The NBA All-Star race is heating up, and for Pacers fans, there's a bit of a nail-biter! Pascal Siakam, the Pacers' star forward, has slipped down the Eastern Conference ballot in the latest All-Star fan voting returns. Let's dive into the details.
In the second round of fan voting, released on Tuesday, Siakam dropped from the ninth to the tenth spot. He's a three-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA selection, so this shift is definitely noteworthy. He currently has a total of 298,761 votes. When the initial results were announced on December 29th, he was in ninth place with 155,910 votes.
What happened? Well, Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. surged ahead, climbing from tenth to ninth place with 304,316 votes.
Now, let's talk about Siakam's performance. He's leading the Pacers, averaging an impressive 23.8 points per game, ranking him 23rd in the entire NBA. He's shooting 48.7% from the field and 37.2% from beyond the arc. He also leads the team in rebounds with 6.7 per game and steals with 1.3 per game, and he's third in assists, averaging 3.8 per game. But here's where it gets controversial... The Pacers are currently struggling, with a record of 6-30 and riding a 12-game losing streak, which ties a franchise record. Could this be impacting fan votes?
Looking at the bigger picture, Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee leads the Eastern Conference with nearly 2.1 million votes. Jalen Brunson of the Knicks and Tyrese Maxey of the 76ers are close behind, ranking second and third with over 1.9 million votes. Other top vote-getters include Cade Cunningham, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jalen Johnson. In the Western Conference, Luka Doncic of the Lakers leads the pack with nearly 2.3 million votes.
And this is the part most people miss... The fan voting ends on January 14th. The starters for the All-Star Game, which will be held in Los Angeles on February 15th, will be announced on January 19th. After that, the coaches will select the reserves, with seven players chosen from each conference. This year's game will introduce a three-team tournament format with eight players each, including one international team. This could potentially work in Siakam's favor. If there aren't enough international players among the starters and reserves, or if there aren't enough American players to form two eight-man teams, the commissioner, Adam Silver, will add players to fill the spots.
What do you think? Will Siakam make the All-Star team? Do you think the Pacers' current record is influencing the fan vote? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
