Many in the NBA community were shocked by the recent announcement that Oklahoma City Thunder star and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss extended time after suffering an ab strain.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Could Be Replaced By Alperen Sengun In NBA All-Star Game
This is tough news for the league on multiple fronts: it loses one of its faces while leaving him unavailable to play in the upcoming NBA All-Star Game, one of the league’s marquee events. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is now tasked with finding a replacement on Team World, and there are a few options.
A first-time All-Star last season, the Houston Rockets center was at the top of nearly every fan and insider’s list of All-Star snubs. NBA insider Eric Koreen mentioned Sengun being snubbed, saying in The Athletic, “The Turkish center has followed up an excellent Eurobasket run with a very good start to his season, helping establish the Rockets, as a secondary title contender.”
Sengun is averaging a career-high 21.4 points per game while shooting 50.1% from the field. He’s also averaging 9.4 rebounds and a career high 6.3 assists per game. Sengun also has a career-high 118.2 offensive rating. The only thing that may prevent him from being added to Team World is that there are already multiple bigs on the roster in Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
buckets for breakfast 🥞@MemorialHermann | #Rockets pic.twitter.com/sB7nI6s8hZ
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 4, 2026
The Utah Jazz forward is averaging 27.4 points per game, and is the only player in the league’s top 10 in scoring not currently scheduled to play in the All-Star Game. The Finnish star is also grabbing seven rebounds per game. Utah’s poor record hurt his candidacy, but the recent injury to Gilgeous-Alexander may give Markkanen a chance to earn his second All-Star Game selection.
This would certainly be an interesting story. The Thunder essentially decided that trading Giddey was the final piece to winning a championship, and it was ultimately proven correct. Giddey now has a fresh start with the Chicago Bulls and may have the opportunity to replace his former teammate and earn his first All-Star selection. The conductor of the Bulls’ offense, Giddey, is averaging 18.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game.
The Aussie is currently ranked third in the NBA with seven triple-doubles this season. However, Giddey is still struggling with left hamstring pain, which likely makes him unavailable.
