On Thursday night the NBA revealed the All-Star starters for both the Western and Eastern Conferences. In the West, there were no major surprises as Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Nikola Jokic were selected. Although the majority of fans are content with the starters, some believe there is a huge snub. NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith is one of those people as he believed Spurs star Victor Wembanyama should’ve been a starter. He is so confident that Wemby deserving of the honor that he believes the Frenchman should replace Durant.
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Smith took to ESPN’s First Take to share his opinion regarding the selections of the All-Star starters. He believes Wembanyama’s production and impact on the Spurs warrant him to be an All-Star starter. The 7-foot-4 big man has bolstered the team to a legitimate contender for a Play-In Tournament spot. Smith expanded on his reasoning. He said,
“The San Antonio Spurs are two wins shy of matching their entire win total from last season. This brother is averaging 24 (points) and 10 (rebounds) and leading the league with four blocks per game. He’s shooting 47% from the field and shooting 35% from three-point range. I think he’s a person that should’ve been. I’m not taking LeBron out. I would have to take Kevin Durant out.”
"I'm not taking LeBron out. I would have to take Kevin Durant out." 😲 @stephenasmith believes Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis were snubbed as NBA All-Star starters 👀 pic.twitter.com/4Wb0H726gD
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 24, 2025
All these players in contention of being an All-Star starter are having great individual seasons. However, Smith believes Wembanyama’s impact on his team’s success is greater than Durant’s. Albeit, the Suns have a better team record at 22-21, while the Spurs are 20-22. Due to the lackluster season, the Suns are having, Smith believes they don’t deserve to have an All-Star starter.
It’s important to understand the context of this situation. Entering the season, there were lofty expectations for the Suns to be title contenders and they haven’t lived up to it. On the other hand, the Spurs were projected to be at the bottom of the Western Conference. Instead, San Antonio is a legitimate threat to earn a Play-In spot.
Additionally, this is why Smith believes LeBron still deserves his spot as an All-Star starter. His contributions have led the Lakers to the fifth seed in the West unlike Durant and the Suns who are 10th. Regardless, Smith firmly believes that the decision won’t have much of a negative impact on Wemby.
Making the All-Star game is enough for Wembanyama
There was a small group of people who believed Wembanyama should’ve been an All-Star in his rookie season. However, he is 100% deserving of the accolade this season. Since it’s only his second year in the NBA, Smith believes just making the game is enough at this point of his career.
Wemabanyama is averaging 24.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game. His minutes have increased from 29.7 in his rookie season, to 33.1 minutes per game this season. In comparison to Durant, statistically, Wemby has a compelling case.
The two-time champion is averaging 27.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game on 52.3% shooting from the field. As of now, Durant receives the benefit of the doubt over Wembanyama. However, that won’t be the case forever as Wemby’s trajectory suggests he will continue to take over the NBA each season.
