5 NBA players who won’t be All-Stars this year that were last year

I did this same article last year and went 4 for 5. Pretty good in my opinion. 

My picks were Kemba Walker, Rudy Gobert (the only one I got wrong), Domantis Sabonis (replacement doesn’t count), Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Lowry.

So, here are my predictions for 5 NBA players who won’t be All-Stars this year that were last year.

1. Ben Simmons

This one is pretty obvious. Simmons is stubborn about not playing with the Sixers and that leaves a lot of uncertainty. He will likely be traded to a team where he is not the best player. Although that seems ok because he wasn’t the best player on the Sixers, the Sixers were contenders. To add to that, he is pretty much the opposite of a fan favorite. He also cannot score the basketball.

2. Kyrie Irving

Kyrie is super talented. But, as many know, he is a huge liability off the court. Who knows if he will even play this season. Regardless, I do not think he would make the all-star team anyway. There is a lot of talent in the East and having Harden and Durant on your team (two All-star locks) does not make it any easier. I don’t see it happening.

3. Mike Conley & Rudy Gobert

This is a two-in-one. Conley did not deserve to make it last year (although I am happy he did). Players like Derozan and SGA were much more deserving. Conley only averaged 16 points and 6 assists as the third option. C’mon, that’s not all-star numbers. For Rudy Gobert, the only reason he makes it year after year is because of his defense and the lack of skilled big men in the West. Players like KAT, Kristaps, and Ayton could all take a step this year and be all-stars. We know they have it in them. Gobert is great defensively, but I just don’t see it being enough this year.

4. Chris Paul

CP3 is one of my favorite players in the league. I think he will still make a huge impact on the Suns, but you cannot deny two things. One, his age. CP3 is getting old and there is no guarantee he continues this level of productivity. I think he can, but it is uncertain. The second is the amount of guard talent in the West. There are so many young guards in the West that have never been all-stars that are skilled enough to do so. Ja, D. Fox, SGA, J. Murray. You also can’t forget Klay and Russ. Those guys have been playing at an all-star level their whole career.

5. Nikola Vucevic

This one pains me the most because I am a Bulls fan. I still think Vooch can make the all-star team, but it will be difficult. There is just so much scoring on the Bulls that it is likely his production will go down. DeMar will put up close to 20 and Lonzo is bound to score a decent margin. Plus, Coby and Carushow are off the bench. There are so many scoring options that there won’t be a need for him to put up the points he has in the past. Not to mention, players like Sabonis & Adebayo will likely make the all-star team after skipping a year.

Well, hopefully, I can match the accuracy I had in year 1. 

Thanks for reading!