OKC Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander’s main competition as ASG injury replacement
The NBA All-Star 24 player roster is almost set with the14 reserves announced on Tuesday night. While OKC Thunder fans hoped Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would make the cut via the coaches’ reserve votes he missed the cut.
The seven players added by the coaches were mostly expected but there were notable snubs from each conference as well as untraditional choices by coaches based on historical practices.
As Intentions noted, Gilgeous-Alexander was arguably the biggest snub in the west while former OKC Thunder big man Domantas Sabonis has fodder to take out on teams the rest of the season!
The glimmer of hope remaining is one spot remains open due to Anthony Davis’ injury.
CP3 was on NBA Game Time and is already pushing for Devin Booker as the injury replacement. The Jazz will push for Mike Conley who has suffered more than his fair share of snubs to make the All-Star team.
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has shown recent improvement so might be a consideration. Coach Gregg Popovich may be pushing for DeMar DeRozan who should get a long look given his production and the Spurs’ position on the ladder.
Other lottery team players who’ll be in the mix are Pelicans Brandon Ingram, Grizzlies Ja Morant, and the Wolves Karl-Anthony Towns. It would be surprising for Ingram to get selected because there are already debates over Zion making the team.
In the past injury replacement selections are made by the league, so commissioner Adam Silver will have the final word.
Although Davis is a frontcourt player it’s not a given a big man will replace him. Three guards would be direct competition versus SGA. To that end, let’s dive a bit deeper into the case for why Gilgeous-Alexander is the most deserving of that final reserve spot.
OKC Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander biggest competition as injury replacement
Notably, I didn’t include Mike Conley in this review because his selection would be to reward the best team currently in the NBA. Besides, it feels like sacrilege to make an argument against Conley who has been snubbed more than any current player in the Association.
For years the Grizzlies were competitive but Conley lost out to players like then favorite OKC Thunder guard Russell Westbrook.
The list of guards who got the reserve nod ahead of Conley is extensive: Chris Paul, Manu Ginobili, Deron Williams, Tony Parker, Steve Nash, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, and Gordon Hayward.
AND– that’s just the reserves who beat him out in a seven-year stretch when the Grizzlies were among the elite. So – yeah – if Conley gets the nod no one is going to argue him finally getting a long-overdue All-Star berth.
Instead, let’s look at the two guards who pose the biggest threat to SGA nabbing the open slot — DeMar DeRozan and Devin Booker.
Looking purely at a stat comparison just like the numbers proved in the Mitchell comparison in this morning’s article, Gilgeous-Alexander once again provides a compelling argument.