It’s reasonable to think that Chet Holmgren will one day be an All-Star. He was a huge prospect in high school and had a stellar year with Gonzaga to become Oklahoma City’s second pick in the last draft. great talent.
And it was terrible that he got injured in the summer and missed the whole season.
But apparently his rehab is going great—with four NBA players selecting him as an All-Star starter.
that’s how it is. When players in recent weeks had to choose who should start in the All-Star Game on February 19 in Salt Lake City, four voted for Holmgren, even though he did not debut.
Congratulations to all involved. This is a new record: 330 players received at least one vote to start. They are 20 more than those who got at least one vote in 2021.
You have to consider that there will only be 10 starters in the All-Star Game. There are maximum 20 valid candidates. OK, maybe 30.
That is, many votes were wasted, this is a travesty.
The position was created seven years ago when nearly 800,000 people voted at-large and Zaza Pachulia nearly made the All-Star Game as a starter. The NBA changed the rules and chose a percentage formula—50% to the fans, 25% to the press, and 25% to the players.
As should be the case, fans would have had what they wanted. LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum were the first seven on the ballot announced Thursday. Also Kyrie Irving (9), Donovan Mitchell (10) and Zion Williamson (12).
Joel Embiid (7) was not included, nor was Anthony Davis (11).
The player votes were the reason Davis did not start. Only 30 chose Davis, while 80 chose Williamson. That was the difference.
But many of those 375 ballots were intriguing.
Lonzo Ball of Chicago got four votes. Omar Yurtseven three from Miami. Jae Crowder, still a member of Phoenix under the name, two. Collin Gillespie of Denver and Ibou Badjie of Portland Forest.
What they have in common: Like Holmgren, neither has played this season.
The coach will decide the choice; Headline votes are no longer valid. Only the coaches’ votes would count to select the remaining seven stars from each conference. If an injury occurs, Commissioner Adam Silver chooses a replacement.
Let’s hope that one day players will take voting seriously. If not, the NBA may consider taking their vote back.
