Rob Gray-Imagn Images Wemby was snubbed in favor of a couple of legends, but if he keeps playing like he has this year, he’ll be a perennial starter soon enough. Victor Wembanyama wasn’t named an All-Star starter in the West. Was it a snub or the right call? Marilyn Dubinski: You could make an argument either way. Obviously Nikola Jokic belongs, then it comes down to whether or not you believe LeBron James and/or Kevin Durant got in based on “legacy” votes more than on-court performance. In other words, are fans (and players, in this case) going to keep voting for them until they just aren’t on the ballot anymore because they’re legends? Still, at least this season, both their teams have better records than Wemby’s, and for voters who like stats, they have both been just as, if not more impactful on offense than Wemby. Next season might be a different story, but there’s at least an argument for those two over Wemby, and for legends, that’s all it takes. Mark Barrington: I initially felt like it was a snub, but looking at the overall choices in both conferences, it was pretty consistent. These were legacy picks based on their careers and not just based on how good they’ve been this year. I can’t argue with Jokic going before Wemby, and you can make a strong argument for Durant. LeBron is having a bit of a down year for him, but it would be great for almost anyone else. Victor is scoring more points, has more rebounds, steals and leads in just about every statistical category besides assists, but this might be LeBron’s final All-Star Game, and maybe that’s reason enough for giving him the start. Jesus Gomez: It’s a tough one because Wemby has the numbers this year but not the resume. He’s a second-year player who was hyped up a lot and so far has only delivered highlights. San Antonio doesn’t have a top record so there’s no narrative about him transforming them into a great team immediately and the discussion about him has often been geared toward his still controversial perimeter-oriented game. Great play should be enough but past accolades, narratives and name recognition matter for the All-Star game, as we all know. He’ll get in as a reserve for sure, so while it feels like a snub, it’s not a huge deal, as he’ll likely get a starting spot sooner rather than later in the upcoming years. Bill Huan: It was a snub. I went through who should be named the West starters and found that Shai, Jokic, Wemby were the three locks, with the other two more up in the air. With that said, I’m not surprised LeBron, Steph and KD made it given their popularity and place in the sport’s history. If fans would like to see them, then by all means! Wemby will have his turn soon and could start in this game for the next 15 years. Devon Birdsong: Whether or not you see it as a snub likely depends on whether or not you think that LeBron James is having a good enough season to be a starter over Wemby (he’s not), and whether you’re taking into account the old position-based All-Star selection process. Going by the old system, Wemby wouldn’t be a starter over Jokic, who’s currently making a strong case for MVP again. Then again, Wemby ranks ahead of James, Durant, and Curry in several advanced stats categories such as PER (Player Efficiency Rating), DARKO (Daily Plus-Minus), LEBRON, and PIE (Player Impact Estimate). So, according to the current Frontcourt/Backcourt process, he absolutely was, but he also had a better chance of being named starter now than in the past. Personally, I’d be more bothered if he ended up being a borderline choice to make the team. The media was on board with Wemby as a starter but the public wasn’t. Is it just a matter of time before he’s embraced, or is Wemby not connecting with non-Spurs fans? Dubinski: It’s also worth pointing out that Anthony Davis had the media vote as well, so it’s interesting to see how the media views things differently than the fans and players. Do they value defense more than statistical-minded fans and players? Are they in fact more in tune with what Wemby is doing than fans (in part because the Spurs haven’t had many nationally televised games yet)? Regardless, the fans will come around soon, and I have no doubt that like LeBron and Durant, Wemby will get into the “starters club” (i.e. someone who will have the fan vote regardless of anything) maybe even as soon as next season, and once he’s in, it will be a long time before he’s out again. Barrington: I think that Wembanyama just hasn’t been around long enough to compete with the casual fan’s familiarity with the superstars they’ve known for years, and in some cases, decades. He’s only been in the league a little over a year, and although he gets a lot of attention from the