Kobe Bryant still leads the league by a comfortable margin. Steph Curry is in a clear second-place behind him, and LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Dwyane Wade have begun separating from the pack, too. None of that’s surprising. Bryant is a walking endorsement of the public’s love for nostalgia, and the quartet succeeding the Los Angeles Lakers legend is one made up of full-fledged superstars playing close to their peak.
All-Star voting rarely shocks. But for the many basketball analysts who have longed for Draymond Green to receive proper due as one of the game’s best all-around players, the latest fan tallying for February’s midseason classic is sure to elicit smiles – in part because its unexpected.
The Golden State Warriors do-it-all forward has surged to third-place among West frontcourt vote-getters, squeaking past Kawhi Leonard for the conference’s fifth and final starting spot – with 11 days left in the process.
Curry, Russell Westbrook, Bryant, Durant, and Green comprise their conference’s current opening five. Leonard trails Green for the third frontcourt spot by less than 2,000 tallies. Blake Griffin’s quadriceps injury on Christmas Day slowed his voting momentum; the Los Angeles Clippers superstar now ranks fifth in the Western Conference frontcourt, more than 30,000 votes behind Green and Leonard. Westbrook has a seemingly insurmountable advantage over Chris Paul for the West’s second backcourt slot, too.
Wade, Kyrie Irving, James, Paul George, and Andre Drummond would tip-off for the East if voting ended today. While James, Wade, and George are virtually assured of being selected as starters, the grasps of Irving and Drummond on opening nods are tenuous. The Cleveland Cavaliers point guard – who only recently made his season debut, mind you – has Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, and John Wall nipping at his heels, and the Detroit Pistons behemoth leads Carmelo Anthony by less than 6,000 votes.
Fan voting for the All-Star Game ends at the stroke of midnight on January 19th. Starters will be announced on TNT two days later, with reserves to follow January 28th.
