The first round of fan voting will take place for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. What did fans get right and wrong?
First round of fan voting launched for 2024 NBA All-Star Game, and the leaders of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference should not be surprising. LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are once again the leading vote-getters in their respective conferences, just like last year – only this time the game returns to an East vs. West format without the All-Star draft that both superstars last participated in . year.
Fans can vote for the NBA All-Star starters until they are revealed Thursday, January 25 live on TNT. All-Star reserves will be announced on February 1. The fan vote accounts for 50 percent of determining All-Star starters, while the player vote and media vote each account for the remaining 25 percent. The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, February 18 in Indianapolis at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Here’s what the NBA All-Star Game fan vote looks like in the first update of the season:
Each conference will start with three frontcourt players and two backcourt players. With so much talent in the league, there are bound to be some hurt feelings for certain fan bases.
What did fans get in this first round of voting? What did they do wrong? Let’s go.
What Fans Have Got Right So Far in 2024 NBA All-Star Game Voting
- Tyrese Haliburton as the top vote-getter in the Eastern backcourt: There are bigger names among guards in the Eastern Conference, but no one is playing ball better this season than Indiana Pacers point god Tyrese Haliburton. He’s the best guard in the conference this year, and the fans were right in giving him more votes than any other backcourt player in the East. Haliburton’s electrifying passing ability, incredible pull-up shot, and uncanny ability to avoid turnovers while making such daring passes allow the Pacers’ offense to currently score the most efficient mark in league history . The 23-year-old guard has been the most influential offensive player in the league so far, according to EPM. There would still be a new starter in the East backcourt this year after the trade of Kyrie Irving to Dallas Mavericks at last season’s trade deadline, but I’m surprised fans weren’t fooled by Damian Lillard in Milwaukee or Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland. Well done, fans.
- East front court is locked: The simplest vote on the ballot is to select the three players from the Eastern Conference front. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum lead the conference’s three elite teams. Anyone could have confidently pegged all three as All-Star starters before the season, and that’s exactly how it’s played out so far.
- Tyrese Maxey deserves his flowers: THE Sixers have skyrocketed after trading away James Harden early in the season, mainly thanks to the astonishing improvement of 23-year-old guard Tyrese Maxey. Maxey has played like an All-Star all year, and it’s nice to see fans place in the top five in early voting. It’s debatable whether or not Maxey deserves the other starting spot next to Haliburton, and he should certainly be above Trae Young in voting, but at least fans have done well to recognize his tremendous development .
- Alperen Sengun with more votes than Victor Wembanyama is a W: In a rare moment of public knowledge of the ball, Houston Rockets Center Alperen Sengun attracted more votes than Spurs super rookie Victor Wembanyama. Sengun has emerged as the primary option on a resurgent Rockets team under new head coach Ime Udoka, serving as the hub of the offense and the team’s most consistent scorer and rebounder. Houston got a huge steal by taking Sengun, 21, with the No. 16 pick in 2021. NBA Draft. He’s a stallion.
What Fans Have Got Wrong So Far in Voting for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should replace Stephen Curry in the West: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was No. 1 in our NBA MVP rankings earlier this week. Needless to say, he should be an All-Star Game starter against Stephen Curry and anyone else. The Thunder guard is No. 2 in the NBA in plus-minus behind Joel Embiid, and he did it with a younger team in the toughest conference. The last player to average over 30 points with a shooting rate over 50% and a steal rate over 3% was Michael Jordan, who did it four times in his mid-twenties. Gilgeous-Alexander, 25, is playing at an absurdly high level after starring for Canada in the FIBA World Cup. He is currently the best guard in the NBA.
- Joel Embiid should be the top vote-getter in the East: Embiid is the consensus favorite to win his second straight MVP award. The reigning MVP is playing at the highest level of his career: he’s been incredibly efficient offensively while operating at the highest usage rate in the league, and he’s captaining a top-5 defense on the other side. Giannis is having an extraordinary year himself and was #3 in my MVP rankings, but he shouldn’t have more votes than Embiid. Come on, Philly!
- De’Aaron Fox should be higher in the West: Fox was the third best goaltender in the West this season behind Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic. He’s improved further as a scorer (averaging a career-high 29.4 points per game) because he’s somehow transformed into a high-volume, highly accurate three-point shooter. Fox seems to move up a level every year. The 26-year-old is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and even if he doesn’t make the start, he should be the first goalkeeper off the bench.
- Where is Devin Booker? Sure, Devin Booker has missed a handful of games so far this year, but he’s unquestionably one of the best guards in the league. Kyrie Irving has played fewer games and is still in the top 5 in backcourt voting in the Western Conference. LaMelo Ball is on the Eastern Conference roster while playing fewer games. Booker’s absence here is honestly stunning.
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