The NBA East and West All-Star starters were announced on TNT's Inside The NBA Thursday night. Notable players such as LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Joel Embiid were mentioned as part of the starting lineup. Next week, the NBA will announce it's All-Star reserves. While it's fair that Houston Rockets star Alperen Sengun didn't receive enough votes to earn a spot in the starting five, he should have a decent chance to earn his first All-Star nod as a reserve. However, according to Inside The NBA's crew, they believe otherwise.
Alperen Sengun not on the list
On the segment of Inside The NBA's “EJ's Neato Stat of the Night,” Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, and Shaquille O'Neal listed their picks for the All-Star reserves, and not either one of them had Sengun on their lists.
Here are the names that the Inside the NBA crew mentioned as possible snubs following their reserve picks:
Brandon Ingram
Zion Williamson
CJ McCollum
Devin Booker
De'Aaron Fox
Sengun's name was not uttered once by the TNT crew until the final seconds of the show. Prior to the outro music, The Jet muttered an aside, shouting out Alperen Sengun:
“Shoutout to [Alperen] Sengun. Shoutout to my guy in Houston, man.”
“Yeah. He's had a great year,” Ernie added. “But just no room when you're only selecting seven reserves like that. That's tough.”
This prompted Smith to mention other snubs that used to be All-Star mainstays, such as Karl Anthony-Towns, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. Barkley and Shaq stayed silent to conclude the show, not mentioning a single thing about the Turkish center, a player who they should be talking more about, given they both performed the same position. Moreover, they essentially matched up against a similar player that performs with a similar style they each respect in Hakeem Olajuwon. To top this all off, Sengun plays on the same team.
Why Sengun should be a main talking point
For further proof, Sengun placed fifth in All-Star fan voting, behind future Hall of Fame greats in LeBron, Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis, and Kevin Durant. Additionally, Sengun's votes are ahead of most of these players on TNT's list. However, he did not receive a single vote from NBA media. Sure, fans only count for 50% of the votes, but this speaks volumes of what Sengun is doing on the court in just his third season.
His averages of 22.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists barely scratch the surface of his impact as an All-Star-caliber player. While he is 14th in clutch points per game (3.5), he is ahead of starters Kevin Durant, Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jayson Tatum. Unfortunately, he is on the Rockets, a team that while surely on the rise this season compared to the previous, isn't receiving significant mainstream media buzz likely due to the previous three seasons as a bottom feeder.
Even so, the Rockets are ahead or slightly behind in the standings such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors —particular teams that are still discussed because of the legacy these all-time greats have cultivated over the years of their career. The only media coverage the Rockets consistently receive is from local Houston channels.
Sengun steers the “Rocket” ship
Nevertheless, All-Star reserves are chosen by NBA coaches. It's up to them to decide who gets a slot.
This season, the level of NBA talent is the toughest it's been in league history to receive All-Star notoriety. While Ernie Johnson is right about the quantity of talent, the Rockets would not be actively competing for a playoff spot without the services of Sengun. He is the undisputed MVP of the team right now. For as young as he is, he makes his players better. If he plays poorly, expect a loss. If he plays well, the Rockets have a better chance of winning. It's why he deserves to have more All-Star notoriety.
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