NBA All-Star Snubs: Damian Lillard, Pau Gasol Left Off 2016 All-Star Teams (Breaking)
NBA All-Star snubs include Damian Lillard and Pau Gasol this year. The 2016 NBA All-Star Game rosters were revealed on Thursday, January 28, as the league announced the reserves for each conference. Missing from the All-Star Game will be Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard and Chicago Bulls power forward Pau Gasol, unless an injury allows them to become a roster replacement. A report from ESPN stated that Bulls teammate Jimmy Butler made the East team, but there are no Blazers on the West squad.
This season with the Blazers, Lillard has averaged 36.1 minutes in 40 starts. He is averaging 24.3 points, 7.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and a steal per game. It is the best all-around season that Lillard has had since coming to the NBA in the 2012-13 season. Lillard is averaging more points and assists than he did in his two previous selections to the Western Conference All-Star team. It is because of those numbers that he is one of the most notable 2016 All-Star snubs.
Gasol is putting up really good numbers for the Bulls once again, averaging 31.7 minutes per game through his first 42 starts this year. His averages are 16.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game. Gasol has looked really good on defense and is blocking shots at a better rate than he ever did with the Los Angeles Lakers. His numbers could be even better if he played more minutes a night for the Bulls. The five-time All-Star is a definite snub in 2016.
Another player who makes the prolific list of 2016 All-Star snubs is Dirk Nowtizki of the Dallas Mavericks. The 13-time All-Star is putting up great numbers for the Mavericks again this season. Through 43 games (all starts), Nowitzki is averaging 17.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He is also shooting 91 percent from the free throw line and 40 percent from three-point range. Those marks seemed good enough to earn Nowitzki a spot on the All-Star team, but the Western Conference coaches overlooked him this season.
Additional 2016 All-Star snubs from the West include Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors of the Utah Jazz, DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers, Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, and Rajon Rondo of the Sacramento Kings. In the East, some of the All-Star snubs are Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks, Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets. A report on ESPN has asked fans to vote on who they feel was the biggest snub from either conference. So far Damian Lillard and Pau Gasol are leading the fan poll.
Damian Lillard currently ranks sixth in the NBA in points per game at 24.3 a night. He is scoring at a better rate than Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Anthony Davis. Part of that responsibility has evolved from a roster overhaul that the Portland Trail Blazers have undertaken. Despite the increase in scoring, Lillard is also putting up the most assists of his NBA career. In that category, he currently ranks seventh in the NBA at 7.1 a night, putting him ahead of All-Star players Isaiah Thomas, Stephen Curry, and Kyle Lowry.
Pau Gasol is simply not receiving a lot of attention in the Eastern Conference this season. He is playing fewer minutes for the Chicago Bulls, but has helped the team to the fourth best record in the East. This is despite missing most of the big men on the roster due to injuries and Gasol having to take on more responsibilities on defense. It is very clear that among the biggest 2016 NBA All-Star snubs, it is Lillard and Gasol who should be first up as injury replacements this year.
[Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images]
