Toronto fans upset that no Raptors players are getting any All-Star game votes
The Toronto Raptors have been on a tear lately, upsetting heavily-favoured teams with wins in seven of their last ten appearances.
With veteran leaders and an emerging young core, the Raptors have a bright future ahead, but you'd never know it based on the latest voting update for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game set to tip-off on Feb. 20 in Cleveland.
Despite having one of the best performing rookies in Scottie Barnes and other rising stars, veteran Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet is the only member of the team currently appearing in the top fan selections to suit up for the Eastern Conference next month.
The All-Star game highlights two dozen stars who supposedly represent the league's top talent, but there appears to be a disconnect between players' stats lines and their popularity among the fans who decide the final rosters.
Golden State's Stephen Curry and Brooklyn's Kevin Durant lead the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, in the first fan returns of NBA All-Star Voting presented by Tissot.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 6, 2022
The next NBA All-Star fan voting update will be shared Thursday, Jan. 13. pic.twitter.com/B0kSITw4Sr
VanVleet currently ranks third overall in three-pointers made this season, 12th in steals, 14th in both assists and minutes played, 25th overall in the league in points scored, and 28th in field goals made. When you rank him among fellow point guards, VanVleet's stats look even more impressive.
Fred VanVleet's last five games 🔥
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 6, 2022
➤ 33 Pts, 2 Reb, 7 Ast
➤ 35 Pts, 5 Reb, 5 Ast
➤ 31 Pts, 4 Reb, 9 Ast
➤ 27 Pts, 7 Reb, 12 Ast
➤ 31 pts, 4 Reb, 9 Ast pic.twitter.com/K9Hd8WqgOe
Yet somehow, fan voting only has him ranked as the #10 choice among guards in the Eastern Conference, netting just over 108K votes in the first vote return released Thursday afternoon.
Fred VanVleet only Raptor to appear anywhere on first NBA all-star fan ballot results and he's 10th among Eastern Conference guards https://t.co/1C065B4Ll6
— Doug Smith: Raptors (@SmithRaps) January 6, 2022
Among the players with higher voting totals than VanVleet, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has only played a single regular-season game this year, sidelined due to his vaccine hesitancy and arenas' public health policies.
Allstar voting loses legitimacy the moment you realize Kyrie Irving and Derrick Rose has more votes than FVV
— Samir Tushar (@lebrownjames23) January 6, 2022
Fans are particularly sour about Irving netting more votes than VanVleet, though these totals ultimately reflect the will of fans rather than being based on player statistics.
I'm sorry but how is @FredVanVleet not higher? like TF lower than Kyrie, that's BS
— Ďýĺāñ 🇨🇦 (@that90sguy995) January 6, 2022
If it's any consolation whatsoever to Toronto fans, former Raptors great and current Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan is finally getting the love he deserves, crushing the fan vote as the top choice for the guard position to suit up for the Eastern Conference with almost 1.5 million votes.
The only guard in the league to draw more votes was future Hall-of-Famer Stephen Curry, who just cemented his place in the book of legends by becoming the top three-point shooter of all time.
@raptors
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