I was deeply dismayed when I saw that Jimmy Butler wasn’t one of the starters for the 2020 NBA All-Star game. Seeing Trae Young get a starter spot while playing for the Eastern Conference’s worst team is unforgivable. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is absolutely correct in calling it ‘a joke’.

With all due respect, Young will get his accolades in time, but he didn’t deserve to be a starter this year. Butler is the leader of a scrappy group of players that has forcibly taken the second seed in the East, ahead of squads with arguably much more talent like the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics.

Butler is averaging 20.3 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists with a PER of 23.7 and win share rating of 6.5.

Young is putting up 29.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 8.8 assists with a PER of 24 and a win share rating of 4 – but these are empty statistics on a Hawks team that didn’t reach 10 victories until this month.

It is a blatant show of disrespect to Butler, and to being a winner, to see a second-year player on such a bad team get the starting nod for the 2020 All-Star game. You can’t even make the case that the other side did it too, because Luka Doncic and his MVP-caliber work for the playoff-bound Dallas Mavericks deserves the spot.

They’re going to have to change how this process works as well, because it’s insane that part of the decision process is a player’s vote. As it currently stands, the voting process is weighted at 50% fans, 25% media, and 25% players.

Player votes are ridiculous, especially when you consider that 32% of them didn’t even vote for Giannis Antetokounmpo. You know, the guy who won last season’s MVP award and has a case that he’s been even better this year.

Yes, Butler is known to occasionally be a dick, and can infuriate both teammates and opponents. But what you can’t deny is that he works hard day in and day out, and he’s got a winner’s mentality. These things should matter for an All-Star game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmEUWua4vyY

Jimmy Buckets got done wrong this year. Let’s hope he responds on the court with his usual fury.