The fan vote for the 2024 NBA All-Star concludes this Saturday, and after multiple triple-voting days, Devin Booker has not moved higher in the standings. The three-time All-Star will once again rely on coaches’ decisions or injury replacement to get a spot at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana for the game.
Kevin Durant, who has been selected to 13 All-Star Games, finds himself in a familiar spot: near the top of the fan vote.
Last week, we discussed the intriguing reason why Booker received so few fan votes. He is loathed by opposing fan bases, and the reasons are immaterial. The fact is that he receives little love in the All-Star voting.
In one week, he increased his total by 119,572.
While I have previously expressed my dissatisfaction with the fan vote, it bears reiterating. It is a popularity battle, not an accurate reflection of who is performing well in a given season. It is an opportunity for the NBA to engage its fans, thus it will never go away. The coaches and players still have a say in who appears in the game, which is one of the checks and balances. Fans decide 50% of the vote, with the remaining 50% determined by a mix of coach and player votes.
Have you ever returned to watch All-Star games on NBA TV? Hell, during the COVID blackout, that was some of the greatest TV available. Watching games like the 1994 All-Star Game, which features a who’s who of who was actually good that year, results in a truly nostalgic product.
Do you recall B.J. Armstrong starting for the Eastern Conference during the first post-Jordan season?
Kevin Durant’s high vote total makes sense. First? He is an all-time great player and top-five scorer. Ever. He’s enjoying an outstanding season, averaging 28.9 points on 52.4/47.1/88 splits. Yes, he should be heading for Indiana. He should be representing the Suns given the effort he has put in.
The fact that Durant is on his fourth NBA franchise, however, gives him an advantage over Devin Booker.
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His skill set, assassin-like shooting, and overall basketball knowledge have earned him fans at every location. While he no longer plays for those teams, fans still remember who he was and how he influenced their basketball careers.
Booker, on the other hand, has only played for the Suns. He has not earned any new admirers who have praised his approach to the game. So he remains at the bottom of the rankings.
This will be a recurring topic for years to come. Let’s see if the coaches and players get it right. Booker is playing at an All-Star level, averaging 26.2 points and 7.8 assists per game, and he deserves to represent the Phoenix Suns in Indiana.