James Harden & Kawhi Leonard's All-Star Snubs Are a Blessing in Disguise for Clippers

Surprise All-Star snubs of Harden and Leonard could be good news for the LA Clippers.

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The NBA announced its 2026 All-Star reserves on Sunday, and the rosters had a few glaring omissions. Among the most glaring ones were the exclusion of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers. While not having any Clippers in the All-Star game hosted at Intuit Dome will be disappointing for the fanbase, it could be a blessing in disguise for the team's playoff push.

The coaches around the league vote for the reserves and they have seemingly missed the Clippers' late resurgence. Instead, they decided to reward players on teams with better records rather than looking comprehensively at the best individual performances of the season. Otherwise, there is no justification in leaving out Kawhi Leonard, who is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career, and Harden, who is carrying a massive offensive load as one of the most durable players in the league.

All-Star Disrespect for Harden & Leonard Could Be Good News for Clippers

In a loaded Western Conference where the coaches used one of the reserve spots as a charity pick for LeBron James, there were always going to be some deserving All-Stars being left out of the roster. Instead of being too upset about the snubs, however, Clippers fans can look on the bright side.

This gives Harden and Leonard much-needed rest and recovery time. It's not like the All-Star game is the most physically taxing occasion, but all the festivities around it, especially with the Clippers as the hosts, still prevent the participants from fully taking advantage of the break in the regular season.

Harden has already played 44 games this season and is averaging over 35 minutes while having the highest usage rate since the 2019-20 season. Similarly, Leonard's usage rate (32.6%) ranks fifth in the league among all players. The Clippers are clearly putting too much on both stars in their mid-30s, who could benefit from the additional rest of the All-Star break. The Clippers will be off between February 11 and February 19, hopefully helping Leonard and Harden to stay fresh for the final stretch of the season.

Plus, this could put a chip on the two superstars' shoulders. Both players have every right to be slighted from the coaches' votes, and could use it as an extra motivation for the Clippers' run in the final two months of the season.

There is still a chance Harden and/or Leonard could be included in the All-Star game as an injury replacement. One has to assume that they would be the top choices if any All-Star is to miss the weekend with an injury. In that case, Clippers fans will be happy to see their stars get the recognition they deserve, but otherwise, they shouldn't mind the disrespect too much.