Fact or fiction: LeBron James belongs in the All-Star Game

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Fact or fiction: LeBron James belongs in the All-Star Game

In what has become something of an annual tradition, we’re here to talk about The Biggest NBA All-Star Game Snub. Previous winners include Jamal Murray, who finally got his call up for the first time this season when the league announced its 14 reserves on Sunday.

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Lists in alphabetical order (initials in bold)…

EASTERN CONFERENCE: Giannis AntetokounmpoMilwaukee Dollars; Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors; Jaylen BrownBoston Celts; Jalen BrunsonNew York Knicks; Cade CunninghamDetroit Pistons; Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons; Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Falcons; Maxey TyresePhiladelphia 76ers; Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Knights; Norman Powell, Miami Heat; Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers; Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks.

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WESTERN CONFERENCE: Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers; Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns; Stephen CurryWarriors of the Golden State; Luka DoncicLos Angeles Lakers; Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets; Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves; Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderOklahoma City Thunder; Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder; LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers; Nikola JokicDenver Nuggets; Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets; Victor WembanyamaSan Antonio Spurs.

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As always, rule number 1 when choosing the biggest snub: we have to eliminate someone.

There are only 24 spots, at least until NBA Commissioner Adam Silver selects a replacement for the injured Antetokounmpo and balances rosters across the United States and the world (don’t even get me started), so if we add someone, we have to cut another player.

One name stands out to me on this list and could cause a bit of a stir: LeBron James.

James is one of the few greatest players in the history of the game. He is without a doubt the best 41-year-old to ever play basketball. Maybe it deserves the place for that alone.

In fact, Silver once rewarded Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki with All-Star Game appearances in the later years of their careers, and I thought they’d do the same with James this year. Not that I agreed with that either. And maybe I’m just a hater, but to me: you should want to earn your spot on the list. Not that they give it to you. (We’ll have more on that later.)

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But no: James did it alone. Or, at least, they did according to the league’s coaches, whose votes selected seven reserves from each conference in the debut of Sunday Night Basketball on NBC. A combination of votes from fans, players and media decided the starting 10.

Listen, I would understand if the fans voted for James. (He finished eighth in fan voting.)

I would understand if the players voted for James. (He finished eighth in player voting.)

The man is a living legend.

But this was up to the coaches, and for them it should have been who earned it on the basketball court, right? I could only imagine that James would want it that way too.

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You always want to earn your place.

And in no world has James been a better player this season than Kawhi Leonard. One of them is averaging 22-6-7 with 50/33/75 shot splits in 30 games. The other is posting a nightly 28-6-4 with 50/40/94 shot splits in 34 games. I’ll give you an idea of ​​which one.

It is Leonard who has the superior numbers. Not only is he on track to join the 50-40-90 club, but the 34-year-old leads the NBA in free throw percentage. and steals per game (2.1).

Meanwhile, James is statistically one of the slowest and weakest defenders in the league.

You might think Leonard doesn’t deserve the spot because of the Aspiration scandal. Last I checked, the league had not made a decision on whether Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, as alleged, circumvented the salary cap to sign Leonard. Even if the league had made that decision, it’s the Clippers who should be punished, not necessarily Leonard. (If Aspiration wants to pay me $50 million for a no-show job, I’m not entirely against it.)

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Or maybe you think Leonard doesn’t deserve his All-Star berth because his Los Angeles Clippers are 22-25, 10th in the West, clinging to the last spot in the conference play-in tournament. Never mind the fact that they are 16-4 in their last 20 games and own the same net rating (-0.2) on the season as James’ sixth-place Los Angeles Lakers.

Leonard is the biggest snub. There is no doubt about it. He may be among the biggest All-Star snubs in NBA history, according to the Player Efficiency Rating (27.2). He ranks among the league leaders in every major advanced statistical category, including plus-minus estimation.

Even if I had to concede that Leonard should be disqualified by the Clippers’ aspirations or record, there is at least one other player, if not several, who deserves the spot over James. One immediately comes to mind: Alperen Şengün of the Houston Rockets.

Şengün is averaging 21-9-6 on 50/30/68 shooting splits, comparable numbers to James, only he’s doing it for a real contender (who happens to be missing his starting point guard, Fred VanVleet, and a starting/reserve center, Steven Adams). When Şengün is on the court, the Rockets outscored their opponents by 5.5 points per 100 meaningful possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass, operating as a top-3 offense and a mediocre defense.

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When Leonard is on the court, the Clippers outscore their opponents by 3.9 points per 100 non-garbage possessions, while also operating as a top-four offense and a mediocre defense.

By contrast, when James is on the court, the Lakers have been outscored by 1.5 points per 100 meaningful possessions, operating as a top-10 offense and a below-5 defense.

The point is…

Determination: fiction. LeBron James doesn’t belong in the All-Star Game. Not as a choice of the coaches. Maybe as a commissioner’s choice. Even then, he didn’t show up for last year’s game. Make that your honorary appearance if we must award All-Star nominations for participation.