Zach LaVine loses the All-Star starting place, but finishes in 3rd place in the players’ vote

Zach LaVine will not be a holder of the 2021 All-Star, but fans rooting for him to win his first career choice should feel very good about his chances of getting a spot after the voting results were released late that night. Thursday.

LaVine finished fourth among Eastern Conference guards in the general weighted vote, including fourth place in the fan rankings (which accounts for 50 percent of the final score), fifth place in the media ranking (25 percent) and tied in third in the ranking of players (25 percent) with James Harden.

Coaches will now select seven bookings from each conference, which will be announced on February 23.

With the biggest career marks of 28.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists this season in field shots of 52%, 43.7 on the 3-point line and 84.7 on the free-throw line, LaVine is doing his best case to win a spot in the game. He had an abundance of support throughout the beginning of the season. “Let’s get this year right with Zach LaVine as AllStar!” Dwyane Wade tweeted on January 28th.

“I think for basketball players it means more than anything. I think it takes the longest,” said LaVine in a recent episode of NBC Sports Chicago’s Bulls Talk Podcast on how to get recognition from his colleagues. “Especially if you are scorned or if you don’t get some of that individual praise and your colleagues come and say, ‘Hey, you’re still that guy’ or ‘I see you at this level’. You know, it means a lot because this is the company you are playing with and they keep you at a higher standard.

One would imagine that third place in the player’s vote, then, will be a point of pride.

But he will rely on the selection of a coach to take him to the finish line. Whether a first career spot is on the cards or not, you can bet LaVine isn’t slowing down.

“Everyone, when you work, wants recognition. And I think that before you do that, it has to come from victory,” said LaVine on the podcast, echoing a sentiment he repeated for years. “Do I think less of myself if I am not elected an All-Star? No. Whenever I enter the court, I think I am the best player on the court, it is just me.

“But in recent years, I don’t think there are 12 better players at the conference than I am. And I try to let my game speak.”

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