All-Star Wings: An acknowledgement and snub
Arike Ogunbowale was acknowledged as a reserve, but Allisha Gray may have been snubbed. Let's do some investigating.
With the All-Star game and its selection process, there are always questions regarding who makes the cut and who doesn’t. And under the surface of those initial questions, there is also a narrative of the voting system feeling antiquated and incapable of encompassing the talent present in the league at the current moment.
And for the Dallas Wings, the reality of All-Star game selections and snubs hits close to home this season regarding Arike Ogunbowale, who made the All-Star team, and Allisha Gray, who did not.
Ogunbowale, undoubtedly, deserved her nod as a WNBA All-Star reserve. She is averaging 19 points and shooting 37 percent from three on 8.4 attempts per game. At times, her dominance makes the game look easy; her cradle dribbles rocking defenders to sleep for an easy score, or her adept range on her jump shot forcing the defense to pick her up near half-court, Ogunbowale is a puzzle not many teams in the league can solve through scheme or will.
But she is not alone.
Ogunbowale is far from a loan star tasked with carrying a team further than expected. She has a running mate in Gray, who should have been an All-Star alongside her.
Gray is averaging 14.5 points and 5.6 rebounds along with her defensive efforts. At 43 percent accuracy from 3-point range, she is sixth in the league among players attempting at least three 3-point jump shots per game.
Yet, the raw counting stats don’t do Gray justice regarding her overall production. With 2.7 win shares, Gray sits in the top 10 in the league. And her 2.0 offensive win shares place her sixth in the WNBA.
There is little Gray can’t do. When she’s on the floor, Dallas beats opponents by 14.9 points per 100 possessions. See for yourself:
So, why isn’t she an All-Star?
It comes down to how she’s listed on the voting ballot. Here is what LaChina Robinson had to say about it:
Though Gray can play both guard and forward during the game, she is often listed solely as a guard, unintentionally abducting her dexterity and versatility as a player.
Despite Gray’s recent 20-point, 12-rebound and six-assist performance against Los Angeles on June 19, her 18-point, six-rebound and four-assists performance on June 21, or her 24-point and nine-rebound performance on June 5, she will be watching the All-Star game from home.
Undeservingly.
Somehow, career highs in points and rebounds per game weren’t enough to get her in the All-Star Game. And part of that is a statement of how talented the league currently is, and another part of Gray’s snub is thanks to an archaic voting system that doesn’t acknowledge the positionless-ness of today’s game.
Dallas may have one official All-Star in Ogunbowale, but it really should have two when accounting for how important Gray is to the team’s overall success. And if Gray’s production and value for Dallas go unnoticed through the All-Star voting system, maybe the time has come to rethink how it’s done.
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