Suns guard Devin Booker was a borderline All-Star candidate.
He’s getting treated like one.
Coaches didn’t select him as a 2020 Western Conference All-Star reserve. But Booker will replace injured Lakers big Anthony Davis in Atlanta.
NBA release:
Silver has sole authority to pick All-Star injury replacements. But in the past, he has deferred coaches’ reserve voting and named the top remaining player.
I thought Booker deserved to be an All-Star all along (as I did last year, when Booker also qualified only as an injury replacement). But it was an incredibly tight race this year between Booker, Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, Suns teammate Chris Paul, Pelicans big Zion Williamson and Jazz guard Mike Conley. There were bound to be a couple tough omissions, even when accounting for the change in offensive environment.
Thankfully, everyone – including LeBron James – posted their outrage about Booker being snubbed before it became irrelevant.
Now, attention can turn to Conley, who has a long history of not making All-Star games. There must always be a reason for indignation with All-Star selections.