Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins left Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis and Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry off his picks for All-Star reserves this season.
Perkins had Domantas Sabonis, Kawhi Leonard, Karl-Anthony Towns, De’Aaron Fox, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker and Paul George on his ballot as reserves.
Lmao Kendrick Perkins doesn't have Steph Curry on his All-Star reserves list. pic.twitter.com/qsV1ICX4jC
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 1, 2024
It’s surprising to see Davis and Curry off of Perkins’ list, as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst had both players on. It seems like Perkins chose Fox and Towns over the two players, as those are the only ones on his list that differ from Windhorst’s.
Davis has not made an All-Star team since the 2020-21 season, but part of that is due to injuries. He appeared in just 40 games in the 2021-22 season and 56 games in the 2022-23 season.
Curry, on the other hand, has been a perennial All-Star since the 2013-14 season. The only season since then that Curry missed the All-Star Game came in the 2019-20 campaign when he was held to just five games due to injury.
Davis has been much healthier this season than past years, as he’s already played in 46 of the Lakers’ 49 games. The star big man is averaging 24.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 31.5 percent from beyond the arc.
It seems like Perkins may be valuing teams with better records with his picks, as Towns and Fox both are on teams ahead of those of Curry and Davis in the standings at this point in the season.
Curry’s Warriors are currently outside of the play-in tournament picture with a 20-24 record (placing them in the No. 12 spot in the Western Conference).
Still, Curry has played at a high level, averaging 27.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range.
While Perkins may not have either star amongst his picks, it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
The NBA’s head coaches vote on the 14 reserves added to the All-Star rosters, so Perkins will not get a say in who gets selected in either conference. Hopefully, Lakers fans will get a chance to see Davis make the game this season.
