Every year when the All-Star teams are announced in full, it’s followed by a chorus of complaints about which players were snubbed. This year, a lot of that focus has been on the Sacramento Kings duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Kings coach Mike Brown joined the chorus to campaign for his two stars.
“It’s clear to anyone who watches the NBA and Kings basketball that De’Aaron and Domantas should have been selected for this year’s All-Star game,” Brown told Andscape. “They are playing at an unbelievably elite level, Domantas establishing historic numbers with his double-doubles and De’Aaron setting a new career mark for 3-point field goals. Every year, there are deserving players left off the team but, to me, this is truly a glaring wrongdoing.”
Not making the All-Star team is particularly impactful for Sabonis. The veteran center will miss out on a $1.3 million bonus, unless he’s named as an injury replacement. Given no Western Conference All-Stars are currently dealing with long-term injuries, that seems unlikely to happen.