The (Super Duper Early) All-Star Votes Are In

There are some familiar names atop the first All-Star fan voting returns. And there are some whose ranking reminds us this is a popularity contest and not who are truly the best players.

Whether it’s the first All-Star ballot returns or the 21st ones, there’s always going to be some form of debate.

Often we see aged, past-their-prime superstars among the top two or three when there are often one or more players at their position who not only have a better season but at this point, is a better overall player.

While the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets aren’t the top teams in their respective conferences, LeBron James and Kevin Durant are worthy of being the top vote-getters.

The Lakers began the season as a legit trainwreck of a team that’s starting to get back on track and at a minimum seems capable of playing their way into the play-in tournament this season.

Before Anthony Davis was sidelined (again) with an injury, his play was instrumental in the Lakers’ turnaround.

But lost in their success has been the play of LeBron James, who has scored at least 20 points in 21 consecutive games - the longest current streak in the NBA.

In the East, Brooklyn has won 12 of its last 13 games and trails the Boston Celtics by just one game in the East.

We have talked often about how the drama-free Kyrie Irving (for now at least) has been a major boost to Brooklyn’s success.

But don’t be fooled, people.

Kevin Durant is still the best player on that team and because of that, the key to any success they’ll have during the second half of the season and into the playoffs.

There will be lots of vote-getting battles to watch, with my favorite being the fight for the third starting spot between Davis and New Orleans Zion Williamson.

Both are deserving this season.

When healthy - and that’s a big IF for both big men - there are few in the league that can slow them now let alone contain them.

Both will make the all-star team, if healthy.

But only one deserves to start and that’s Williamson.

He is doing what true all-stars do, which is elevate the play of his team to a level that puts them among the best and do so while racking up impressive numbers along the way. The 6-foot-6, 284-pound man-among boys is averaging 26 points and seven rebounds per game to go with 4.6 assists. What’s even more impressive has been Williamson’s ability to get where he wants to - in the paint - and score at will which is evident by him shooting 60.8 percent from the field this season

For the most part, there really aren’t too many egregious head-scratchers among the top vote-getters other than Lakers guard Austin Reeves being ninth among Western Conference guards - I don’t think he’s ninth among guards in his own division.

In the East, you’re not gonna convince me (or most coaches when it’s time to pick All-Star reserves) that there are seven guards having a better season than Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, currently eighth in the East voting among guards.

The Indiana Pacers have been one of the most notable overachievers this season, and Haliburton’s play has had a lot to do with that success. He’s averaging 20.6 points and 4 rebounds along with 10.6 assists, doing so while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from 3-point range.

The battle I’m looking forward to seeing play out among East reserves is the one between Philadelphia’s James Harden and Atlanta’s Trae Young who are currently third and fifth in the voting, respectively.

You have to give Harden props for the success Philly is having lately (they are 2.5 games out of first place in the East), with Harden averaging a robust double-double of 22.3 points and 10.8 assists per game.

However, he has only appeared in 22 of 37 games. At that rate, he’s on pace to appear in just 49 games this season which would be only the second time in his career he appeared in less than 62 games in a single season.

And while Young has been more available and scoring at a higher clip, he’s shooting just 41.6 percent from the field - the worst shooting percentage among all players in the league averaging at least 27 points per game this season. And on top of that, he’s leading one of the biggest underachievers this season, in the Hawks who are two games (18-20) below-.500 now.

What are your thoughts on the first round of all-star ballots? Who got slighted? Who got more credit (and votes) than they deserved?