Now that we're 36 games deep and nearing the halfway point of the 2023-24 season, we've seen enough to know which players have stepped their game up and which ones have taken a backseat this year. So when the NBA released the first batch of 2024 All-Star fan votes, I can't say I was entirely surprised to see DeMar DeRozan on the list.
DeRozan has received a total of 175,233 votes thus far, a very respectable amount considering Chicago's struggles as a team this season. Only DeMar, Trae Young, and the injured LaMelo Ball have managed to crack the top 10 guards in the East without being on a winning team.
These votes are enough to have DeRozan sitting comfortably at 9th place, with a large gap between him and the 10th-ranked Jrue Holiday. DeMar is also only just a few hundred votes behind Derrick White in 8th place, so he stands a good chance of moving up if he continues playing the way he has this season.
Lakers’ LeBron James and Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo lead the NBA’s first 2023-24 All-Star fan voting return: pic.twitter.com/PuLC37lMFN
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 4, 2024
Bulls veteran DeMar DeRozan could pick up yet another All-Star selection to his resume this season.
DeRozan is currently averaging 22.4 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 46.3% from the field and a career-best 35.2% from three-point range (while also shooting them at the second-highest rate of his career). Even at 34 years old, DeMar is being asked to lead a team that he probably shouldn't have to, and he's done an admirable job of rising to the occasion.
His numbers are definitely fringe All-Star worthy, but what he really needs to do is get the Bulls back into the playoff picture and continue winning games if he wants to be seriously considered as an All-Star candidate. If he succeeds, this would be his third All-Star appearance in as many years with the Bulls, and the seventh of his career.
Unfortunately, no other Bulls players cracked the top 10 in the first batch of fan votes, despite Chicago's attempt to give Alex Caruso the credit he deserves. Former Bulls star Jimmy Butler ranks 4th among the East's forwards, however, and it appears Derrick Rose has finally fallen to the wayside after several years of ranking high in the fan votes despite being a role player with limited minutes.
The fan vote plays a big role in helping determine which players should start in the All-Star Game, which may be out of the picture for DeMar at this point. I doubt DeRozan has much hope of surpassing the likes of Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Trae Young, and Donovan Mitchell, but a wild card All-Star spot could certainly still be in play here.