Making the case for why Zach LaVine deserves to be an All-Star starter

With voting set to soon close, now is the final opportunity for fans to nominate their favorite players up for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game festivities in Cleveland. This year marks the first time the Chicago Bulls have a genuine chance at getting two players on the All-Star team — a feat they have not achieved since 2017, when both Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol received the nod.

While the Bulls have not had the most success in getting players to the All-Star Game since that 2017 campaign, Zach LaVine looks poised to make his second consecutive trip while DeMar DeRozan has been among the league’s highest vote-getters this year.

DeMar is third overall in total fan votes among Eastern Conference players, coming in behind only superstars Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The voting race is still close between Durant and Giannis to decide who will represent the Eastern Conference’s captain, while LeBron James is set to make his fifth appearance as captain for the Western Conference, a streak he’s maintained since the All-Star Draft was implemented in 2018.

While the fan voting seems to have reached a predictable end on multiple fronts, the battle for the Eastern Conference starting guard spots is still very much alive. Riding high with over 4 million fan votes and holding a strong case to be in the running for MVP, DeRozan appears to have one of the two backcourt spots locked down.

However, LaVine has a fight on his hands if he wants to secure the second spot and start in the backcourt next to his teammate.

While players such as Trae Young and James Harden have been having admirable seasons, it’s Zach LaVine who deserves to be an All-Star starter this season.

The primary candidates to compete for the second Eastern Conference starter spot at guard are namely Trae Young and James Harden. These two rank second and fourth in the fan vote, respectively, and each has a strong case as to why they deserve the spot.

As of the most recent update on Jan. 20, Harden is just 28,000 votes behind LaVine. Despite a rough start, Harden has been warming up lately and is a big reason why the Nets have found so much success this year even without Kyrie Irving available to play. Brooklyn’s record currently stands at 28-16, just a half-game back from Chicago, and is in close contention to reclaim the top seed.

While Harden may be popular with the fans, it’s going to take more than that to prove he’s been superior to LaVine this season. When comparing two players who fill similar roles on two successful teams, it’s important to use context while analyzing their statistical differences.

• LaVine: 24.9 PTS, 4.8 REB, 4.2 AST, 2.8 TOV, 49.1 FG%, 41.2 3P%, 87.2 FT%
• Harden: 22.6 PTS, 8.0 REB, 10.0 AST, 4.8 TOV, 41.6 FG%, 33.5 3P%, 86.3 FT%

While Harden’s counting stats are undoubtedly impressive, it’s still difficult placing him above LaVine from a performance point of view. Harden is leading the league in assists — which is an incredible feat — but he also commits by far the most turnovers per game in the league. He’s rebounding exceptionally this season, but that’s largely due to the fact the Nets lack a true center and are often forced to play small ball and put Harden in the post on defense.

The fact of the matter is that the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets pay these two stars to be primary options on offense, and LaVine has simply done a far better job at that this season than Harden. LaVine has been more efficient and more dangerous from every area of the court, scoring more despite taking half as many free throws as Harden does per game. Harden deserves to be an All-Star this year, but he shouldn’t sniff the starting five after the season LaVine has had.

Harden isn’t the only player rivaling LaVine for a starter spot at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, however, as Trae Young has put together quite an impressive season and currently holds a 150 thousand vote lead over Zach.

• LaVine: 24.9 PTS, 4.8 REB, 4.2 AST, 2.8 TOV, 49.1 FG%, 41.2 3P%, 87.2 FT%
• Young: 27.9 PTS, 4.0 REB, 9.5 AST, 4.1 TOV, 45.6 FG%, 37.2 3P%, 90.7 FT%

As you can see, Young has compiled an outstanding 2021-22 campaign thus far. He is the only player to rank among the top 5 in both points scored and assists per game in the NBA. Young certainly deserves what will be the second All-Star appearance of his career, the only question is whether or not he deserves to start.

At face value, it’s difficult to argue that Zach has had the better season statistically. However, basketball isn’t played on a stat sheet, and it’s hard to ignore how terrible the Atlanta Hawks have been this season. The Bulls are 28-15 and still hold the top seed despite an overwhelming amount of obstacles in their way, while the Hawks are 19-25 and already multiple games out of contention for a play-in tournament spot.

Obviously, Young is a great player and it would be foolish to hold him personally accountable for all of Atlanta’s struggles. But we’ve seen great players miss out on the All-Star game time and time again simply because their team was not winning games (Does ’19-20 LaVine ring any bells?)

This is almost too close to call, and I can see arguments made for either side in this case. Since the fan vote only accounts for 50 percent of the final decision, the media and fellow NBA players can still sway this debate in a big way.

One thing’s for sure, and that is the only way for us sitting at home to help Zach LaVine make the All-Star game is to take one minute to vote! Go to the NBA’s web page or click that link to place your votes and help form the first All-Star starting backcourt in Chicago Bulls history.