The Sacramento Kings Finally Have An All-Star!
DeMarcus Cousins had a great career playing for the Sacramento Kings. He had been playing at an MVP level for several years and looked to be a cornerstone piece for them for the years to come. To the surprise of many people, they traded him to the New Orleans Pelicans in the winter of 2017, sending him to another team.
While Cousins now finds himself out of the league, he had been the last Kings player to make it to the All-Star Game. To make some selections on NBA betting, it is important that you keep an eye on all the action. See if Boogie’s former team is going to be able to get some dubs. Meanwhile, let’s talk about the Sacramento Stars.
Domantas Sabonis Makes The Dance
In his first full year playing for Sacramento, Domantas Sabonis is going to have the chance to represent the team on All-Star weekend. He will play in the midseason classic, an honor that is well-deserved and not being questioned by anybody around the league. He has been playing incredible ball since arriving and is one of the most impressive big men in the league, outside of Jokic and Embiid.
Averaging 19-12-7 and shooting 62% from the floor, Domas has looked unstoppable at times. He has put up some incredible stat lines and some wild triple-doubles. They call him The Ox, and it is very much a name that fits. There isn’t much that he won’t do on the floor. He can occasionally step out and hit a three or two, then protect the rim with some blocks from time to time.
It was considered very questionable when he was shipped here for 21-year-old Tyrese Haliburton at the trade deadline. He was a point guard that was playing off the ball and sharing the floor with De’Aaron Fox. He has found his way into the ASG as well, putting up nearly 21 points and a league-best 10.2 assists a night. In the long run, it is hard to say that it truly won the deal.
Though it was a risky move, it landed a star in Sacramento. It gave them their first All-Star in six years and their first non-Boogie All-Star since the 2003-04 season. For a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs in 17 seasons, Sabonis has given them hope, helping the team to the third-best record in the West so far.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
It is truly unfortunate that only 24 players can make it to the All-Star Game. 12 from each conference, with 30 teams in the league. Some of the choices in the West were intriguing and not ones that folks expected. Paul George and Jaren Jackson Jr. were not pegged by anybody in public discussions as All-Stars but found their way into the game.
This leaves the likes of Anthony Edwards, CJ McCollum, and De’Aaron Fox himself on the outside looking in. Averaging 24-4-6 and shooting 50% from the floor, Fox has paired nicely with Sabonis as one of the most dangerous 1-2 punches in the game. He has proven himself as one of the best clutch performers in the entire NBA. And yet, a #3 seed in the conference was not enough to get him in.
Out East. Jrue Holiday made the contest ahead of the likes of Jalen Brunson, Darius Garland, AND Trae Young. And the Bucks do not possess the best record in their conference. Some people were pining for Aaron Gordon to make it. He obviously did not, in spite of the top record belonging to Denver. But the spot should have been for De’Aaron.
Memphis has struggled of late, and though he is invaluable to his team, JJJ does not appear as the type of player that would get voted in here. Fox has been doing it since the beginning and hasn’t missed much action. George and Jackson Jr. have both missed significant time. Memphis’ big man may be one of the first All-Stars to ever miss the first few weeks of the season and still make the midseason classic.
From everybody that watches the game, De’Aaron, we’re sorry to see you snubbed. This is just added motivation for the remainder of the year. One of the most explosive players in the league and still not getting the respect he deserves. They best be saving a spot in the 2024 version.
