BY RYAN MERARD
Even with the pandemic going on, the National Basketball Association (NBA) recently announced that the NBA All-Star Game will take place in Atlanta, Georgia on March 7. This tournament selects players from the association based on both coach and audience input, and game rosters are determined during the NBA All-Star Draft. The Atlanta Hawks have let some fans attend the games at limited capacity this season, so it is likely that a limit will be placed for the All-Star Game as well.
Everybody knows about the automatic locks for the annual All-Star Game. Players like Lebron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and so many others are pretty much guaranteed participants in this event. For the players who may be performing at All Star-level but might not get as much media attention as other players, they may find themselves being snubbed from the game. With all of the major talent in the league, it’s hard for fans and coaches to choose just 24 players to send to the All-Star Game, so snubs are bound to happen.
A part of the snubs could also play with the effect of the media on fans. Many NBA fans believe that the All-Star game voting is not really based on who is performing the best, but rather a popularity contest, or who’s been getting posted more by BleacherReport on Instagram.
For instance, Tacko Fall, the well known center for the Boston Celtics because of his 7-foot-6 stature, found himself in the top 10 spot for All-Star big men for the Eastern Conference last year with almost a million fan votes. Situations like these are even being seen currently, as Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors is currently in the top 10 for Western Conference guards. He’s not even eligible to play in the event because of his torn ACL, and now that’s about 100,000 votes towards someone who is not eligible to play.
A part of the snubs could also play with the effect of the media on fans.
As for the starters who are chosen by fans, players and basketball media, there are definitely some players who have made a tremendous leap from last year to be able to start in the All-Star Game. Even if Jaylen Brown does not achieve that starting spot, it should be almost certain that he makes the All-Star Game. He is currently averaging 26 points on 51% shooting, and shooting over 50% is always impressive for a guard. Brown should be confident in his odds, as they are likely in his favor.
Someone who is not even in the top 10 for guards in their conference but could make the All-Star Game is Fred Vanvleet. “Steady Freddy,” as some may call him, recently dropped a whopping 54 points against the Orlando Magic. This scoring outburst definitely adds to his campaign, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Vanvleet representing the Toronto Raptors.
Another player that is nowhere to be found in the top 10 of his respective conference is DeMar Derozan of the San Antonio Spurs. Although he may not have had the most spectacular year, he is surely having a better year than other guards in the Western Conference. As a sports fan, it is known that numbers are not everything, yet Ja Morant, who is averaging 19 points per game and seven assists, is currently fourth in fan votes for guards in the western conference. Derozan averages 20 points and six assists per game, but somehow has less votes than Klay Thompson who hasn’t even played an official game this year, which is just disrespectful. Not all hope is lost for Derozan, but it just might become reality that he did not make the All-Star Game.
People who are in the mix of the votes such as Bam Adeybayo, Jimmy Butler, Julius Randle, Donovan Mitchell, Zach Lavine and Anthony Davis should all be expected to make the All-Star Game. Although fans only make up 50 percent of the final decisions, these types of players are always known for their stellar performance by those both inside and outside of the court, so coaches and players will probably cast these names down on their ballots as well.
When fans play such a big part in the process, wild scenarios are bound to happen.
When fans play such a big part in the process, wild scenarios are bound to happen. But they can sometimes take away from the point of the All-Star Game, which is to showcase the best talent out of the top 24 players of the NBA. Players can have great seasons and not even have a train of support but ultimately, the NBA has to support the fans’ decisions.
Photo courtesy of CNN
