Celtics need more campaigns for two players to become All-Star starters

Celtics need more campaigns for two players to become All-Star starters

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is currently in the starting lineup for the NBA All-Star Game for the third consecutive year.

However, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White still have a lot of work to do if they aim for the same honor.

The NBA published its first fan returns on Thursday – Fans make up 50% of the All-Star votes, while a media panel and players each make up 25% – as the Celtics trio finished in the top 10 in voting at their respective positions. Tatum received nearly 1.4 million votes, trailing only Giannis Antetokounmpo (1.7 million) among Eastern Conference frontcourt players. Brown placed fifth with 433,636 votes, while White placed 10th for the Guards with 120,706 votes.

The Celtics will certainly continue to campaign for White in the coming weeks, with the All-Star Game just over a month away. Unlike Tatum and Brown, White never took part in the major exhibition event. Tatum is a five-time All-Star, while Brown has won the award three times, including each of the last two seasons.

A two-time All-Defensive selection, White has become a star with the Celtics, averaging 16.8 points this season while shooting 45.2% from the field and 39.2% from beyond the arc 3-point range shoots. He also contributes 4.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. But a cold spell in December may have hurt White’s All-Star chances.

Story continues below advertisement

Tatum appears to have a chance to start the contest, while Brown has a good chance of joining him on February 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

The All-Star Game will look very different this season as the NBA introduces a new format to breathe some life back into the game. The game will look like a four-team, three-game mini-tournament. The teams will consist of eight players and Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith will make the teams on February 6th. The fourth team will be the winning team of the Rising Stars game.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *