Ed’s Note: This is a guest post by Aaron Nemtean.
By now, almost every basketball fan is smart enough to know that the All-Star fan voting process is kind of a farce. The starting lineups are players chosen primarily based on their name recognition, style of play, and past performance, and it doesn’t always allow for the best players to make the team. That’s the reason why Dwyane Wade (who is lapping the field in voting at his position) and Kyrie Irving (who has played only nine games this season) would be the starting guards for the Eastern Conference if the All Star Game were played today. The following is the latest voting list for this year’s Eastern Conference Guards.
NBA ALL-STAR 2016 VOTING RESULTS: SECOND RETURNS
January 7, 2016
East Guards:
1 Dwyane Wade (Mia) 562,558
2 Kyrie Irving (Cle) 271,094
3 Kyle Lowry (Tor) 242,276
4 Jimmy Butler (Chi) 220,429
5 John Wall (Was) 207,274
6 DeMar DeRozan (Tor) 170,539
7 Derrick Rose (Chi) 159,787
8 Jeremy Lin (Cha) 122,988
9 Isaiah Thomas (Bos) 87,452
10 Reggie Jackson (Det) 44,525
This leads to the logical question: Who are actually the most deserving All-Star starting guards if the voting were a meritocracy and not a popularity contest? Based on their personal and team performance so far, there is a legitimate argument that both Toronto Raptors stars, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, are deserving of that starting nod, especially since the game is being played in Toronto. As much as it pains me to write, I would not support that argument. Right at this very moment, and things could certainly change, the most deserving starting backcourt is Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler (by a hair over DeRozan, who is having an incredible career year).
Lowry, DeRozan, and Butler are having the three best seasons among guards in the East, taking into account both statistics and team record. Their teams are second and fourth respectively in their conference, while statistically the three players have performed similarly – and spectacularly – on offense.
In a three horse race this close, I’m going to have to pick nits in order to choose my two starters. To me, Lowry stands out as having the best statistical season of the three (leading in four of those six categories, plus a handful of advanced metrics), so in a race this close, I’ll give him the nod as one of the starters.
Butler deserves that second spot for three key reasons. As much as DeRozan has improved as a defender, Butler is one of, if not the best perimeter defender in the East. Further, while DeRozan and Lowry often share the offensive load from night to night as co-leaders, Butler is the unquestionable primary option on the Bulls with his closest running mate (Pau Gasol) six points behind. Being the primary option every night is something to clearly be lauded for. And perhaps most importantly, the Bulls are 2-0 against the Raptors this year, propelled in the second game in Toronto by a 42-point performance from Butler that was literally Jordan-esque (beating Michael Jordan’s record for most points in a half by a Bull with 40). That’s a solid tiebreaker.
Now, just because Lowry and Butler are the two deserving starters at the moment doesn’t mean things are set in stone. It’s almost the complete opposite. Considering how tight the Eastern Conference is (with the second and 10th place teams separated by only 4.5 games), teams can easily rise and fall quickly, and completely change the entire equation. I wouldn’t be shocked if my starting selections flip completely in two weeks. (Not that it matters, because it’s the fans that decide).
There are several other guards in the East that can make a decent case for starting All-Star consideration if things can break their way, too. Wade is having a solid year (19 points, four rebounds, five assists) but he’s only playing 30 minutes a game, hardly shouldering a major load. Isaiah Thomas and John Wall are having very good to great statistical seasons but are on non-playoff teams at the moment (that might be unfair to Wall, who is the only thing keeping the Wizards from sure-fire lottery status right now). Reggie Jackson is having a hell of a season, averaging 20 points, four boards, and six assists for a much-improved Detroit Pistons squad, but one still battling it out for an 8th seed where things can certainly change.
There’s still plenty of time left but at the moment Lowry and Butler deserve the starting backcourt nod. However, if Butler goes cold in the next few weeks, I would be ecstatic to confirm the title of this article (though fan voting closes too early for such a cold streak to make an actual difference). DeRozan is deserving of a spot, just not a starting one, and his fate may lie in Lowry getting the push needed to take a starting spot from Irving in the final week of voting.
So make sure to pound that #NBAVote over the nest few days.
