not anywhere near the quality that Popovich was and still is today.

Considering Lawson’s run-in with the law the previous summer and the issues he would have with alcohol in the future, it’s easy to see how Lawson may have not been a fairly popular option among other coaches on a weak team playing poorly.

Lawson was averaging more points, assists, rebounds, steals, and a higher offensive rating (114 for Lawson compared to 110 for Parker) on a team that required him to be stellar if they wanted to have any chance at winning on a nightly basis.

The Nuggets even made a video promoting Lawson and his chance at becoming an All-Star.

This isn’t Parker’s fault at all; he was placed in a better situation and took advantage of it, and when the coaches were picking the reserves, it probably wasn’t hard to talk themselves into a lifelong San Antonio Spur and multiple-time All-Star over Ty Lawson.

Lawson would play one more season before his career would begin to crumble and it’s interesting to think what might have happened had he made that All-Star game. Would he follow the same path he took? Or would he embrace the All-Star role and turn into a franchise changing player?

Apr 3, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers talks with small forward Paul Pierce during the fourth quarter of Boston’s 98-93 win over the Detroit Pistons in an NBA game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

4. Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics, 2012-13

The 2013 All-Star game featured Tyson Chandler’s only All-Star appearance, but there’s an argument that he shouldn’t have even made that one. Boston Celtics forward, Paul Pierce, was coming off five straight All-Star appearances, but had to sit this one out in favor of Chandler.

Chandler, who was 30, was on a 24-16 New York Knicks team led by Carmelo Anthony in what was the Knicks best season as a team since Melo arrived.

Chandler was averaging 12.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 67.3 percent from the field.

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Chandler’s incredibly high shooting percentage was a result of only taking 6.6 shots per game and most of them being dunks, layups or anything that wasn’t outside of three feet from the basket (90.9 percent of his shots that season were within three feet).

Chandler’s bread and butter has always been rebounding, dunking, and blocking shots and he’s made a successful and profitable career out of it.

Paul Pierce was playing for a failing Celtics team. The dynasty trio of Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett was falling out of place as Allen had previously left to join the rival Miami Heat team and KG’s age was beginning to negatively impact not only his game, but the team’s play overall.

(Although KG’s 14 points and seven rebounds per game was somehow good enough to get him voted as a starter by the fans).

Pierce was left to fill the void by himself, as Rondo (who was also voted an All-Star starter the same year), missed the entire second half of the season, including the playoffs, due to a torn ACL.

Pierce averaged 19.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from 3.

The Celtics were only 20-20 and a 35-year old Paul Pierce was their best player. To me, this a testament to how valuable of a player Pierce was. He made up that 2013 team and somehow willed them into the seven seed in the playoffs.

No offense to Tyson Chandler, but Carmelo Anthony is the main reason the Knicks made their way up to the No. 2 seed that season. If it weren’t for Paul Pierce, the Celtics would have been a low lottery team at best.

Apr 10, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith (5) celebrates with teammates during the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Hawks defeated the Sixers 124-101. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

3. Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks, 2011-12

Back in 2012, when the Miami Heat’s reign on the Eastern Conference began, Roy Hibbert was a major contributor on one of the only teams in the league that had the potential to take down them down.

Hibbert was on an Indiana Pacers’ team that included Paul George, Lance Stephenson, Danny Granger and David West, finishing third in the East in the shortened season.

Hibbert averaged 12.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field. Respectable numbers, but nothing about the 7-footer’s stat line was screaming All-Star.

Taking a look at who Hibbert was favored over, the first name that comes up is Josh Smith.

Josh Smith was 26 and in his eighth season with the Atlanta Hawks, who would finish fifth in the East that season.

One of the more outstanding crimes of the past decade in the NBA was the fact that Josh Smith never made an All-Star Game, especially when you look at the season he was having in 2012.

Smith was averaging 17.2 points, 9.7 rebounds (keep in mind he is five inches shorter than Hibbert), 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.1 percent from the field including 30.6 percent from 3 (which was actually better than his career average).

Based on the stats alone, Smith outweighs Hibbert in almost every category, including blocks and rebounds.

Smith was much more mobile than Hibbert, allowing him to be a creator when necessary and put himself in a better position to rebound or defend.

Smith had an elite jumping ability for a guy his size and he was never afraid to use it, no matter who was in front of him.

Hibbert’s offensive game was good enough to keep him above 10 points per game, but his post moves were never consistent or lethal enough to make him a serious threat. He never had a dominant presence down low on offense that intimidated opposing centers.

