On Thursday afternoon, the NBA announced the results of the first round of fan voting for the 2024 All-Star game. The Boston Celtics had five players that were ranked in the top ten in their respective fields, the most of any NBA team.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis all received votes in the top eight for Eastern Conference frontcourt players. Tatum received the third most votes (1,765,919), Brown received the fifth most (426,589), and Porzingis received the eighth most (197,234).
Derrick White finished eighth among Eastern Conference guards with 175,940 votes, while Jrue Holiday rounded out the top-10 with 145,144 votes.
This season, Boston’s starting five have featured in 17 games together and have a 15-2 record.
Tatum has been the Celtics’ best player for several years and has four All-Star selections to his credit. This season, he’s averaged 27 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 47.4/34.7 percent.
Brown and Holiday have both been All-Star choices and both played in last year’s game. JB has been the Celtics’ second-leading scorer, averaging 22.7 points per game on 48.0/34.4 splits. The veteran Holiday has seen his offensive responsibilities decrease, but he is still regarded as one of the league’s greatest defenders.
In his eight-year career, Porzingis has been named to one All-Star team. With the influence he’s had on this Celtics squad this season, he’s making a strong case. The 28-year-old’s 20.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game have been felt whenever he’s been able to play. He’s also held his own defensively, with 1.8 blocks per game. He’s also shooting a career-high 53.3% from the field.
White is the lone starter who has never been picked to an All-Star team, but there has been a lot of pressure for him to make his debut this year.
So far, he’s set career highs in every category. White has averaged 17 points per game, 5.3 assists, 3.9 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals while shooting 49.4% from the field and 42.2% from beyond the arc.
Chants of “White’s an All-Star” rang around the AT&T Center during the Celtics’ triumph over the Spurs on Sunday.