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Where Do Thunder's Young Duo Stand in Second NBA All-Star Voting Returns?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Nathaniel Holloway | Last updated Jan 10, 2025 9:00 AM ET

On Thursday, the NBA released the second returns of All-Star fan voting and the Oklahoma City Thunder currently have two players in the running to be starters for their respected positions.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the way in fan voting for the Western Conference guards. The 26-year-old has received 1,811,050 votes, which ranks ahead of Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who currently holds the other starting guard spot for the West.

The other Thunder’s player who is currently in the running to be an All-Star starter is Jalen Williams. Williams currently sits seventh in voting for the West frontcourt with 328,329 votes. For him to become a starter, he does have some catching up to do. Nikola Jokić, Kevin Durant and LeBron James currently sit as the current frontcourt starters for the West, all of whom have received more than one million votes.

Both of the Thunder’s young stars deserve to be All-Stars this season, but it is likely that Shai will be the only starter. Shai has once again placed himself in the MVP conversation this season and has led the Thunder to the best record in the West.

So far this season, Shai is averaging 31.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 52.2% from the field and 35.5% from three. He has led the Thunder on both sides of the ball, which has as one of the favorites to win the championship this season, and he is also on pace to make his third All-Star appearance.

Williams has also had a great season. The 23-year-old is averaging 20.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 48.0% from the field and 35.0% from three. With his breakout season, he is making a case to be a first time All-Star this season, but he has some tough competition to beat out in the stacked West.

With both players having great seasons, the both deserve to be All-Stars, but it is likely that Shai will be a starter and Williams will have to rely on the coaches to vote him in as a reserve.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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