The first round of all-star voting has been announced. Tons of ballots have been cast and the first look at the standings has been revealed. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been having a historic season, especially in the last couple of weeks. Whether it is a 40+ point 20+ rebound performance or a 55-point explosion, Giannis has had an amazing season. Many expected Giannis to lead the voting for the Eastern Conference. This was not the case. Giannis Antetokounmpo was snubbed in the first round of all-star voting.
The first All-Star voting results pic.twitter.com/faDfABQR2y
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) January 5, 2023
Giannis Antetokounmpo Snubbed In All-Star Voting
Even though he received 2.9 million votes, Giannis was not number one. Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant received about 200,000 more votes to take the top spot in the Eastern Conference. There is quite a gap between Giannis to the next player. Joel Embiid is next on the list with 2.2 million votes with Jayson Tatum right behind him with 2.1 million. With the season that he is having, it is an absolute snub that he is not leading the voting at this point.
Kevin Durant’s Season
To be fair to Durant, he has had a good season. He is averaging 29.9 points 5.5 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game. These are solid numbers and he has also led the Nets to be second in the Eastern Conference as of the writing of this article. However, Durant’s numbers have not been historic like Giannis’. Giannis Antetokounmpo has joined elite company with his performances in the last week. Even side by side comparison of numbers shows Antetokounmpo is the better player this season. He is averaging 32.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game which dwarf Durant’s numbers.
There is still some time left for voting. Giannis is within striking distance and could take the top spot by the voting’s end. Regardless, it looks like he will easily make another all-star appearance.
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