Voting for the 2015-16 NBA All-Star Game is now open.
The league has released information on all of the different ways to vote this year, and with so many platforms, it seems we’re only a year or two away from telepathic voting. This year, fans can vote online at NBA.com, via text message, Facebook, Instagram, Weibo, Tencent, and the NBA app.
And, of course, fans can vote on Twitter. Last year they had fans use the hashtag #NBABallot, but this year they’re going with the more character limit-friendly #NBAVote.
IMPORTANT: USE THE HASHTAG #NBAVote for All-Star voting this year.
Also important: Get voting for Kyle Lowry.
Lowry made his first All-Star appearance a season ago and it would be great to see him back in the starting lineup for the Eastern Conference with the game in Toronto this year. Not only because it would be cool to have a member of the Toronto Raptors start, but also because Lowry has been the best point guard in the East, and it’s not particularly close.
Kyle Lowry Over Everything has never been truer, with Lowry out-ranking most of his competitors across the board. Save for that damned Steph Curry out West, anyway. Lowry ranks seventh in the NBA in PER, second in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus, third in Basketball Reference’s Win Shares, and second in Nylon Calculus’ DRE. His rank among East point guards in each? First, across the board. None of those stats are perfect, of course, but it doesn’t take an advanced statistic, formula, or spreadsheet to understand how good Lowry’s been.
He’s averaging 22 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and a league-leading 2.5 steals while knocking down 41.8 percent of his threes. He’s also playing 35.8 minutes a night for a 14-9 team that’s played a somewhat difficult early schedule, a team that’s 16.7 points per-100 possessions worse with Lowry off of the floor. Nobody else on the team is even close to having that kind of impact. As Lowry goes, the Raptors go, and so far he’s gone gangbusters on offense and been a ball-hawk on defense, helping the Raptors to above-average ranks at both ends.
Really, it would be hard to say enough to make the case for Lowry. He’s been by far the best player on a team that isn’t doing it pretty, but is over-performing expectations some despite injuries and time away from home. Were it not for Curry, I’d have Lowry right there with Paul George, LeBron James, and Kawhi Leonard in the MVP race (a couple of Thunder players are close, too). He’s been awesome, and he’s deserving of your #NBAVote this year.
