Say what you want about Russell Westbrook, but he is a teammate that you would want to have. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar will stick up for his guys in any way he can.
Much to the surprise of many, Westbrook is the only Thunder player to be named an All-Star this season. Not even his two new superstar buddies – Paul George and Carmelo Anthony – got a selection.
Anthony, who’s still adjusting to having a brand new role, wasn’t exactly expected to be considered. George, on the other hand, is a different story. He’s putting up 20.8 points, 3.1 made threes, and a league-leading 2.2 steals per game on the season.
Following his game-winner that lead to a thrilling 109-108 win over the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday night, Westbrook voiced his disappointment on George not getting recognized:
Russell Westbrook called it “outrageous” that Paul George was not named an All-Star: pic.twitter.com/62vmKKbFSx
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 24, 2018
“Unbelievable. I think it's just outrageous, in my opinion… I don't know who else made the team but got four people from one team, you've got guys complaining about getting snubbed until they get in, you've got guys just talking about it all the time. But the guys that deserve it — should be in — are not. I just don't understand. Doesn't make any sense.”
Considering impact and overall production, George does appear to be a lock for such appearance. The problem, however, lies in the number of slots available, especially since as a guard, he’s competing with a truckload of other great players. It’s an issue that gets raised almost every year.
The other West reserves who play the same position as George – Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, and Jimmy Butler – either have better numbers, play on a higher-ranked team – or both. Should George get the nod over any of those guards, we’d be talking about that player getting snubbed instead.
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