A joke of an NBA All-Star voting system
This year’s NBA All-Star selections have been interesting to say the least. The starter pool selected for the Eastern Conference was reasonable, consisting of a superstar lineup with a backcourt of Trae Young and DeMar DeRozan, and a frontcourt of Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.
On the other hand, the Western Conference starter pool is a powerhouse for the most part, but with a twist, consisting of a backcourt with Stephen Curry and Ja Morant, and a frontcourt of LeBron James, Nikola Jokic and…. the not-so deserved Andrew Wiggins of the Warriors.
To put this controversial selection in perspective, Wiggins is alongside All-NBA players in the starter pool, who are amongst the top players in the league, while the former is simply an elite role player. A player with shockingly similar stats and a similar role on their respective teams, Desmond Bane, was not even close to being considered an All-Star.
As the third option for the Warriors this season, Wiggins not only shouldn’t have been a starter, but it’s also reasonable to say he should have never been placed on the All-Star roster. Players such as Dejounte Murray—who is an injury replacement player—and Anthony Edwards deserved to be selected over him.
The sole reason why Wiggins was able to be an All-Star was due to the voting system that gave the fans a part in the final say. To determine the starters for the All-Star Game, 50 percent of the total vote is accounted by fan vote, while the other half is accounted by current players and media members.
In the voting results that were released, the player and media votes did not support Wiggins much, ranking him behind more deserving players. But, since he was ranked third in fan votes, which weighed more, he was able to receive a starting nod in the prestigious game. More interestingly, a notable contribution to Wiggins’ fan votes was made by K-pop idol BamBam, who encouraged his fans to vote for Wiggins.
The voting system is also flawed in terms of setting a requirement for two backcourt players and three frontcourt players. In today’s game, team lineups have been more position-less than ever with players constantly shifting positions within the same game. A prime example of this is James, who can play any position from point guard to center, although he is officially labeled as a small forward in the frontcourt.
Not only were there other frontcourt players more deserving of a starting spot than Wiggins, such as Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, but there were also backcourt players far more deserving to start, such as the league’s-best Suns’ Chris Paul and Devin Booker.
As being selected to the All-Star Game is a major accolade, having significance in eventual Hall of Fame considerations, the voting system may need to be adjusted so those that deserve to be on the select team are chosen.
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