In a fascinating turn of events, Golden State Warriors talisman Stephen Curry is set to miss out on this year’s All-Star festivities. The veteran guard has suffered a runner’s knee and has missed his fourth consecutive game on Monday. He is in no condition to feature in next week’s All-Star game therefore NBA had to select a replacement, and there were plenty of options to choose from, as many players have done really well this season. The NBA eventually made a choice, and we aren’t sure the fans are in agreement with the league’s choice.

On Tuesday, Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram was selected as Curry’s replacement for the All-Star game, as revealed by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.  This is a testament to his consistency and dedication as he is enjoying a great season this time out. He become sthe second Raptors star to feature in the mid-season flagship event after Scottie Barnes was selected as a starter earlier.

The 28-year-old will suit up for the USA Stripes in next week’s All-Star Game. This will be his first All-Star since the 2018-19 season. Ingram has helped lead Toronto to a 32-22 record, fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.  He joins Raptors guard-forward Scottie Barnes (USA Stars) and head coach Darko Rajaković (World head coach) in the NBA All-Star Game.

NBA fans irked with the NBA not selecting their favorite players as Stephen Curry’s All-Star replacement

The news was received with mixed emotions by the NBA fraternity, with some happy that Ingram finally got his due, as he has been a stalwart for Toronto, whereas others were unhappy as their favorites weren’t picked. One such fan felt Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves was a more favorable option than the Raptors forward. “Austin Reaves snubbed again,” a passionate fan wrote on X. Overall, Ingram has been averaging 22.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest this season, and this will be his second All-Star appearance. So, comparing Ingram’s stats to Reaves proves why fans are not happy with the Lakers guard getting snubbed. Despite all the injuries, Reaves is averaging 25.7 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 50.8% from the field. Apart from his rebounds, none of Ingram’s stats are better than Reaves this season.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

“No Shai, Giannis, Steph. Cancel this shit man,” another angry fan expressed on X. This is extremely unfortunate for the fans, the league, and also for the viewership of the All-Star game, as three of their biggest stars – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are all unavailable for next week’s event due to injury concerns. While Curry is out with a runner’s knee, Giannis is also suffering a calf strain, and Shai is out with an abdominal injury. All of them are expected to return after the All-Star break. The NBA has named Houston Rockets star Alperen Sengun as Shai’s injury replacement. So one cannot deny that the excitement around the event has dampened a little.

Another player who could have secured a last-minute All-Star selection has to be James Harden. The Beard has been playing his best basketball this season ever since his Houston Rockets days. The star guard, who recently got traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, is averaging 25.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game while shooting 42.1% from the field. At 36-year-old hardly has anything to prove as he already has 11 All-Star selections from their 17 years in the NBA. An ardent Harden fan was rightfully disappointed with his snub. “Harden shoulda got that spot,” the user expressed his/her honest thoughts.

Reiterating the same emotion, another user wrote, “MPJ Robbed.” This is a common narrative among NBA fans as they generally get irked after their favorite stars don’t get selected for the mid-season event. But the argument is justified, just like the aforementioned names like Reaves and Harde, the Brooklyn Nets talisman, Michael Porter Jr is enjoying a fantastic campaign, registering career numbers across his season charts. He is averaging 25.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per contest while shooting 47.4% from the field and around 38.5% from beyond the arc. Some of his stats are surely better than Ingram’s.

Another common narrative in the comment section of the post was San Antonio Spurs, who have looked like proper contenders this season, only have a solitary All-Star in Victor Wembanyama. They are the second-seeded team in the Western Conference, and the passionate fans believe that more of the Spurs players should be rewarded with more All-Star selections. Many believe that former Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle or De’Aaron Fox should have been named as replacement. “The spurs still only have one all star,” the user shared on X. Overall, most of the fans are comparing the Raptors, who have two All-Stars now to the Spurs and questioning the league why, despite having the better record, San Antonio have lesser participants in the All-Star game.

Overall, for now, Raptors forward Brandon Ingram will look to shut his critics with a strong performance at the All-Star Game. In his second All-Star selection, he will be determined to prove that the NBA was not wrong with his selection, as players are way beyond the basic statsheet. There are plenty of intangibles in the game that are required in a player, and Ingram’s skill set has elevated the Raptors as the biggest surprise of this season, hence he was rewarded.