3 biggest snubs from this year's All-Star Game
Only 12 players crack the NBA All-Star rosters from both the Eastern and Western Conferences each year, but that doesn't mean only those 24 are deserving of the honor.
Related: Lowry, Thomas, Love among East All-Star reserves
Related: Westbrook, Draymond, Cousins headline West All-Star reserves
Snubs are an inevitable part of the process, with several deserving candidates being left out in the cold every season despite having the numbers to warrant a spot.
Here are three players who are more than worthy of being called All-Stars in 2017, but didn't have the backing necessary to make the team.
Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
The only logical explanation behind the league's coaches not including Chris Paul on the roster was that they're aware his injured thumb will prevent him from competing on Feb. 19. Rather than go through the trouble of naming an injury reserve, they simply saved time by leaving him off the team altogether.
"The Point God" has only missed 10 games (Clippers are 3-7 during that span), which doesn't seem like nearly enough to exclude him from All-Star conversations entirely. He leads the Association by a wide margin in real plus-minus (9.29), ranks fourth in assists per game (9.7), and first in steals (2.25).
This is the first time since 2008 that Paul wasn't shown love. He's been elite at his position for so long that we sometimes take him for granted. Injury or not, CP3 should CP-be an All-Star.
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
His counting stats aren't eye-popping, but Rudy Gobert ranks among the top big men in the NBA this season.
After being used sparingly on offense through the first three years of his career, the 24-year-old has become one of the NBA's most efficient scorers in 2016-17, averaging 12.8 points on a league-best 68.2 true shooting percentage.
With a 7-foot-9 wingspan, Gobert has quietly turned into the league's most lethal defender, with opponents shooting just 43.6 percent at the rim against him. "The Stifle Tower" sits near the top of the league in a number of statistical categories, ranking first in blocks, defensive rating, and defensive win shares, third in defensive box plus/minus, and fifth in win shares.
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
He hasn't played nearly the number of games as some of the other reserves, but Joel Embiid has single-handedly turned the Sixers from laughingstock to a respectable opponent this season.
Philadelphia has been a completely different team with Embiid in the lineup, the Sixers performing more than 13 points per 100 possessions better with the 7-foot Cameroonian on the floor.
Related: Embiid reacts to All-Star snub: 'Once again the popular vote didn't matter'
The 22-year-old's per 36 minutes have been off the charts in 2016-17, averaging 28.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 2.9 assists, and 1.1 steals.