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For a while, it seemed like the 2025 NBA All-Star weekend would have to change its colors to wine and gold. Leading up to this year's event, Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell was named a starter for the Eastern Conference. Soon after, Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson and his staff were selected to coach the Eastern Conference teams.
Finally, Cavs star guard Darius Garland earned his second-ever NBA All-Star honors. Meanwhile, superstar Evan Mobley was named an All-Star for the first time, joining Garland as an Eastern Conference reserve. All of these selections make sense and are well deserved. Unfortunately, voting for NBA All-Star 2025 did get one thing wrong.
Cavs big man Jarrett Allen, who seemingly holds everything together for Cleveland, wasn't named an NBA All-Star.
How did Cavs big man Jarrett Allen miss out on NBA All-Star honors again?
Based on the combination of voting between fans, media, players, and coaches, here's how the final roster looks for the Eastern Conference All-Stars:
Starters:
- Donovan Mitchell, Guard – Cleveland Cavaliers
- Jalen Brunson, Guard – New York Knicks
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Frontcourt – Milwaukee Bucks
- Jayson Tatum, Frontcourt – Boston Celtics
- Karl-Anthony Towns, Frontcourt – New York Knicks
Reserves:
- Jaylen Brown, Frontcourt – Boston Celtics
- Cade Cunningham, Guard – Detroit Pistons
- Darius Garland, Guard – Cleveland Cavaliers
- Tyler Herro, Guard – Miami Heat
- Damian Lillard, Guard – Milwaukee Bucks
- Evan Mobley, Frontcourt – Cleveland Cavaliers
- Pascal Siakam, Frontcourt – Indiana Pacers
According to NBA rules, each head coach voted for seven players in his conference to select the All-Star Game reserves. They would pick between two guards, three frontcourt players, and two additional players at any position. The head coaches were not permitted to vote for their team players.
Based on those rules, Eastern Conference coaches guaranteed Mobley a spot, as did Indiana's Pascal Siakam and Boston's Jaylen Brown. Between Garland, Detroit's Cade Cunningham, Miami's Tyler Herro, and Milwaukee's Damian Lillard, two players were guaranteed a spot, while the others were bonus options.
With that said, it's hard to argue against the selections of Mobley and Brown for frontcourt players. The same goes for Garland, Cunningham, and Lillard for the guards, one of whom was a bonus selection.
However, it's frankly insulting that Siakam and Herro were selected over Allen. If there was ever a do-over for voting, it should be rectified immediately – especially when comparing Allen's season to Siakam and Herro.
Jarrett Allen's NBA All-Star credentials are stronger than Pascal Siakam and Tyler Herro
The Cavs have played ethical basketball throughout this season, as Allen puts it. That means everyone shares the load on either side of the ball and is focused on winning. This ethical approach has led to the NBA's best record and why Cleveland is a steady favorite to contend for an NBA title this season.
Allen's two-way dominance is a big reason for that. Never missing a game for the Cavs, Allen has averaged 13.8 points on 70.3% shooting, 10.0 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game in 29.0 minutes per game. While they might not be the flashiest numbers, Allen's consistency, his most significant attribute, can't be tracked by counting stats.
Night in and night out, Allen hustles away on defense, keeping Cleveland among the NBA's very best. Conversely, the star big man remains accurate and low maintenance on offense, giving the Cavs a bread-and-butter option whenever he's rolling toward or near the basket.
That hard-nosed defensive approach has also translated into how Allen handled Siakam and Herro this season. In two matchups this year, Allen has held Siakam to 40.0% shooting from the floor, never allowing the Pacers big man to draw contact to get to the free-throw line. Against Herro, Allen has held the guard to 60.0% shooting but has forced Herro to miss several times on the perimeter.
Unquestionably, Allen is a leg above his All-Star competition whenever he is tasked with defending them. However, what matters more is that Allen's routine two-way dominance has helped spark the Cavs to the best record in the NBA. While team success goes hand in hand with individual success, in Allen's case, it should be rewarded. Allen was a big-time All-Star snub, and hopefully, he can join his teammates someway before the weekend festivities are underway.
