All-Star Voting Returns
On Monday, NBA All-Star voting came to an end. It was the last chance for fans to vote for their favorite players. Fan voting counts towards 50 percent of the voting for All-Star starters with the remaining 50 percent being split between players and a media panel. The returns for fans votes have been interesting and slightly unexpected. In the most recent return, Luka Doncic had 2,220,077 votes. He had more votes than Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant. LeBron James was the only Western Conference Frontcourt player with more votes than Doncic. Derrick Rose had 1,986,840 votes, which made him second in Western Conference guards. Both Rose and Doncic were surprises.
In the Eastern Conference, there are fewer surprises. The Frontcourt is accurate, but the guards are a bit different. Dwyane Wade is second in East guards with 1,199,789 votes. Fans want to see Wade in his final All-Star game, but he may not deserve to be a starter. While Wade should be in the All-Star game, other guards like Victor Oladipo, Ben Simmons or Kemba Walker should start over Wade. There is also another player who could possibly be an All-Star, although he isn’t in the top-10 for fan votes. That player is Brooklyn Nets guard D’Angelo Russell.
Ice in His Veins
Last week, D’Angelo Russell had an impressive week. He averaged 28.0 points and 7.0 assists as the Nets went 3-0. Russell was named NBA Player of the Week for the Eastern Conference. On January 14, the Nets beat the Boston Celtics 109-102. Russell had 34 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Then, the Nets beat the Rockets 145-142. Russell had 10 points and seven assists. The Nets also beat the Magic 117-115 on Friday. Russell had 40 points against them. Overall, Russell had a great week.
This season, Russell averages 19.2 points and 6.4 assists. His recent play has helped the Nets win four-straight games. They have a record of 25-23 and are sixth in the Eastern Conference. They’ve won 16 of their last 21 games. The Nets started their season 8-18 but they’ve turned it around. So, it is fair to say both Russell and the Nets are playing well.
Should D’Angelo Russell Be an All-Star?
Is Russell an All-Star? Some fans and players are starting to think so. Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker tweeted that Russell should be an All-Star. Booker along with a few others have tweeted their support.
All-Star https://t.co/0Z2UsJKM5B
— Book (@DevinBook) January 21, 2019
Russell should be an All-Star, but with the results of fan voting, it may be difficult. If players and media vote for him, he could become a starter. Or, he could be voted as a reserve by NBA head coaches. Either way, he should be considered.
As a player Magic Johnson did not consider as a leader, D’Angelo Russell is making a name for himself. He is not only becoming a leader but an All-Star caliber player. It is a strong possibility he’ll become an All-Star and it is well deserved.
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