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Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard will not be an All-Star this season.
The reserves for the 2016 All-Star Game have been announced by Carron Phillips and Lillard's name is conspicuous by its absence.
ICYMI: BREAKING! #NBA #AllStarGameReserves D. Green, L. Aldridge, D. Cousins, A. Davis, C. Paul, K. Thompson & J. Harden For the #West
— Carron J. Phillips (@carronJphillips) January 28, 2016
Phillips sent out the tweet this morning, but the announcement was not echoed until 3:00 Pacific Time when Atlanta Hawks beat writer Chris Vivlamore tweeted this:
West reserves are: Green, Davis, Paul, Cousins, Thompson, Harden Aldridge.
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) January 28, 2016
Lillard is averaging 24.3 points and 7.1 assists per game, both career-highs. He's also exceeding previous career-best marks in points and assists per minute and PER. The Trail Blazers' 21-26 record and lack of visibility no doubt contribute to his omission, but it's still shocking. Lillard was named to All-Star rosters in 2014 and 2015 with lower production while being perceived as the second option on his team next to fellow All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, who made this year's roster with an average of 15.9 points per game; the lowest mark since his rookie season.
All-Star reserves are voted on by head coaches in each conference while starters are determined via fan vote. If any elected players are unable to participate because of injury, the NBA Commissioner names their replacement. Lillard made the 2015 squad after injuries prevented Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, and Kobe Bryant from playing.
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