Was Joel Embiid snubbed in the All-Star game?

Jan 27

The Eastern Conference All-Star starters were announced with the starting five of Donovan Mitchell, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, there was an immediate uproar as the Philadelphia 76ers’ big man Joel Embiid wasn’t announced as a starter.

It’s simple, Embiid was robbed.

Embiid is currently leading the league in scoring, averaging 33.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 53.2 percent from the field, 34.5 from three, and 86.1 percent from the field. Embiid has led his squad to the second seed in the East, even with constant injuries for the Sixers squad. Irving or Mitchell should have been replaced with Joel Embiid.

The NBA has been turning into a position-less league where you see centers move, shoot, and dribble like guards. The NBA All-Star starting selections shouldn’t include positions; they should just be the top five players. I understand why the NBA used to want to do positions in the All-Star game when it used to be West vs. East.

However, now the captains can select whoever they want during the draft process, and positions don’t matter as much. It’s unfortunate and unfair that one of the best centers in the league did not make the All-Star starters.

The NBA has been doing a great job altering the All-Star game to keep it fresh and entertaining for the fans. Now they need to find a solution where players aren’t being blatantly robbed of something that they’ve earned.