NBA All-Star Game 2020: Predicting the snubs from Western Conference

As always, the Western Conference is brimming with individuals who are highly skilled at their craft. While the Los Angeles Lakers lead the West standings by a decent margin, players from all contending teams are stepping up to grab a bite.

As the league braces itself for a new year of quality basketball, many are hooked on the All-Star projections for the coming February. With a large magnitude of players shaking hands with different franchises this past offseason, the art of measuring the talent level of one against the other in their newest roles has yet again been rendered as an inexact science.

Nevertheless, now that we have sufficient data to process from the first 30+ games of this regular season, it makes sense to dole out a bunch of names that might make it to the All-Star snubs list for this year.

#3 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The presence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the snub list means that Oklahoma City Thunder might be the only playoff-bound team from the West to not have an All-Star on their roster this season.

The sophomore is averaging a career-high 19.8 points per matchup and shooting almost 37% from beyond the arc. Having started in all 32 games for the Thunder this year so far, Shai has showcased an aggressive avatar of his on both ends of the floor. Along with his fluent offensive skillset, SGA is also posting 5 boards and 1.2 steals per game, helping the surging OKC squad become legit postseason threats as early as March.

The Thunder were nowhere near their dream lineup when the regular season started, but Shai's breakout year has headlined a plethora of positives that the front office can build upon in the coming seasons. Although still not at an All-Star level, the 21-year-old may very well become the franchise cornerstone soon if the organisation decides to use its assets to build effectively around him.

#2 CJ McCollum

For all we know, McCollum has hit his ceiling

In his 7th season playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, CJ McCollum is still searching for the first All-Star berth of his career. And by the look of things, it is highly likely that he might have to wait another year to be a part of the coveted squad.

CJ is averaging 22.4 points per game, on 46% shooting from the field, making this his fifth straight year of scoring 20+ ppg. However, it cannot be left unnoticed that his offensive prowess has seen no notable improvement over the past season. It seems as though the 28-year-old shooting guard is not able to break free for a monstrous run, and is settling into an abyss of being a 'good basketball player' with every passing year.

He is taking almost 20 shots per game, and playing 37 minutes on average, but his impact on the court has never reached an All-Star level as one would've projected. Moreover, he is quickly turning into one half of a dynamic backcourt duo, rather than making an impression for himself.

#1 Lou Williams

Sweet Lou is a 3-time Sixth Man of the Year.

The Los Angeles Clippers are now stronger than they have ever been. The inclusion of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George has made this unit a surefire title contender straight off the gates. With guys like Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell coming off the bench, the Clippers possess arguably the most solid reserve unit heading into next year.

And much of their support crew's production is handled by 33-year-old Williams. Yet to clinch an All-Star berth in his career, Lou has been the backbone of the Clippers bench ever since he joined the franchise in 2017. He is averaging 19 points and 6.3 assists per game this season so far, as his team sits at the third spot on the West standings behind an imposing 23-11 (0.676) record.

Despite putting together another great campaign off the bench, Lou Will might find himself out of the All-Star picture once again. The roster already accommodates a reigning Finals MVP and regular-season MVP finalist, giving a feel that Williams' services may appear superfluous to the jury.

Edited by Raunak J