NBA All-Star 2018: Paul George, Chris Paul, Ben Simmons among biggest snubs

Tom Gatto

•
NBA All-Star 2018: Paul George, Chris Paul, Ben Simmons among biggest snubs image

The NBA announced the reserves for this year's All-Star Game on Tuesday night. Not every deserving player made the list, of course. As SN's Sean Deveney wrote this week in his prediction piece, "There are always snubs."

This year's snubs included a group of five that could do damage if it played together.

MORE: All-Star reserves announced early

Paul George, SF, Thunder

It's a tough deal for George, who was hoping to play in his hometown (and in, maybe, his future home arena). He lost out to LaMarcus Aldridge, Draymond Green and Karl-Anthony Towns in the coaches' voting for frontcourt players. 

MORE: Westbrook says PG an All-Star, takes jab at KD

Andre Drummond, C, Pistons

Drummond would be this unit's rim protector (15.0 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per game). He had the misfortune of being in the same East center group with the Knicks' Kristaps Porzingis.

Chris Paul, PG, Rockets

Injuries likely had a role in keeping CP3 out. He has been limited to 28 games this season after making his debut on Nov. 16. When he has been on the court, he has been a standout backcourt complement to James Harden. Paul has missed the midwinter game for a second consecutive year after nine consecutive berths.

Ben Simmons, PG, 76ers

Philly's rookie 6-10 unicorn has slowed since the start of December, with his scoring and rebounding averages both declining. He still can dish the rock (7.2 assists per game), and he's still exciting to watch, but isn't quite an All-Star. 

Lou Williams, SG, Clippers

Williams had a solid case as LA's leading scorer (23.3 points per game) highlighted by a 50-point game, two games of 40-plus and 11 of 30 or more. Maybe coaches were looking at him as more of a sixth man (14 starts in 45 games) than a primary option.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.