NBA’s All-Star Fan Voting Problem

What do fans love more than van engagement. Fans love to vote in their favorite players, and are able to feel a sense of pride when those players are selected. In theory, it’s a great idea, but in execution, it’s a mess.

At a first glance, there’s nothing wrong with this picture, but a second look will reveal the issues. Alex Caruso and Tacko Fall.

Alex Caruso is a very solid NBA player. He went from being an undrafted free agent, to a role player on a contending team. As good as Caruso is, he’s not better than Jrue Holiday, he’s not better than Chris Paul, and he’s definitely not better than Devin Booker. To show how undeserving he is, here’s all 4 four of their 2020 stats, side by side.

Alex Caruso

5.6 points – 2 rebounds – 1.7 assists – 1.1 steals – 0.2 blocks

Jrue Holiday

19.6 points – 4.9 rebounds 6.5 assists – 1.7 steals – 0.7 blocks

Chris Paul

16.7 points – 5.1 rebounds – 6.4 assists – 1.6 steals – 0.1 blocks

Devin Booker

26.2 points – 3.8 rebounds – 6.4 assists – 0.7 steals – 0.2 blocks

The fact that Devin Booker will likely not be an All-Star this season (which will mean he still hasn’t selected to a single All-Star team throughout his career,) is ridiculous. There’s a ton of guards in the West that are more deserving than Alex Caruso, but they won’t be voted in because Alex Caruso is a meme, but that’s nothing compared to the Tacko Fall situation in the East.

Tacko Fall should not have more votes Andre Drummond, Bam Adebayo, or Domantas Sabonis. Here’s all of their stats, and you can decide who should have the most votes.

Tacko Fall

4.3 points – 2.5 rebounds – 0 assists – 0.5 blocks – 0 steals – 5.3 minutes

Andre Drummond

17.8 points – 16.2 rebounds – 2.6 assists – 1.9 steals – 1.8 blocks – 34.2 minutes

Bam Adebayo

15.9 points – 10.5 rebounds – 4.5 assists – 1.3 steals – 1.2 blocks – 34.3 minutes

Domantas Sabonis

18 points – 13.1 rebounds – 4.1 assists – 0.9 steals – 0.6 blocks – 34.4 minutes

Fan voting is something that should exist, but it needs to be changed. Tacko Fall, who’s only played in 4 games this season, shouldn’t have more votes than players who contribute on a nightly basis. The only reason that Tacko Fall is receiving this many votes is because he’s 7’6, and the only reason Alex Caruso is receiving so many votes is that he’s balding. At least Alex Caruso is a legitimate contributor for his team but Tacko Fall! He’s a G-League player who doesn’t deserve anywhere near the amount of votes he’s getting.

Players like Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, and Derrick Rose may not deserve all of the votes they’re getting this season, but at least there’s a reason. They used to be MVP level players, who are nostalgic to fans. They’re not being voted in as a joke, but because they’re having comeback seasons, which fans love to see.

It’s easy to blame the fans for these things, but it’s the NBA’s fault. They have a poor system in place, which is being utilized by the fans. What the NBA should do, is have players and coaches create a shortlist of players, which the fans could then vote on. This way, fans will still be allowed to be a part of the process, but players like Chris Paul will at least be able to make the cut.

At the end of the day, the All-Star game is incredibly arbitrary, and meaningless, and who makes it and who doesn’t isn’t a big deal, but with how competitive of a league the NBA is, players want to be rewarded for their success, not snubbed because they’re not popular enough.

Featured Image

| Chris Elise | 2019 | Getty Images |