Anthony Davis snubbed as NBA Western Conference All-Star reserve

Feb 3, 2023 - 12:32 AM

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After narrowly missing out on being named an All-Star starter last week, Anthony Davis was snubbed as a Western Conference All-Star reserve on Thursday. Memphis center Jaren Jackson Jr. was the final selection over Davis while Lauri Markkanen of Utah, Domantas Sabonis of Sacramento and Paul George of the Clippers were other frontcourt selections.

Davis was remarkable to start the year, playing at an MVP level, let alone an All-Star one. Through the opening 25 games of the season, Davis was averaging 27.4 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while shooting 59.4% from the field. In a 12-game stretch during the opening weeks, Davis averaged 32.7 points and 13.9 rebounds on 62.6% shooting, including a 55-point game.

However, the 20 games missed that followed were the biggest mark against his All-Star candidacy and ultimately what cost him. In total, Davis missed 24 games through Tuesday’s game against the Knicks with three of them coming in the first 25 games and one coming since his return from injury.

As a result, his selection came down to elite-level production versus games played. Coaches who selected the team decided Davis had missed too many games to discount his production on the year, even though he was playing better than basically anyone in the league for multiple weeks in November and December. And despite the fact he really didn’t even miss that many games relative to his peers.

There is a possibility of Davis being an injury replacement, though no one currently selected is injured. Davis, though, is one of the top names left off the rosters and would certainly be one of the replacements if an injury were to occur. Otherwise, it’ll serve as time off for Davis to fully heal and prepare for a second-half playoff push.

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