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The NBA All-Star voting is significant, as it allows the league's fans to connect with the NBA. Also, it is one of the rare occasions where fans can influence something.
Who the fans vote for can influence the starting lineups. Further, in recent iterations of the annual event, it also decided who the two captains will be. With the All-Star game returning to the traditional East-West format, there won't be any captains this year. However, the fan votes are still a crucial part of the event. Here are five observations based on the NBA All-Star voting so far.
Also read: NBA All-Star Game 2024: Venue, Dates, Tickets & more
Five unexpected observations after 3rd week of 2024 NBA All-Star voting
#1 LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo continue to lead the pack
LeBron James is outdoing himself at 39 years old, and Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to be the dominant force that he is. However, there are arguably better players than them in their respective conferences so far this season.
In the Eastern Conference, Joel Embiid leads the league in points per game, with 34.8. And Jayson Tatum's scoring and rebounding is leading the NBA's current top team, the Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having an MVP-caliber season in the West. He leads the league in steals with 2.5 per game and is currently third in points per game with 31.4.
Despite these players outperforming them in their respective conferences, LeBron and Giannis continue to lead all players in the NBA All-Star voting right now.
#2 Luka Doncic is getting more votes than Steph Curry
Steph Curry will always be one of the league's biggest fan favorites. However, he might be losing favor to a younger rising star. The Slovenian Wonder Boy Luka Doncic is doing better than him in the NBA All-Star voting.
As per the most recent vote count that the NBA released, Doncic has 1,452,733 votes to lead all guards in the West, while Curry comes in second with 1,394,980. While this could come as a surprise when viewed from the perspective of who is the obvious fan favorite, it makes perfect sense from a statistical standpoint.
Doncic is averaging 33.7 points, 9.3 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game. On the other hand, Curry is averaging 27.6 points, 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds.
#3 Austin Reaves and Kyle Kuzma are in their respective category's top-tens
A surprise player can crack the top ten of their conference's and position's top ten list in the NBA All-Star voting. This year, the two surprises might be Austin Reaves of the LA Lakers and Kyle Kuzma of the Washington Wizards.
Reaves has been having a decent personal season with 15.3 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game, but these are hardly All-Star-caliber numbers. As for Kuzma, he and his team have become a popular subject of NBA memes this year. However, he is putting up decent numbers with 22.8 points, 4.3 assists and 6.1 rebounds.
Regardless of their personal or team performance, many fans saw fit to vote for them.
#4 Julius Randle is notably missing from the list
This entry relates to the previous one. Surprisingly, New York Knicks forward Julius Randle is not in the top ten of Eastern Conference players, while Kyle Kuzma is.
Randle is undoubtedly having a better season, averaging 24.4 points, 4.7 assists and 9.5 rebounds. He is contributing to a team with a realistic shot at making the playoffs. Meanwhile, Kuzma's Wizards should be outside the postseason looking in.
#5 Tyrese Haliburton has more votes than Damian Lillard and Jalen Brunson
Tyrese Haliburton has been having a massive breakout season this year. He has led the Indiana Pacers to the inaugural In-Season Tournament Final and led the NBA in apg (12.7).
As such, he deserves the number one spot in the NBA All-Star voting among all Eastern Conference backcourt players. He has beaten other popular choices like Damian Lillard and Jalen Brunson.