press, the Spurs are still a small-market team. He’s going to be the face of the league for a long time, just not quite yet. Gomez: I think the casual fan hasn’t caught up and probably still sees Wemby as a curiosity more than the star he already is. Short videos shared on social media are great but there’s not a lot of buzz about the Spurs to pique people’s interest in actually diving deeper into how good he’s been. San Antonio will eventually be too successful to ignore and Wemby will be the reason for it. Once that happens, more eyes will be on Wemby as one of the most likable franchise stars around instead of just a highlights machine, and he’ll get the recognition he deserves. Huan: I don’t think it’s a matter of not connecting with non-Spurs fans given that he already has one of the highest-selling jerseys league-wide and seems to be approaching a household name. Rather, as I mentioned above, it’s likely just a scenario where the fans wanted to see LeBron, KD, and Steph together for perhaps the last time (with Shai and Jokic being the obvious picks). Birdsong: I’d say that it feels like a combination of doubt, jealousy, and a sentiment that Wemby hasn’t earned his place yet. There are still those who don’t believe that Wemby’s already as good as he is, those who are upset that he’s not playing for their team, and those who feel like it’s too soon to give him the loftiest accolades (not because he’s not good, but because it’s ‘not his time yet’). Also, never discount how much NBA fans as a whole do not like/are not interested in the Spurs. Assuming Victor gets in as a reserve, who do you think deserves an All-Star nod but won’t get it? Dubinski: I don’t even have to leave Texas to list a few potential snubs. The fan vote says both Luka Donic and Kyrie Irving are deserving, but Luka has only played 22 games and may not even be back from a calf strain by the All-Star game. It’s also hard to know what the pulse is on Kyrie since he has stayed out of the spotlight (which is a good thing for him). It will also be interesting to see if Alperen Sengun gets it. He could, based on the fan votes, but assuming Wemby and Davis make it, will the coaches make room for a 4th center? There’s also Jalen Green to consider for the Rockets, but he wasn’t as popular with the fans. Imagine if the 2nd-seeded, vastly improved Rockets ended up with no All-Stars? There would be uproar, and rightfully so. Barrington: I’m going to agree with Marilyn that Sengun is on the cusp of being excluded, even though he’s been great this year. Cade Cunningham from Detroit has had a breakout year, but the fans really didn’t give him a lot of love. I think he deserves the nod, but it looks a little shaky for him right now with LaMelo Ball, Trae Young, and Damian Lillard ahead of him in the fan voting. Gomez: LaMelo Ball got a lot of fan votes, for good reason. He has an incredibly fun and unique game and is posting better numbers than those that got him an All-Star spot in 2022. But will coaches be impressed by what might be perceived as empty stats on a terrible team and be willing to look past the occasionally terrible decisions Ball makes? I feel like Ball has been good enough to earn his spot and he’s built for an exhibition game, but I can see the coaches disagreeing and leaving a guy averaging 29-5-7 out of the All-Star game. Huan: This might be a hot take, but James Harden. He and the Clippers have flown under the radar this year but they’ve sneakily been in a playoff position for the entire season, and Harden’s been the biggest reason for their surprising success. Shooting below 40% from the field sure is ugly, but Harden has done everything else well and LA’s offense goes in the toilet without him on the court. Without his playmaking and offensive gravity, the Clippers would likely be competing for a top draft pick, and he deserves to be recognized. Birdsong: As much as I hate to praise and/or endorse any Rockets player, Sengun definitely looks like he’ll be on the outside looking in, and he’s been really good. However, the biggest snub of both this and last year has to be Domantas Sabonis, who’s having another insanely efficient and impactful season averaging 21/14/6 while shooting 60% from the field and 48% from three. For my money that would represent the worst pair of All-Star snubs since DeMar DeRozan was in San Antonio if not for the fact that Sabonis’ teammate De’Aaron Fox has basically duplicated his stats from last season and may also miss out again. For that to happen to one player is one thing, but to a pair of worthy teammates? Well, let’s just say that if there’s one team that has more reason to complain of recent All-Star snubbery than San Antonio, it’s Sacramento. Sheesh.