Stuck in a spiral of four consecutive defeats in the absence of Rudy Gobert, Utah measures in each game the importance of the pivot in the success of his team. But despite three defender of the year titles, the Tokyo Olympic vice-champion remains behind the main NBA superstars in the eyes of fans. A finding that is confirmed by the public votes for the All-Star Game 2022, scheduled for February 20 in Cleveland.
In the second provisional report published Thursday evening, Gobert is only ninth among the wingers and interiors in the West with 419,853 votes, very far from the leader of the category: LeBron James (Lakers, 4,386,392 votes). The “King” is followed, quite far, by the reigning MVP: Nikola Jokic (Denver, 3,016,380).
Among the leaders and backs, Stephen Curry rules the day, with the best total of votes in the Western Conference (4,463,426), ahead of James. Ja Morant (Memphis, 1,633,313) follows the Warriors point guard and can dream of a starting spot for his first All-Star Game.
28
Rudy Gobert is the 28th player to provisionally receive the most votes from the public for the 2022 All-Star Game, 17th in the Western Conference.
Durant neck and neck with Antetokounmpo
In the East, Kevin Durant (Brooklyn, 4,088,334 votes) is slightly ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee, 3,808,458) in wingers and interiors. DeMar DeRozan (Chicago) is well in the lead in the leaders and backs (2,973,854 votes) with nearly double the votes compared to runner-up Trae Young (Atlanta, 1,596,301).
The votes of the fans will represent 50% of the final vote which will determine the ten holders for the All-Star Game. Media (25%) and gamers (25%) will weigh fans’ choices. The incumbents will be announced on January 27.
The 14 replacements will be announced on February 3 and selected by the coaches of the 30 NBA franchises. The two players with the most votes will be the captains of the two “All-Star” teams. In 2021, LeBron James and Kevin Durant had secured the role before forming their teams live on television.
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