Quin Snyder Rips NBA All-Star Selection Process After Rudy Gobert Reserve Snub
The full NBA All-Star Game rosters were announced Thursday, and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was one of the most notable snubs.
His coach Quin Snyder explained why this was a problem, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon:
Gobert is known for his defensive prowess and was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year last season. He has been just as good on that end this year, averaging 12.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.
As Snyder noted, the league is not rewarding Gobert's defensive play with an All-Star selection.
Gobert has expanded his effort on the offensive end as well. He is averaging a career-high 15.0 points per game, leading the league with a 65.0 field-goal percentage.
His performance on both ends of the court help him lead the NBA with 8.9 win shares so far, per Basketball Reference, ahead of MVP favorites James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Despite these advanced statistics, he was not considered one of the top 12 players in the Western Conference, behind bigger names like Russell Westbrook, Klay Thompson and LaMarcus Aldridge.
To make matters worse, Gobert misses out on a $1 million bonus that he won't even receive if he is named an alternate, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN.
With Jazz teammate Donovan Mitchell also missing the All-Star Game despite averaging 22.5 points per game, Utah only has one All-Star in the last eight seasons (Gordon Hayward in 2016-17).
