NBA Electoral College denies the popular vote: Luka Doncic is not an All-Star Game starter

Overwriting the fan vote and will of the people, NBA media and players have denied Luka Doncic a spot in the Western Conference All-Star starting line up. After weighing both the media vote and player vote against the fan vote, Doncic finished as the fifth front court player in the Western Conference.

Per the final votes, Doncic finished third in fan votes with 4,242,980, trailing Lebron James by just under 400,000 votes and Giannis Antetokounmpo by 130,000 votes. Doncic beat Kevin Durant by more than 1,000,000 votes.

Surprisingly, Doncic actually fared well in the deep West with weighted voting, with the media rank of 6th and a player rank of 8th. With such luminaries as the aforementioned James, Kevin Durant, Paul George, Nikola Jokic, and Anthony Davis also garnering votes, it’s rather amazing to see the rookie listed at all.

Now, we all turn our attention to the All-Star reserve announcement, which occurs next Thursday. With NBA coaches (and more likely their assistants) making the final vote, it will be interesting whether Doncic makes the final cut. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Conner made this excellent point earlier this week:

As silly as it is that fans have cast more votes for Luka than anybody but LeBron and Giannis, he should receive strong consideration as a reserve. Doncic is averaging 20 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game; only eight rookies have ever posted a line over 19-6-4, and all of them made the All-Star team.

Pair his statistical output with the fact that the Mavericks are the third biggest road draw in the NBA this year (behind the Lakers and Warriors), it stands to reason that the NBA may find a way to include a player not only worthy, but someone idea for their All-Star showcase. His talent is obvious as is his appeal. Expect Doncic to be announced as an All-Star eventually, whether as a coach-voted reserve or as an injury replacement.