When the initial returns of the NBA All-Star voting came out today, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks led the NBA and their respective conferences — as expected.
It's scary to think that the reigning Most Valuable Player is still getting better (30.4 ppg, 13 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.7 3pg), while last season's Rookie of the Year could actually give the former a run for his money (32.3 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 9.9 apg, 3.3 3pg).
The following names, on the other hand, seriously made us do a double take:
EAST
Tacko Fall (110,269 votes | 6th among frontcourt players)
4.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.7 mpg, for the Boston Celtics
The 7'5" Senegalese skyscraper became a fan favorite during Summer League, and has remained immensely popular despite only playing for Boston's Team A three times this season. Tacko, who is averaging a ridiculous 42.5 points and 22.9 rebounds per 36 minutes, has more votes than starting centers Bam Adebayo, Andre Drummond, and Domantas Sabonis, as well as teammate Gordon Hayward.
Derrick Rose (233,669 votes | 4th among backcourt players)
16.8 ppg, 5.9 apg, 24.4 mpg for the Detroit Pistons
The 2011 MVP almost made the All-Star Game last year in his comeback campaign with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rose finished second to Stephen Curry in fan voting, but came up short when it came to the players and media. The love for the three-time All-Star is once again in full effect, with Trae Young, Kyrie Irving, and Kemba Walker the only guards from the East ahead of him.
WEST
Carmelo Anthony (142,292 votes | 8th among frontcourt players)
16.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 42.1 FG% for the Portland Trail Blazers
Being included in the exhibition match would be the icing on the cake for someone who was out of the league for a year. Melo is having a fairly successful return, as the third option for a slowly recovering Blazers squad (14-21 win-loss record) that is currently ninth in the West. The 10-time All-Star even welcomed 2020 with a season-high 26 markers against his former team the New York Knicks.
Dwight Howard (69,785 votes | 10th among frontcourt players)
7.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 19.5 mpg for the Los Angeles Lakers
Seeing his name among the top vote-getters would come as no surprise... about ten years ago. But then the whole Dwightmare happened, which haunted Howard in his next few stints before he decided to reunite with the Lakers this offseason. The most impressive thing about his career resurgence is that the three-time Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time All-Star is doing all of it in 34 games off the bench.
Alex Caruso (92,233 votes | 8th among backcourt players)
5.4 ppg, 1.1 spg, 19.5 mpg for the Los Angeles Lakers
The Bald Mamba is behind Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green, Avery Bradley, and Rajon Rondo in the Lakers' crowded backcourt rotation. Caruso's season-high in scoring (16) came at the expense of the woeful Wolves. So, how did he end up with teammates and West frontcourt leaders LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the All-Star conversation? He's called the Bald Mamba for a reason.
Ja Morant (77,081 votes | 10th among frontcourt players)
17.4 ppg, 6.5 apg, 29.3 mpg for the Memphis Grizzlies
The frontrunner for ROY is the last player on this list of unlikely All-Star candidates. Ja is not only leading a young Memphis squad, but also his fellow first years in points (17.4) and assists (6.5) per game. The 20-year-old guard from Murray State has the rare chance to become the first freshman to play in the All-Star Game since redshirt rookie Blake Griffin achieved the feat in 2011.
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