Mike Conley, DeMar DeRozan among Western Conference All-Star snubs

The 2021 NBA All-Star Game wasn’t supposed to take place and the League decided it was too good a tradition to let end because of a global pandemic. Anyway, the game will be played in Atlanta on March 7 and we already know who will be starting for the Western Conference All-Stars. The NBA announced the rest of the West roster with reserves on Tuesday, February 23rd. With only a limited amount of slots and plenty of deserving players, there were bound to be snubbed. Here we’re going to go over a few players who got the raw end of the deal.

Mike Conley, Utah Jazz

Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley still hasn’t made an All-Star game. The 33-year-old is playing some of the best basketball of his career for the team with the NBA's best record but didn’t make the cut. Conley didn't have a shot at getting in as a starter with Luka Doncic and Steph Cury leading the way, his teammate Donovan Mitchell took one of the four bench spots reserved for guards. Conley is averaging 16.4 points and 5.6 assists per game while shooting a career-high 41.2% from deep. His window to become All-Star might officially be closed.

Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

Update: Booker has been named an injury replacement for Los Angeles Lakers PF Anthony Davis.

Booker made last year’s All-Star game as a fill-in for Damian Lillard, who suffered a groin injury just before All-Star weekend. The 24-year-old wing gained a valuable backcourt partner in Chris Paul over the offseason, but the veteran beat him out for a reserve spot. Booker got off to a slow start in his sixth pro season but is now averaging 24.7 points on an impressive 50.1% shooting.

DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs

DeRozan is a four-time NBA All-Star but hasn’t made the cut since 2018. The former Toronto Raptor has been the San Antonio Spurs’ best player since he relocated to Texas, but the next generation of talent is putting up stats he can’t match. The do-it-all swingman is averaging less than 20 points per game for the first time since 2012 alongside a career-high 6.9 assists per game.

Honorable Mentions: Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder; Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans