As All-Stars Drop Out, Wolves' Julius Randle Continues to Get Snubbed

Julius Randle had a decent case to be chosen for his fourth All-Star selection when the rosters were announced a couple weeks ago, but in the star-studded Western Conference, it wasn't exactly an egregious snub. What's a bit harder to defend are some of the names that have recently been chosen over Randle as replacements for players who have dropped out due to injury.

This week, Steph Curry was removed from the roster of one of the two United States teams that will compete at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Sunday (this year's All-Star format features two teams of at least 16 Americans, plus one team of at least eight international players, competing in a round robin tournament). His replacement was the Raptors' Brandon Ingram.

Is Ingram having a better year than Randle?

Julius Randle vs. Brandon Ingram statistical comparison | Stathead Basketball

Based on the numbers above, it's tough to make the case that Ingram is more deserving than Randle. Both players share the court with another All-Star (Anthony Edwards and Scottie Barnes, respectively) and their teams have similar overall records. Ingram may have a slight edge defensively, but Randle has a much better net rating (5.1 vs. 1.4) and more impressive box score stats outside of blocked shots and three-point percentage.

That's not the only example. Even more recently, Giannis Antetokounmpo was removed from the World roster due to injury. Instead of selecting a new international player, the NBA moved Norman Powell (who has Jamaican heritage) to the World team and selected De'Aaron Fox as the Giannis replacement. Is Fox having a better season than Randle?

Julius Randle vs. De'Aaron Fox statistical comparison | Stathead Basketball

That's a notable difference in points and rebounds, with not much of an advantage for Fox in assists, steals, or effective field goal percentage. The BPM and VORP metrics both prefer Randle, albeit not by as much compared to Fox versus Ingram. The Spurs do have four more wins than the Wolves.

Randle has had a bit of an up-and-down season for Minnesota. His effort on defense isn't always as consistent as fans would like. His insistence on taking plenty of threes, despite hitting around 30 percent of them since a hot eight-game start to the season, can be frustrating. And yet, he's played in all 56 games for the Timberwolves and has been a constant source of offense as the No. 2 option behind Edwards.

Seven players have recorded at least 1,000 points, 250 rebounds, and 250 assists this season. Three of them — Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Cade Cunningham — were voted as All-Star starters. The other three — Jalen Johnson, Deni Avdija, and Barnes — will be in LA as well. Randle is the seventh member of that club.

Players to record 1,000/250/250 this season:

— All-Star starter
— All-Star starter
— All-Star starter
— All-Star
— All-Star
— All-Star

and Julius Randle. pic.twitter.com/8YYgGjDBlP
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 12, 2026

The last two games before the All-Star break were two of Randle's finest performances of the season. On Monday, he recorded his third triple-double of the campaign — which is tied for the second-most in a season in Timberwolves history — in a blowout win over the Hawks. On Wednesday, Randle went nuclear with 41 points on 14-of-24 shooting in a romp over the Trail Blazers. It's the most points he's scored in a game in his two seasons with Minnesota.

Julius Randle 41 PTS, 7 REB, 1 STL, 14/24 FG, 3/7 3FG, 10/11 FT, 71.1% TS vs Blazers https://t.co/O2uxHOeVg8 pic.twitter.com/dMrr39bNGm
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) February 12, 2026

"I know he was disappointed that he wasn't named an All Star," head coach Chris Finch said. "I think he took this game quite personally in that regard."

"I felt like I should've been there," Randle said. "But over the course of my career, I learned to focus on the things that I can control. I can't control that. It is what it is. ... I can use that as a little motivation fuel for the rest of the year."

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