Does Devin Booker’s All-Star snub spark him like Tatum’s bad Olympic performance has kept him elite?
Jayson Tatum’s Olympic struggles and benching in multiple games were well-documented this past summer in Paris. In every corner of the internet, the NBA champion was ridiculed. He’s been one of the elite players in the league this decade, with six All-Star appearances, an NBA Finals MVP trophy, and three All-NBA seasons. He may have much to prove, but he is, without a doubt, an elite player.
After his controversial Olympic performance, he told reporters about his head coach, Joe Mezzulla’s feelings about his play over the summer. “I talked to Joe a lot,” Tatum said. “Joe was probably the happiest person in the world that I didn’t win Finals MVP and I didn’t play in two of the games at the Olympics. That was odd. But if you know Joe, it makes sense.”
Jayson Tatum on Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla being happy he didn’t win Finals MVP & that he got benched in the Olympics so he can be hungrier to succeed:
“I talked to Joe a lot. Joe was probably the happiest person in the world that I didn’t win Finals MVP and I… pic.twitter.com/1qn8Rlo07L
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) September 24, 2024
Once again, he’s doing what he’s done in his career: continuing to dominate. The Boston Celtics are a top seed in the Eastern Conference once again and Tatum is slated to start his fifth consecutive All-Star game. While it’s not a deviation from what he’s done in recent years, it’s continued great play. He let his play over the summer not dictate his future performance, and for the second year in a row, the Celtics have the best odds to win the championship.
While it’s not his first time missing the game, Phoenix Suns’ guard Devin Booker is expected to completely miss the All-Star Game not because of injury for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Every season he has missed or not made it without being an injury replacement, he has elevated his game, increasing his scoring average from the first half of the season every time.
Devin Booker’s post All-Star Game statistics in years in which he was snubbed:
2018-19: 31.0 PPG, 7.0 APG
2019-20 (injury replacement): 27.2 PPG, 7.1 APG
2020-21 (injury replacement): 26.1 PPG, 4.2 APG
2022-23: 29.7 PPG, 5.5 APG pic.twitter.com/gAm2AQLdjO— John Voita (@DarthVoita) January 31, 2025
While the Phoenix Suns sit as the eighth seed and his absence from this year’s game is not ridiculous considering how the team has played, making them not deserving of multiple All-Stars, Booker may not think that way and the way he’s responded to not making the team years before could be an indication of that.
A lot of the discourse around the Valley this season has been about the team’s lack of effort, drive, and care, does Booker missing the All-Star game light a spark in Phoenix the way Tatum’s rough individual summer has helped Boston continue their longstanding excellence?