The Toronto Raptors have two simultaneous All-Star campaigns going on at the moment, as both Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet are trying to prove that they deserve to be grouped among the league’s elite. The latter might have a slightly stronger case than Siakam.
VanVleet is averaging 21.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game this season. With no backup point guard that has seized that role for any overly long duration, VanVleet has taken it upon himself to carry this team to a 23-23 record amid constant lineup fluctuation.
While playing on Toronto for a .500 team has made it difficult to earn a ton of cred within the NBA’s boring mechanisms, the numbers are becoming too impressive to ignore. Based on how the voting came in, VanVleet has a very good chance of earning that elusive first birth.
VanVleet finished voting as the sixth-best guard in the East, with four no-doubt picks and one similar player in Hornets star LaMelo Ball ahead of them. VanVleet was seventh in both player and fan voting, but he was fifth in the media voting.
While the coaches will pick the reserves, the fact that he is unilaterally held in such high regard will help him stand out when it comes time to fill out the roster.
Three voting groups determined the starters:
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 28, 2022
• Fans (50%)
• NBA players (25%)
• Media panel 25%)
Complete voting results here: https://t.co/h4VCEaRwVR
Below are the overall scores for the top finishers at each position. pic.twitter.com/W6An0FhzgY
Will Toronto Raptors star Fred VanVleet make the All-Star game?
VanVleet has had to overcome plenty of obstacles, as he needs to show the media and fans that his production is not the result of him getting as many shots up as possible on a middling team. Ultimately, his production in the clutch and consistency is what has won him the requisite voters.
VanVleet has put up numbers that are slightly better than that of Ball and Darius Garland, and he’s done so while overcoming a rotation that can go as short as seven or eight players. Clutch moments like his 20 points in four minutes against Utah or his dagger against Philly prove he is putting up those numbers
Go off then 👏 @FredVanVleet #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/FQvaDqbCR6
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 10, 2022
Anyone who examines the Raptors closely can see that this team needs VanVleet in order to keep their heads above water. The combination of tangible stats and intangible leadership make him more deserving of a spot in Cleveland than all but a handful of East guards.
If VanVleet is not selected for the All-Star game, it would be a miscalculation of the most egregious fashion on the part of the coaches.