There is love at first sight when Draymond Green steps onto the court with the Kings. However, that does not imply that the Warriors center/forward lacks respect for Sacramento’s star players.
Two notable Sacramento natives were conspicuously absent from the 2024 All-Star roster when the NBA unveiled the roster last week: De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Both were All-Stars the previous season and have contributed to the Kings’ 29-20 record, which puts them in fifth place in the Western Conference of the NBA.
Fox is averaging a career-high 27.3 points, 4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game through 43 games. He is also shooting slightly under 47% from the field and 37% from three-point range.
In 49 games, Sabonis is shooting slightly under 62% from the field and 43% from three-point range, averaging 19.7 points, 13.1 rebounds (leading the NBA), and 8.2 assists (career-high) per game.
In his most recent podcast, Draymond Green discusses Fox, Sabonis, and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young as significant All-Star omissions. The Hawks are in the NBA Play-In Tournament with the Eastern Conference’s final place, and Young is averaging 27 points and 11 assists per game.
“In a league that prioritises statistics, we have the story of the two tapes: one team that is very close to making the playoffs, and another that is currently in the running, all three with amazing stats, but none of them get to play in the All-Star Game,” explains Green.
The host continues by expressing his belief that Fox and Sabonis exchanged votes. NBA coaches choose two guards, three frontcourt players, and two wildcard players from their respective conferences to make up their All-Star reserves.
“If you look at the roster, De’Aaron Fox and Sabonis would be fighting for the wild cards, and they probably stole votes from each other.” As a result, if you’re observing them, you might think, “Ah, Sabonis for me for that team, Fox for me for that team.” Thus, I believe they took votes away from one another in return. According to Green, “And when they take votes away from each other, someone else kind of slides in.”
Green proceeds to contrast Fox’s circumstances with those of NBA veteran Mike Conley Jr. He was the leader of the Grit N’ Grind Grizzlies for many years, but the intense competition he encountered prevented him from playing in the All-Star game. Conley’s lone All-Star participation came in 2021, when he replaced an injury. Some guards in the West might be improving more than De’Aaron Fox, despite Fox ramping up his game this season and led the Kings to the playoffs last year.
