NBA All-Star voting returns have begun to flow in. Fans all over the world have been voting for their favorite players to make the 2022 NBA All-Star team.
When the voting occurs every year, things begin to get interesting. Some people get mad that their favorite players aren’t there, while others are ecstatic that their team’s players are at the top.
The second returns of fan voting were just recently released. Let’s take a look.
Stephen Curry (West guards), Kevin Durant (East frontcourt), DeMar DeRozan (East guards) and LeBron James (West frontcourt) continue to be the top vote-getters at their respective position groups in the second fan returns of NBA All-Star Voting presented by Tissot. pic.twitter.com/dAaVBHrXi5
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 13, 2022
Breaking down the latest NBA All-Star voting fan returns
Seeing LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant towards the top of the voting makes a ton of sense. DeMar DeRozan being up there is awesome, too, but it’s a bit more surprising. He’s a feel-good story, though, for sure.
If the game were to begin today, then Curry and Durant would be the captains of the game. However, Durant is now injured, so that title would then go to Giannis Antetokounmpo (who is second in the East in voting).
The NBA All-Star team starters are decided in part by fan voting (50 percent), in part by media voting (25 percent), and in part by player voting (25 percent).
However, if the game were decided solely on fan voting, and the voted ended after these second fan returns, here’s what the 2022 NBA All-Star teams would look like:
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Starters: Stephen Curry, Ja Morant, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Andrew Wiggins
Bench: Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson, Paul George, Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Carmelo Anthony, Karl-Anthony Towns
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Starters: Trae Young, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid
Bench: Zach LaVine, James Harden, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Jarrett Allen, LaMelo Ball, Kyrie Irving
Okay, so there’s a lot to digest here. The Eastern Conference looks extremely realistic (outside of Kyrie Irving) in comparison to the Western Conference. That’s the power of fan voting.
The clear issue is the fact that some injured players are included on both teams. Neither Irving nor Klay Thompson will end up on the teams because they’ve missed so much time.
There’s also a clear Golden State Warriors bias happening on the West Coast. Seeing Andrew Wiggins in the All-Star game is one thing, but him being in the starting lineup is another.
Plus, as much as Lakers fans may want to see it, there’s no shot that Carmelo Anthony makes the All-Star team, no matter how solid he’s been this year.
Lastly, the fact that no Utah Jazz or Phoenix Suns players are on the team is absolutely outrageous. Each of those teams has an argument to have two players on the team, let alone one.
Regardless, all of that should be evened out by media and player voting. Plus, when the coaches choose the benches, that will help, too.
Only time will tell how the NBA All-Star teams pan out. It’ll be exciting to see which players make it and which players get snubbed.