The first round fan voting is in the for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. What did fans get right and wrong?
The first round of fan voting is in for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, and the leaders in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference should be no surprise. LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are again the leading vote-getters in their respective conferences just like last year — only this time, the game is going back to an East vs. West format without the All-Star draft the two superstars took part in last year.
Fans can vote on the NBA All-Star starters until they’re revealed on Thursday, Jan. 25 live on TNT. The All-Star reserves will be announced on Feb. 1. The fan vote counts for 50 percent in determining the All-Star starters, while the player vote and media vote makes up the other 25 percent each. The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 18 in Indianapolis at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Here’s what the NBA All-Star Game fan voting looks like on the first update of the season:
Each conference will start three front court players and two backcourt players. With so much talent around the league, there’s bound to be some hurt feelings for certain fanbases.
What did the fans get right in this first round of voting? What did they get wrong? Let’s get into it.
What fans got right in 2024 NBA All-Star Game voting so far
Tyrese Haliburton as the East backcourt leading vote-getter: There are some bigger names among guards in the Eastern Conference, but no one is playing better ball this season than Indiana Pacers Point God Tyrese Haliburton. He’s the best guard in the conference this year, and fans got it right by giving him more votes than any other backcourt player in the East. Haliburton’s electrifying passing ability, incredible pull-up shooting, and stunning ability to avoid turnovers while making such audacious passes has the Pacers offense scoring at the most efficient mark in league history at the moment. The 23-year-old guard has been the most impactful offensive player in the league so far, according to EPM. There was always going to be a new starter in the East backcourt this year after Kyrie Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks at last season’s trade deadline, but I’m surprised the fans didn’t get fooled by Damian Lillard in Milwaukee or Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland. Well done, fans.
The East front-court is locked in: The easiest vote on the ballot is selecting the three Eastern Conference front court players. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Jayson Tatum are the leaders of the three elite teams in the conference. Anyone could have confidently marked down 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 soared after trading James Harden at the start of the season mostly thanks to the stunning improvement of 23-year-old guard Tyrese Maxey. Maxey has been playing like an All-Star all year, and it’s nice to see the fans put in the top-five of early voting. You can argue about 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 the fans did well to recognize his tremendous development.
Alperen Sengun with more votes than Victor Wembanyama is a W: In a rare moment of public ball knowledge, Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun drew more votes than Spurs super rookie Victor Wembanyama. Sengun has emerged as the primary option on a reborn 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 the 21-year-old Sengun with the No. 16 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He’s a stud.
What fans got wrong in 2024 NBA All-Star game voting so far
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should start over 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 over Stephen Curry and anyone else. The Thunder guard is No. 2 in the NBA in estimated plus-minus behind Joel Embiid, and he’s done it with a younger team in the tougher conference. The last player to average more than 30 points on better than 50 percent shooting and also have a steal rate north of three percent was Michael Jordan, who did it four times in his mid-20s. The 25-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander is playing at an absurdly high level coming off his starring role for Canada in the FIBA World Cup. He’s the best guard in the NBA right now.
Joel Embiid should be the leading vote-getter in the East: Embiid is the consensus favorite to win his second straight MVP award. The reigning MVP is playing at 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 end. Giannis is having an amazing year himself and was No. 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 has been the third best guard in the West this season behind Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic. He’s He’s leveled up again as a scorer (averaging a career-high 29.4 points per game) because he’s somehow turned himself into a high volume, highly-accurate three-point shooter. Fox just seems to go up a level every year. The 26-year-old is one of the best guards alive, and even if he isn’t voted in as a starter, should be the first guard off the bench.
Where’s 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 top-5 in Western Conference backcourt voting. LaMelo Ball is on the Eastern Conference list while playing fewer games. Booker’s absence here is honestly astounding.
