the big difference between fan/player/media voting

Last night, the NBA announced the 10 starters and 2 captains for the 2023 Salt Lake City All-Star Game. And as always, it is interesting to analyze the votes in detail, especially in terms of the differences in results between the choice of fans, players, and journalists.

Before continuing, a little reminder about the voting system for the All-Star Game.

• The fan vote is important 50% of the final result
• The player’s vote is counted 25% of the final result
• The journalists’ vote is counted 25% of the final result

Now, to the voting results in detail.

Voting details: pic.twitter.com/nXkY1wnzAe

— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) January 27, 2023

As you can see above, the NBA announced the ranking of each candidate for the All-Star Game by type of vote: fans, players, journalists. And we can see some big differences.

The notable differences within the Eastern Conference

Frontcourt

• Bam Adebayo: 11th among fans, 5th among players/journalists. The Heat pivot recently criticized the way fans voted, shunning him throughout the voting process despite his fine individual season. But Bam is confident, he has respect for colleagues and journalists. He should logically be named an All-Star replacement by the coaches in a few days.
• Kyle Kuzma: 7th among fans, 16th among players. With his bright pink sweaters and his Insta posts in reality TV star mode, Kuz has a definite fanbase in the NBA, especially as he’s having a rough time on the Washington side. On the other hand, he is less popular among the players.
• Jayson Tatum: 4th among players, 1st among reporters. MVP candidate this season, the Celtics star is the darling of the media. But when we look at the players’ votes, we realize that it’s actually Tatum who finds himself excluded behind Giannis, Embiid and Kevin Durant.

Backcourt

• Kyrie Irving: 1st among fans/players, 4th among reporters. Controversial character, Kyrie is not really popular in the media, which does not forget all the controversies that surrounded the boy in recent months. On the other hand, Uncle Drew still has the respect of his peers, and the admiration of fans.
• Tyrese Haliburton: 8th among fans, 3rd among reporters. A young nugget with a well-made head, who makes his team wins and is also very flashy, who has something to attract the press. The problem is Haliburton plays deep in Indiana, and that doesn’t bode well for winning a place in the fans’ hearts.
• DeMar DeRozan: 4th among players, 10th among reporters. Considered true hooper of its opponents, DMDR is still very popular among its peers. But the media continues to shun him, perhaps because his mid-range shooting game isn’t up for analytics and the Bulls have been disappointing this season.
• Trae Young: 5th among fans, 12th among players. A huge offensive talent and a trashtalker at heart, Ice Trae is usually a hit with fans. On the other hand, he is not popular with other players in the League. Maybe because of his bratty side, his very questionable leadership, or his tendency to take a lot of points in the head while he scores.
• Jalen Brunson: 12th among fans, 8th among players. Despite a great individual season and the fact that he plays in the huge New York market, the Knicks point guard was only 12th in the fan vote. However, he can console himself by saying that his opponents respect his game.

The notable differences within the Western Conference

Frontcourt

• Anthony Davis: 3rd among fans, 7th among players, 6th among reporters. AD clearly took advantage of the Lakers’ large fanbase to rank well with fans. But in the media as among the players, Davis was less popular, perhaps because he could not avoid the infirmary box.
• Lauri Markkanen: 7th among fans, 4th among players. It’s not easy when you’re playing in Utah to get fan support, no matter how good you are. New proof with Markkanen who nevertheless had an impressive season. Magnificent season that however goes unnoticed by the players.
• Domantas Sabonis: 9th among fans, 3rd among journalists. Like Markkanen, Sabonis was punished by playing in Sacramento. Despite the growing hype surrounding the Kings, Domas isn’t popular with fans, but reporters are catching on by placing him in the third behind Jokic and LeBron.
• Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green: 5th and 8th among fans, 19th and 14th among players. Once again, the Warriors fanbase gave it their all for their reps despite Golden State’s disappointing season. Wiggins and Green are in the Top 10 of the fan vote, but more so than the players. In particular, we have a huge gap for Wiggs, who has been squatting in the infirmary lately.

Backcourt

• De’Aaron Fox: 8th among fans, 5th among reporters. See paragraph Domantas Sabonis.
• Devin Booker: 10th among fans, 7th among players. The All-Star guard still isn’t popular with fans, and it’s likely to do that playing Phoenix, a team that rarely makes headlines. The fact that he’s injured doesn’t help either, but players still know what an offensive engine Book is.
• Russell Westbrook: 6th among fans, 18th among players. Here is the real proof that playing in Los Angeles – city of stars – is a huge advantage to reach the All-Star Game. Despite all the turmoil that has passed through LA since Russ arrived in 2021, the Lakers fanbase tried to send Brodie to the All-Star Game. Fortunately without success, the players are clearly not in the same delirium.
• Anthony Edwards: 13th among fans, 8th among players. Another punished by the place where he plays. Despite his amazing side, his smile and his big statements, Ant-Man has not helped the reality of development with the Timberwolves. But his opponents are really starting to realize how powerful he is.
• Klay Thompson: 5th among fans, 25th among players. Hello the (very) wide gap! Like Wiggins and Draymond, Klay took advantage of the Warriors’ large fanbase to enter the Top 5 in fan voting. However, he is far from the players, who clearly see Thompson as a shadow of his All-Star self before his major injuries.

_____

Text source: NBA