Leading up to the Feb. 16 NBA All-Star Game, the league has periodically been releasing updated totals of how many fan votes players are receiving.
Thursday was the second release, and once again Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell was seventh among Western Conference guards with 449,835 votes. Ahead of him are notable names such as Luka Doncic and James Harden, but the player just ahead of Mitchell in sixth place is the Los Angeles Lakers’ Alex Caruso, who is averaging 5.5 points, two rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
While that frustrated some Jazz fans on Twitter Thursday, perhaps it might make them feel better to know that Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker is in eighth place, and that Gordon Hayward is eighth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players, behind teammate Tacko Fall, who has barely played this season but, like Caruso, has gained an unforeseen popularity.
Utah center Rudy Gobert is not in the West’s Top 10 of frontcourt players. LeBron James has the most votes of any player.
LeBron James has pulled ahead to No. 1 in fan voting in the second round of All-Star returns. Alex Caruso and Tacko Fall kept climbing, too. pic.twitter.com/tfP6yYuXPY
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 9, 2020
Fans account for 50% of the vote to determine the game’s 10 starters. NBA player votes will account for 25% and media votes will count for the other 25%. Coach votes will determine reserves. In essence, even though Caruso and Fall have a bunch of votes, they almost surely won’t make their conference’s roster for the game.
Voting for fans, players and media will conclude on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 20, at 11:59 p.m. EST.