The first fan voting returns for the NBA All-Star selections are in, but New York Knicks‘ 1-2 punch Jalen Brunson nor Julius Randle and the rising RJ Barrett were nowhere to be found. Instead, it’s their beloved veteran Derrick Rose, who is currently out of the rotation, who made it to the initial top 10 guards in the Eastern Conference.
Rose placed ninth among guards in the East with 220,229 votes ahead of Cleveland’s Darius Garland (143,826) and behind Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton (281,691).
The Brooklyn Nets star duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are leading their respective positions by a mile in the Eastern Conference.
Out West, fan-favorites LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and injured Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry are the leading vote-getters.
Despite Rose having his worst season, the NBA’s youngest MVP history still has a large fanbase to pull in votes. That can’t be said of the Knicks leaders Randle, Brunson and even Barrett.
Randle is playing more efficiently than his lone All-Star season two years ago, but his chance to secure his second berth is through the coaches’ voting for reserves. Ditto to Brunson, who is having a career year as the Knicks starting point guard.
Randle is averaging a career-high 24.2 points on 46.3 percent shooting, his most efficient scoring season since 2018-19. He’s also pulling down 10 rebounds per game and has been more engaged defensively this season.
Brunson’s numbers are career highs across the board — 20.8 points, 6.5 assists and 1.0 steals — and he has been the Knicks’ best clutch performer.
The next fan update is on Jan. 12. Votes for tomorrow (Friday), 13, 16 and 20 will be counted three times. Fans can vote through the NBA app.
The All-Star starters will be chosen based on fan votes (50%), NBA players (25%) and media panel (25%). The reserves will be selected by the NBA coaches, while roster replacements in case of injuries will be chosen by the league.
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