The NBA released their first results from the NBA All-Star fan ballots and there are definitely some surprises at the top.
First is Kyrie Irving who played in his first game January 5th. If he had played even half of the games so far this year he could be seen as an All-Star but playing in just one game has to be too little for him to make the team. He is currently sixth in guard voting for the Eastern conference guards.
Next is Klay Thompson who hasn’t played in a single game but still came in fourth in guards voting in the West. That puts Klay above players such as Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Damian Lillard in fan voting for Western conference guards.
Another Warrior is a surprise on the fan voting list as Andrew Wiggins is currently fourth in fan voting for forwards in the West. This puts him just one spot outside of being a starting All-Star forward. This is obviously a pick based on Warriors fans coming out of the dark again after a few down seasons and the Warriors having the best record in the league. Wiggins is currently 26th in the NBA in points per game and not in the top 15 of any major statistical categories.
These players likely won’t make the All-Star team in the end as fan voting only accounts for 50% of the consideration with players and coaches making up the other 50% and coaches decide the reserve All-Stars.
Photo Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kyrie_Irving_(27140775883).jpg