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Nik Vučević has put together the finest season of his four-year NBA career, posting per-game averages of 18.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 53.1 percent from the floor. Despite his team's poor record--the Orlando Magic, at 14-27, rank 13th in the woeful Eastern Conference through Monday's games--he's made a strong case for inclusion on the NBA All-Star team.
Strong, but not strong enough, according to SB Nation NBA scribes Tom Ziller and Paul Flannery. In picking their NBA All-Star reserves Tuesday, neither writer named Vučević to the East squad.
Both men agree that Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Paul Millsap, and Al Horford should make the East team. They differ in their final two spots: Ziller chose Atlanta Hawks guards Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver, while Flannery selected Kemba Walker and Chris Bosh.
According to Ziller, the toughest cuts for him were Bosh and Kevin Love; Vučević doesn't merit a mention.
Among East froncourt players, only LeBron James and recent Vučević dunk prop Pau Gasol have a better player efficiency rating than Vučević, according to ESPN.com data. James and Gasol are on track to earn starting spots on the team.