Andre Drummond not selected for 2018 All Star game

The official roster for the 2018 NBA All Star Game was announced today with a rather surprising omission. Andre Drummond wasn’t part of the reserve team.

Kyle Lowry, Kristaps Porzingis, Kevin Love, Bradley Beal, John Wall, Victor Oladipo, and Al Horford made the team as reserves ahead of Drummond.

They’ll join starters Kyrie Irving, DeMar DeRozan, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid.

Drummond looked like a relatively safe bet to make the game, in the midst of a resurgent season. Already well on his way to becoming one of the best rebounders of all time heading into the year, Drummond’s averaging a career high 15 boards per game. He’s also dramatically improved his offensive efficiency behind better shot selection and an incredible jump in his free throw percentage from 39 percent to 63 percent.

Also notable has been his increased role in the offense as a passer, averaging 3.9 assists per game. He has already nearly doubled his previous career high in assists in a season, before even hitting the All Star break.

The Pistons have struggled and Drummond continues to have areas of his game that are below his potential - particularly on the defensive end. But the case that Love and Porzingis deserve in ahead of him is a tough one to make. Porzingis in particular has made a rather hollow “improvement,” with a scoring jump to 23 points per game but with just a 53 percent true shooting percentage.

Tobias Harris also was left off the All Star team, but he already looked to be something of a long shot - particularly after fading from his red-hot start.

Drummond campaigned hard for his All Star berth on Twitter, but fell short. In his sixth career season, the big man remains with only one All Star appearance to his credit.

Still, there’s always the chance that someone misses - in which case Drummond would be a candidate to fill the spot. But there’s also the likes of Ben Simmons and Kemba Walker out there who could still sneak in ahead.