Its substitutes NBA All-Star 2023 were announced on the evening of Thursday, February 3rd and, as always, sparked debate.
Every year when the starters and reserves are announced, the conversation turns to the players who were left out. Sometimes it’s All-Star games that fall off the roster for the first time in a long time. Others are players who competed at a high enough level to believe they deserved their first entry into the competition.
It’s never easy to discount all the talent in the NBA 24 places in list of names, and it seems that every year it becomes a more difficult task.
As always with non-All-Star absentees, you can’t just say who should have made the team, you also have to say who they should replace.
Below is a list of principal absences in each Conference together with whom they should replace. Also, a little explanation about if it had to exist or just needed an honorable mention.
The big absentees of the 2023 NBA All-Star
Eastern Conference
James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers
Significant absence or honor: long absence — replacing Jrue Holiday
Harden has fully thrived in his new role as playmaker with the 76ers, a team with the fourth-best record in the NBA. Averaging a career-high 11.0 assists along with 21.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals, it’s almost impossible to believe someone like that went undrafted.
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Significant absence or honor: long absence — replaced by Julius Randle
Brunson has been the engine of a team like the Knicks that has been in contention for the Playoffs all season, but Julius Randle was chosen to represent New York. The point guard is averaging 22.8 points, 6.2 assists and 1 steal per night, but he wasn’t rewarded for the way he impacted the Knicks. The 26-year-old will have to wait another year (or injury replacement!) to make his first appearance in the competition.
Bring on Young, Atlanta Hawks
Significant absence or honor: honorable mention
For the second time in three years, Young was left out of the All-Star Game. The Hawks star is averaging 27.3 points and 9.9 assists per game, ranking 12th and 3rd overall, respectively. The only reason for their drop is that Atlanta was below 50% wins at the time of the vote.
Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
Significant absence or honor: honorable mention
Siakam’s absence is simply a product of the team struggling. Averaging a career-high 25.0 points with 8.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists, the Cameroonian led the Raptors for most of the season. Still, with Toronto’s 23-30 record, it’s not hard to believe he wasn’t an All-Star.
Jimmy Butler Miami Heat
Significant absence or honor: long absence — replacement for Bam Adebayo
For the first time since 2018, Butler will not be an All-Star two years in a row, which is a result of the great work of Bam Adebayo. Miami’s star forward is averaging 22.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.1 steals, giving him a strong case to be among the first to be considered in case of an injury.
western conference
Devin BookerPhoenix Suns
Significant absence or honor: long absence — replacing Jaren Jackson Jr. or by Paul George
There is no excuse for Booker not to be selected as an All-Star. The argument would be that he only played 29 games, but that’s the same number of games as Zion Williamson, who was voted a starter. Averaging a career-high 27.1 points with 5.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds, the shooting guard was playing at an MVP level before suffering a groin injury. The Suns fell off a cliff without him in the lineup and only furthered his case as an All-Star.
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Significant absence or honor: long absence — replacing Jaren Jackson Jr. or by Paul George
It gave the impression that Edwards did everything possible to earn his first All-Star selection. The 21-year-old was the catalyst for the Timberwolves with 24.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He has improved defensively while maintaining his usual production on the offensive end and hasn’t missed a game this season.
De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
Significant absence or honor: long absence — substitute for Domantas Sabonis
Pity Fox, who played a big role in the Kings’ amazing run as the third-best team in the Western Conference. It was tough for Sacramento to get two All-Stars, even if he and Sabonis deserved it. In addition to averaging 24.1 points and 6.1 assists per game, Fox leads in clutch scoring and is the favorite for the new award in this category.
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Significant absence or honor: honorable mention
The only reason Davis missed the cut is that he only played in 29 games. When the interior was on the court, there was no doubt that he was one of the 24 best players in the NBA this season. Averaging 26.8 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 steals, it’s impossible to read that stat line and not think “All-Star.”
