All-Star reserve selections are usually slotted according to team record, with less slots available the worse your record gets. Occasionally they are sort of given as a "lifetime achievement" award too. Deng's lack of all-star consideration is not a surprise. I don't recall him ever being considered for an AS selection before Thibs came over, even though his stats were basically the same. He was riding the tide of team record, and an increased visibility due to the fact that Thibs heaped praise on him so much. I think it was also accepted around the league that he was probably one of the best players in the league not to have made the game. He's now the second best player on a dysfunctional team. If you're not in the playoffs the only way you make the AS game is if you're putting up monster stats, and even then it's not a guarantee. The Hawks have the third best record in the conference, which generally slots you 1 AS selection, and with Horford out Millsap is clearly the most statistically productive player they have. 20+ PER is also nothing to sneeze at. I agree though that Millsap isn't really a difference maker.....he's good in the same way Boozer is.
