NBA All-Star Voting: CJ McCollum Still Absent From Top Guards

The second round of 2017 NBA All-Star voting returns is in, with no major changes to potential starters. The Western Conference looks exactly as it did in the first round of returns, except Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors has now passed Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs. Damian Lillard remains sixth among guards in the West, and his backcourt partner CJ McCollum, who has largely outplayed him in recent games, remains entirely absent.

Per NBA.com

Eastern Conference

Frontcourt

1 LeBron James (CLE) 1,066,147
2 Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) 963,110
3 Kevin Love (CLE) 473,328
4 Joel Embiid (PHI) 457,300
5 Jimmy Butler (CHI) 400,448
6 Carmelo Anthony (NY) 327,716
7 Kristaps Porzingis (NY) 324,106
8 Paul George (IND) 249,484
9 Jabari Parker (MIL) 120,022
10 Tristan Thompson (CLE) 114,759

Guards

1 Kyrie Irving (CLE) 971,362
2 Dwyane Wade (CHI) 514,866
3 DeMar DeRozan (TOR) 453,538
4 Isaiah Thomas (BOS) 401,671
5 Kyle Lowry (TOR) 256,668
6 Derrick Rose (NY) 223,804
7 John Wall (WAS) 173,148
8 Jeremy Lin (BKN) 109,088
9 Kemba Walker (CHA) 105,637
10 Avery Bradley (BOS) 64,157

Western Conference

Frontcourt

1 Kevin Durant (GS) 987,479
2 Zaza Pachulia (GS) 823,376
3 Kawhi Leonard (SA) 630,766
4 Anthony Davis (NO) 567,201
5 Draymond Green (GS) 464,319
6 DeMarcus Cousins (SAC) 379,225
7 Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) 223,979
8 LaMarcus Aldridge (SA) 192,784
9 Blake Griffin (LAC) 172,393
10 Marc Gasol (MEM) 172,146

Guards

1 Stephen Curry (GS) 990,390
2 James Harden (HOU) 961,685
3 Russell Westbrook (OKC) 899,024
4 Klay Thompson (GS) 555,430
5 Chris Paul (LAC) 379,076
6 Damian Lillard (POR) 208,171
7 Eric Gordon (HOU) 191,407
8 Andre Iguodala (GS) 130,224
9 Manu Ginobili (SA) 122,333
10 Zach LaVine (MIN) 94,867

McCollum is averaging a career-high 23.7 points per game and is one of the most efficient scorers in the league. He, in fact, ranks fifth in points per game among Western Conference guards, behind Westbrook (31.0), Harden (28.6), Lillard (26.1), and Curry (24.7). Of those players, he is shooting the highest percentage from three and the highest percentage overall. On an absolute tear lately, McCollum has put up an average of 30.0 points per game in his last nine contests.

But All-Star selection is not about statistics, and, like most vote-getters, McCollum will not be a starter. It would certainly be nice to see his name among the top-10 Western Conference guards in the next round of returns, though. Here is how you can make that happen!

NBA.com voting page at NBA.com/vote: Fill out one full ballot per day (once every 24 hours) on NBA.com/vote from a desktop or mobile browser. Fans can select up to two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference when choosing starters.

NBA App: Access the ballot and vote through the app, which is available on Android and iOS. Fans can fill out one full ballot per day and select up to two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference when choosing starters.

Twitter: Tweet, retweet or reply with an NBA player’s first and last name or Twitter handle, along with the hashtag #NBAVOTE. Each tweet may include only one player’s name or handle. Fans may vote for 10 unique players each day throughout the NBA All-Star voting period.

Facebook: Post the player’s first and last name along with the hashtag #NBAVOTE on your personal Facebook account, or comment on another’s Facebook post. Each post may include only one player’s name. Fans may post votes for 10 unique players per day throughout the voting period.

Google Search: Search “NBA Vote All-Star” or “NBA Vote Team Name” (ex: NBA Vote Celtics) and use respective voting cards to select teams and then players. Fans may submit votes for 10 unique players per day throughout the voting period.

The next round of voting returns will be released one week from today, on January 19. Be sure to vote for your favorite players!