NBA All-Star Game 2019: TV Schedule for Reserves Reveal and Predicting Top Snubs

The fans, players and media have spoken.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) and LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) were voted in as the Eastern Conference and Western Conference captains, respectively, for Feb. 17's 2019 NBA All-Star Game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

They'll choose from a pool of eight other starters, no matter their conference affiliation, who were revealed last week.

The East will have Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors), Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets) and Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics). James Harden (Houston Rockets), Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors), Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Stephen Curry (Warriors) will be representing the West.

Now that the starters are known, it's time for the NBA coaches to offer their two cents on what players deserve to be reserves.

The coaches will select 14 All-Star reserves (seven from the East and seven from the West), who will be announced Thursday night during TNT NBA Tip-Off at 7 p.m. ET.

The process can be a bit subjective, but there are players who are virtually shoe-ins for a nod.

In the West, expect Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook to makes every coach's list, with players like Rudy Gobert, DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge and Luka Doncic getting some consideration.

For the East, Bradley Beal, Blake Griffin, Victor Oladipo, Khris Middleton and D'Angelo Russell should be no-brainers, while Ben Simmons, Kyle Lowry, Nikola Vucevic and Pascal Siakam could be in play.

No matter who gets in, though, there will always be snubs, players who many will argue should have made the cut.

2019 NBA All-Star Schedule Info

All-Star Draft Show

When: Thursday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

All-Star Game

When: Sunday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

TV: TNT

Top All-Star Snubs

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Perhaps the biggest All-Star snubs are those players who have made the game in the past but are left out for one reason or another.

Jimmy Butler definitely falls into that category.

Because of injuries and his falling-out with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he's only played in 38 of a possible 49 games this season. 

His numbers are also slightly down. He's averaging 19.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists, down from last year's All-Star campaign, when he averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

The Philadelphia 76ers (32-18) are playing well as a unit and are in fourth place in the East, but they will get their share of representation with Embiid and possibly Simmons.

Additionally, he hasn't played enough games in the Eastern Conference to warrant a spot.

Jimmy Buckets is still an All-Star-caliber player, but he'll have to sit this one out.

Karl-Anthony Towns will hear his name and snub in the same sentence this year, but he also doesn't have a strong enough case.

While his numbers are decent—22.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per contest—his Timberwolves are below .500 and no threat to make the playoffs.

KAT definitely has the talent to play in the league's 68th annual midseason classic, but it will be a while before coaches respect him as a leader or a player who can carry a franchise.

Devin Booker is considered an All-Star because of the sheer number of points he puts on the board.

This season, he's averaging 24.5 points per game. That makes him a worthy candidate, but he's on a team with the second-worst record in the league. He's also a guard in the West, where there is more talent than there are All-Star roster spots.

Booker is coming, but just not this year.

Zach LaVine is in the same boat as Booker. He's pouring in 22.9 points a night, but they're empty calories. The Chicago Bulls have the fourth-worst record in the league and are a long way from contending. 

If LaVine can add another dimension to his game and lift the Bulls to the playoffs, he'll make an All-Star team in the future.

CJ McCollum is another player who should feel some type of way that he hasn't made an All-Star team yet.

He's had the numbers for a while now. He and Lillard are a potent backcourt, one of the most feared in the league. But he hasn't been able to break through.

The Portland Trail Blazers are fourth in the West, so it's not a matter of playing on a bad team; it's just that the West is that deep.

If McCollum is added, who gets taken out?

Until a coach can answer that question definitively, the Blazers two-guard will be a spectator for the big game.

Utah Jazz phenom Donovan Mitchell could be listed here, and there's even an off chance that a coach or two might write him in, but a slow start to his season hurt his chances.

This isn't a comprehensive list, but these are the top snub predictions for this year.

Who else should have made it?

Follow Maurice Bobb on Twitter, @ReeseReport.