5 biggest NBA All-Star snubs

The NBA announced the reserves for next month's All-Star Game in Chicago on Thursday, and inevitably there were a few players left out who deserve a trip to the Windy City.

Here are the top five snubs.

Eastern Conference

Bradley Beal

Beal's exclusion from this year's All-Star roster isn't due to a lack of production. The Washington Wizards guard is averaging a career-high 28.6 points per game, which ranks sixth in the Association. He's now producing the highest scoring average from a player not named an All-Star in 41 years, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Beal also ranks just outside the NBA's top 20 with a personal-best 6.3 assists per contest. He's developed as the ball-handler on pick-and-rolls, increasing his output from 5.8 points per game in 2018-19 during those situations to 9.2 this season, according to NBA.com.

Washington might be languishing at the bottom of the league's standings, but Beal is spearheading one of the NBA's top offenses.

Malcolm Brogdon

Brogdon's hot start was much needed with All-Star guard Victor Oladipo on the shelf for the Indiana Pacers. The 27-year-old averaged nearly 20 points on 48% shooting while also registering eight assists and 4.9 boards per outing across his first 17 appearances this campaign.

He gelled quickly with Domantas Sabonis, forming a lethal pick-and-roll two-man game. Like Beal, Brogdon has thrived as a pick-and-roll scorer, posting 7.4 points per game as the ball-handler in those scenarios.

The Virginia product's playmaking has reached another level with the Pacers. Brogdon's 36.7 assist percentage places him in the 98th percentile among combo guards, according to Cleaning the Glass.

Jaylen Brown

With Kemba Walker earning a starting nod, one of the young Boston Celtics stars was bound to miss the cut. Brown became the unlucky casualty after Jayson Tatum was named an All-Star.

The 23-year-old has bounced back from a disappointing 2018-19 campaign, recording career highs in points (20.1), field-goal percentage (49.5%), and rebounds (6.6) through 38 appearances.

Additionally, Brown has been a key contributor to the Celtics' fourth-ranked defense, giving head coach Brad Stevens plenty of lineup flexibility while locking down bigger wings or guards. This season, opponents are shooting only 33.1% against Brown on 25-29 foot shots, and 38.6% on five-to-nine foot shots. The 2016 third overall pick is tied for seventh in the NBA with 4.3 contested 3-pointers per game.

Western Conference

Karl-Anthony Towns

Opponents haven't quite figured out the best way to neutralize Towns' inside-out game. The Minnesota Timberwolves center has been a truckload to handle in the paint, finishing 72% of his attempts at the rim. Towns is among the most frequently used and effective players in post-ups, ranking fourth in the NBA with 4.7 points per game in those situations.

The 2015 No. 1 pick has adapted well to the modern game, evolving from a traditional big man to an elite 3-point shooter at his position. Towns has nearly doubled the number of threes he's attempting per contest (8.2) from a year ago, connecting at an absurd 41.2% clip. The Kentucky product is making 46% of his corner triples, which ranks in the 83rd percentile among big men, according to Cleaning the Glass.

Devin Booker

Booker could become the ninth player in NBA history to post a 50/40/90 season.

He's shooting 51% from the field, 36.8% from downtown, and 91.7% from the charity stripe through 46 games. The Phoenix Suns star continues to be one of the Association's deadliest scorers, averaging a career-high 27.1 points per game.

Booker has been the engine for the Suns' up-tempo offense, ranking fourth in the league this season with 267 transition points. The fifth-year guard remains an elite finisher at the rim (71%) and he's a nearly automatic mid-range shooter (47%), placing in the 92nd and 89th percentile, respectively, among wing players.