Ranking the Biggest Snubs from 2022 All-Star Rosters

On Thursday night, the NBA on TNT crew officially unveiled the seven players selected as All-Star reserves in each conference.

In the Western Conference, coaches selected Devin Booker, Luka Doncic, Rudy Gobert, Draymond Green, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul and Karl-Anthony Towns. In the East, the picks were Jimmy Butler, Darius Garland, James Harden, Zach LaVine, Khris Middleton, Jayson Tatum and Fred VanVleet.

Of course, as there are every year, there are plenty of fans mad that someone on their favorite team was left out, and plenty of players with a legitimate case that they should have been included. Some of them may in fact be added later as injury replacements. Here are the five players who have the strongest arguments that they were snubbed.

5. Anthony Edwards

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The Timberwolves are relevant again, and it's due in no small part to the jump Edwards has made in his second season. 

Edwards has built on a promising but up-and-down rookie season to become the cornerstone Minnesota hoped he'd be when they took him No. 1 overall in 2020. He's a player you can't take your eyes off of when he's on the floor, and has backed up that dazzling athleticism with actual production. His counting stats have all gotten better, and he's had a notable uptick in shooting efficiency both from the field and from three-point range.

The 20-year-old would also just be a fun player to watch in an exhibition game like this. That isn't everything, of course, but combined with his deserving statistical case and the Wolves' better-than-expected team record, it would have been great to see him in there. 

It's a good bet Edwards will be an All-Star in the future, hopefully as soon as next year.

4. Jaren Jackson Jr.

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It's almost fitting that the Grizzlies didn't have a second All-Star besides starting guard Ja Morant, since their success has been so by-committee that no immediately obvious candidate jumps out. Where would this team be without Dillon Brooks or Desmond Bane, for example? 

But Jackson deserves a look. Now that he's been able to stay healthy for a full season, which was his biggest hurdle early on in his career, he's become the co-star for Morant that many have hoped he'd be over the past couple of years.

Jackson is a core part of the Grizzlies' defensive identity and has found ways to be effective on offense even without the three-point stroke he displayed in his first two seasons. His impact on both ends on a Grizzlies team currently sitting comfortably in third place in the west is worthy of a selection, and he should be among the first names in consideration for an injury replacement.

3. Dejounte Murray

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When Draymond Green announced on the TNT broadcast on Thursday that he wouldn't be playing in the All-Star game while he recovers from a back injury, he specifically went to bat for Murray to get his first career All-Star selection. 

He's got a point.

Not many people have noticed, because the post-Kawhi Leonard Spurs are as off-the-radar as any team in the NBA, but Murray is in the middle of a career year, leading a San Antonio team that's stayed within range of a play-in spot despite being well short of most of their competition in the talent department. 

The Spurs' record is likely what kept him from getting more votes, as coaches tend to reward winning teams except in the most obvious cases. But Murray's two-way play and Green's endorsement may put him over the top as a late add. It would be a deserving choice.

2. Jrue Holiday

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Maybe the biggest curveball of the All-Star reserve announcements was the Bucks' second player being Khris Middleton and not Holiday. Not that Middleton isn't having a fine season, but Holiday's numbers are slightly better. He hasn't been an All-Star since the 2012-13 season, but he's been just as effective at both ends of the floor in his second season in Milwaukee as he was in his first, when he also had a legitimate case to make it.

The Bucks have flown somewhat under the radar, even as defending champions, which may be why Holiday hasn't gotten much buzz. But Middleton has had his time more recently as Giannis Antetokounmpo's All-Star running mate. With relatively similar production, it would have been nice for Holiday to get his turn.

1. Jarrett Allen

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The Cavs have been the surprise of the 2021-22 season and are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference. Darius Garland certainly deserved his selection, but Allen should have been there with him. 

In fact, given the deep pool of Eastern Conference guards, it seemed more likely going into the announcement that Allen would be in and Garland would be the one making this list. Allen's name not being announced on the broadcast was a legitimate shock.

Allen has been a steady force as the Cavs' starting center, fitting perfectly with rookie sensation Evan Mobley and making an impact both as a consistent scorer and as a rim protector (a career-high 16 points per game on 67.8 percent efficiency). There will be at least one injury replacement in the east, with team captain Kevin Durant sitting out with a knee injury. That spot should go to Allen.