There are just two Western Conference teams ranked in the top nine: the Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans. Neither team has an All-Star on their roster.
De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis were both nominated to the squad for the previous season; however, in spite of their improved stats, they were left off in 2024.
Since coaches have to cast their votes, Sacramento’s record has significantly improved, having won six of their previous eight games, but the talented pair has performed exceptionally throughout the whole season.
Prior to their game against the Detroit Pistons that evening, they both talked with reporters following the team’s shootaround on Wednesday morning.
“The talent pool is challenging,” Sabonis remarked. “The top athletes are present. Naturally, being there with everyone would have been an honour and a privilege, but you just have to keep working hard, and, in my opinion, the ultimate objective is to win a championship with this team.
Sabonis’s exclusion from the team surprised Fox even more than Sabonis himself. “I believe that Sabonis is among the top 10 in every MVP tracker,” he remarked. “He’s the only player, I believe, who isn’t an All-Star in the top 10 of an MVP tracker. That is undoubtedly more unexpected.
Nine games have passed.500 at the moment, which is seated in fifth place in the NBA, and you have a player who’s nearly averaging a triple-double, Fox went on. “I’m not sure how they see that and find it acceptable.”
Compare Sabonis’s stats and club history to those of a few players who made the list.
Sacramento Kings (29–20)’s Domantas Sabonis finished with 19.7 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists on 61.9/43.4/68.9.
Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl Anthony-Towns (35–16): 22.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists on 51.7/43.7/87.4.
Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis(27–25) stats include 24.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 7.6 assists on 52.1/39.0/72.7.
LA Clippers (34–15)’s Paul George has 22.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 46.1/41.2/90.8.
In terms of double-doubles (45), Sabonis leads the NBA, while he is tied for the lead in triple-doubles (15) with current MVP Nikola Jokic. Not to add, he leads the association in rebounds with 13.1. Outstanding, usually All-Star level performance, yet he forfeits financial gains in the process.
Due to his All-Star and All-NBA selections from the previous season, Sabonis received $2.6 million in incentives from his contract. The big man will miss out on $1.3 million this season for not being selected as an initial All-Star, but All-NBA is still up for grabs. The incentives in Fox’s deal are different.
“(Sabonis is) a guy who ought to be there one thousand percent of the time and is losing out on money,” he remarked.
The Sacramento Kings are the only team without a player on the roster; the other teams are the Lakers, Suns, Timberwolves, and Clippers. Now that Trae Young has been added to the roster as an injury replacement, Fox is the only player in the top 10 in scoring to not be included.
Fox’s numbers in relation to those who made the team are as follows:
The Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox finished with 27.3 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.0 rebounds on 46.9/37.8/72.1.
Golden State Warriors’ (22-25) Stephen Curry finished with 28.1 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.4 rebounds on 46.0/41.0/93.2.
Phoenix Suns (30–21)’s Devin Booker finished with 27.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.7 rebounds on 50.2/38.6/86.9.
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves (35–16): 46.6/39.4/83.8, 25.9 points, 5.1 assists, and 5.3 rebounds
LA Clippers (34–15)’s Paul George has 22.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 46.1/41.2/90.8.
Though shocked that neither did, Sabonis stated, “Fox deserved it.” This team has been led by him. He has been performing it every night.
He went on, “He’s the snake’s head.” That does occur from time to time, but that is not our goal. Our ultimate aim is far bigger than the Kings and the city for whom we are playing here.
There’s no disputing that Fox has not only maintained but also increased his success from the previous year. Unquestionably, he has made significant progress as a three-point shooter and defender. He now ranks fifth in the league in steals per game (1.8).
The difficult aspect of these discussions is always figuring out who they ought to have been chosen for instead. Curry’s counting totals are marginally higher than Fox’s, but the Kings have a far superior record than the Warriors.
When comparing Sacramento’s tandem to Paul George, the reverse is true. The Clippers are frequently seen as one of the finest teams in the league, despite the fact that their individual stats may be more remarkable.
Although Sabonis has a numerical advantage over Anthony-Towns, the Wolves have dominated the West for the majority of the season. Although Davis’s resume is evident, the Lakers are now predicted to be a low-seeded play-in club.
In the event that neither can still make the squad through injury substitution (like Fox did the previous season), they will be able to take advantage of the All-Star break. Fox made fun of the frigid weather in Indiana, but it could be beneficial to give the Sacramento Kings’ entire lineup some time off to recuperate.