On defense, Hibbert was disciplined and a great rim protector, but Josh Smith actually posted a lower defensive rating of 95 compared to Hibbert’s rating of 100.

The coaches decided Hibbert should be in the game despite what the fans vote reflected. Hibbert finished outside of the top five for Eastern Conference center voting, below JaVale McGee, who accumulated more than 60,000 votes.

Smith, on the other hand, finished with more than119,000 votes, which was only good enough for 10th-highest among Eastern Conference forwards.

Unfortunately, the coaches choose the reserves and they chose Hibbert. They would again choose Hibbert to be on the All-Star team two years later in 2014, where he was putting up numbers that were worse than his 2012 “All-Star” season (10.8 PPG and 6.6 RPG).

Jan 7, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during a game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz at Target Center. The Jazz defeated the Timberwolves 94-92. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

2. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz, 2016-17

The Los Angeles Clippers‘ big man, 28-year old DeAndre Jordan, was selected to his first All-Star game this season, averaging 11.9 points, 13.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 67.4 percent from the field.

Perhaps one of Jordan’s best comparisons is the Utah Jazz’s big man, Rudy Gobert.

Gobert and Jordan are both elite rim protectors with an uncanny ability to snatch rebounds no matter where they bounce. They also both love to shoot within three feet of the basket, with an obvious need to expand their offensive game.

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Gobert, 24, is putting up eerily similar numbers to Jordan, averaging 12.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 65.6 percent from the field. Gobert also shoots 65.9 percent from the free throw line compared to 52 percent for Jordan.

Along with Gobert’s numbers being slightly better than Jordan’s, he also boasts a higher offensive rating (Gobert: 126 – Jordan: 121) and lower defensive rating (Gobert 99 – Jordan: 101)

Both the Clippers (30-18) and Jazz (30-19) are having impressive seasons despite the injury bug hitting both teams hard, but Gobert has had a bigger impact on his team.

Offensively, they are both elite at running the pick and roll, ranking in the 95th percentile or higher. They know that’s their bread and butter and they excel at it.

What separates these two is defense. We know that both players are elite rim protectors, but Gobert is even better than Jordan when defending the rim, and it’s stood out all season.

According to NBA.com, when defending any shot attempt within 6 feet of the basket, Gobert’s defensive field goal percentage is 47.3 percent compared to Jordan’s 55.6 percent.

Gobert does this while defending shots at a higher frequency than Jordan (50.3 percent for Gobert compared to 37.3 percent for Jordan). Gobert defends 2.6 more shots per game within six feet than Jordan and does so at a much higher efficiency.

Gobert defends the most shots in the league within 6 feet and is one of the most efficient in making sure his opponents miss.

They have similar tendencies on offense, but on defense, Gobert’s ability to contest any and all shots at the rim at an extremely impressive rate, compared to a player already known for their defensive prowess such as Jordan, is what makes me question the choice of Jordan over Gobert made by the coaches.

Jan 28, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) brings the ball up court against the Sacramento Kings during the first half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

1. Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets, 2014-15

The 2015 NBA All-Star Game, otherwise known as: The Atlanta Hawks and LeBron James vs. The West, featured four different Atlanta Hawks players–JKeff Teague, Paul Millsap, Al Horford and –selected as an injury replacement for Dwyane Wade — Kyle Korver.

Korver averaged only 12.9 points per game, using his insane shooting stretch to coax his way into the All-Star Game.

Korver shot 51 percent from the field, which is already impressive for a guard, but on top of that he shot 52.7 percent from 3, a highly impressive number for any shooter.

Only four players have ever shot better than 52 percent from the 3 for an entire season (Korver is at the top of the list, shooting 53.6 percent in 2009-10).

What’s maybe more impressive is that he was shooting 5.7 3s per game, connecting on 3.0 of those attempts.

Korver and the Atlanta Hawks were rolling through practically every team, surprising just about everyone and starting the season at 32-8.

There is no debate that Teague, Horford, and Millsap deserved their spot, but besides Korver’s innate ability to shoot the ball off of screens or in spot-up situations, his qualifications for the All-Star game were hard to find.

He’s not a quick or reliable defender, he struggles to create his own shot, and isn’t a good rebounder despite being 6’7″.

Instead of being voted in by the fans or coaches, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was the man who selected Korver to join his teammates and it begs the question of whether or not Korver was selected due to the gracious circumstance his team was in.