If we’re nearing Groundhog Day, then it must be about time for Trae Young to get left out of the All-Star game.

This annual Atlanta tradition was observed again Thursday night, as the 14 reserves for the NBA’s showcase game were named, and Young was again left out of the mix. The player who as of Friday stood fifth among active players in career scoring average (25.2 points per game) and first in career assists per game (9.7 per game) has made the initial All-Star cut only twice in his seven seasons, both when voted in as a starter. (He made it last year as an injury replacement.)

This time, though, feels a little different.

First, Young had the support of his playing colleagues, a group that hasn’t always embraced him. He was fourth among Eastern Conference guards in player voting, up from a tie for 12th in 2023 and sixth last season. (He actually was tied for third in 2022.)

But then after the teams were announced, there was pushback, and not just from aggrieved Hawks fans. On the influential NBA on TNT, Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal declared that Young should be upset and mad.

“He is one of the 24 best players in the league,” O’Neal said. “I think the system is flawed.”

This time around may have felt particularly galling for Young. On top of the two starting guards for the East — the deserving Jalen Brunson (New York) and Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland) — there were four more reserve guards voted in by the league’s coaches. In essence, they communicated to Young that he was no better than the seventh best guard in the conference.

It was quite an assessment of a player who, going into Friday’s games led the NBA in assists at 11.4 per game and was one of only two players across the league averaging at least 20 points and 10 assists, superstar Nikola Jokic being the other.

The decision wasn’t necessarily a surprise if you follow how these outcomes happen, not that it made it any more palatable for Hawks supporters. Basically, the Hawks’ January collapse was held against Young.

On the morning of Jan. 1, the Hawks were 18-15 and in sixth place in the East. If the coaches’ vote had been held then, Young probably would have been chosen. However, it wasn’t and then January happened.

Without Jalen Johnson missing much of the month with injury, the Hawks lost eight of the 12 games leading to the voting deadline Monday afternoon. And with that, though Young continued to perform in an arguably career-best fashion, a critical leg of his candidacy was kicked out from beneath him.

Take a look at the four other guards picked ahead of him as backups.

Before Friday’s games, Young is averaging more points than Cleveland’s Darius Garland (22.5-21.8) and assists (11.4-6.8). However, Garland has been a much more efficient scorer than Young (42.4% shooting from 3-point range compared with Young’s 34%). If it’s close, you reward the team that has the best record in the NBA (Cleveland) over the one that’s tumbling down the standings (guess who?).

It’s not a bias that typically favors the Hawks, although they did experience that bump in 2015, when they had four All-Stars in the season when they finished with the best record in the East.

Detroit’s Cade Cunningham also is having an excellent season, and he’s been the principal reason why the Pistons have already won more games than they did all of last season and are in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Advantage, Cunningham.

You can make a case that Young deserves to get in ahead of Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard, particularly given that Young isn’t playing Robin to a two-time MVP’s Batman (Giannis Antetokounmpo) like Lillard is.

However, Lillard’s a respected veteran who has made eight All-Star games. His numbers are comparable with Young’s and the Bucks are in fourth place in the East.

Young wasn’t going to win this one.

The one decision that is most rankling is the last one, Miami’s Tyler Herro. Like the other selections, Herro is having an excellent season (24.1 points per game, 40% from 3-point range) and has emerged as a star. But is he on Young’s level?

For whatever it’s worth, he ranked 10th among guards in the East in the player vote. That might not say everything, but it says something.

What’s the case for Herro?

Among other things, he’s a more efficient scorer than Young. And he played at an incendiary pace in the games before the coaches voting deadline, which probably helped, too. And he wasn’t on a team that lost eight of its past 12 games when coaches were deciding who was most worthy of their votes.

Speaking after the Hawks’ Thursday night loss at Cleveland, coach Quin Snyder spoke of his extreme disappointment over the results. Not one for bold statements, Snyder said that Young is having the best season of his career.

“I think statistically that’s supported, whether it’s, he’s the league leader in assists, that one jumps out,” Snyder said. “But then something as simple as, like, clutch points and clutch assists. So, not only is he scoring late in the game, but he’s also passing late in the game.”

Is it residue of anti-Young sentiment that has followed him previously? Is it merely bad timing?

It’s easy to wonder how much better Young is going to have to play to get selected.

Until next year.

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Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) walks off of the court during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)

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Customers walk inside Plaza Fiesta on Buford Highway, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Atlanta. Plaza Fiesta is a 350,000 square feet shopping mall in DeKalb County. (Jason Getz / AJC)

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