Hornets star LaMelo Ball is having a phenomenal 2024-25 NBA season but it may not be enough to earn a starting spot in the All-Star game. The 23-year-old guard will undoubtedly be an All-Star but faces extreme competition for the starting spot. And though the fans adore Ball and he is subsequently the most-voted guard in the Eastern Conference. However, NBA analyst Tim Bontemps suggests that LaMelo’s popularity might not carry over to the selection process’s media and player votes portion.
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Bontemps took to ESPN’s The Hoop Collective Podcast with Brian Windhorst and Tim McMahon to discuss the All-Star lineup. The NBA analysts discussed the voting landscape so far. Although they agreed with the placements of most of the leading vote-getters, the Hornets star stood out to them. Bontemps gave his reasoning as to why. He said,
“It will be interesting to see how many votes [LaMelo Ball] gets from both media and players. I’m not sure Dame will make the team if he’s not voted in. He’s going to be a borderline. If he’s sitting at third in the fan voting, he’s probably going to get more player votes than LaMelo Ball and he could get more media votes. That would be the spot that’s potentially up in the air.”
During Bontempts’ spiel, McMahon pitched in to add, “LaMelo Ball is not an All-Star starter.” Providing another significant voice that believes Ball’s All-Star voting won’t translate in the media and player voting portion.
Ahead of the 2016-17 season, the NBA implemented the involvement of player and media voting in selecting All-Star starters. The rule’s timing was impeccable because Warriors center Zaza Pachaliua would’ve infamously made the All-Star game due to fan votes. Now fan voting accounts for 50% of the choice, whereas the media and players make up the rest.
Amongst fans, all-star voting is simply a popularity contest. However, players and media have a deeper understanding of the game. Ball is having an amazing season but the Hornets are only 8-27 on the season. On the other hand, the Bucks are 19-16 and Lillard is a key contributor to winning basketball.
Due to this difference, Bontemps believes it’ll be interesting to see how players and the media view LaMelo as an All-Star starter.
Other great candidates for All-Star starter
The guard position in the East is extremely competitive. Only two guards will be All-Stars and one of those positions will most certainly go to Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell. Cleveland owns the best record in the NBA and is deserving of an All-Star starter. The second spot is where things get tricky.
Bontemps suggests that Lillard may have a more compelling case than LaMelo. However, due to the outstanding talent in the East, if he doesn’t get voted as a starter he might not make the team at all.
Ball’s case for an All-Star starter is difficult because of how bad the Hornets are. In the 2019-20 season, Wizards star Bradley Beal averaged 30.5 points per game and still didn’t make the All-Star team. The reasoning behind his snub was strictly due to the lack of team success.
LaMelo’s case is different since before his injury the Hornets were competing for a Play-In spot. His presence impacts winning. Therefore, he has enough to support his case to be an All-Star starter.
