If you didn’t see it yet, the Sacramento Kings two all-star caliber players did not get a whole lot of love from fans early in the NBA all-star game voting process. Somehow, both De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis failed to crack the top ten vote-getters for their respective positions.
Kings head coach Mike Brown has been vocal about both of his star players deserving to make the all-star game. That isn’t going to change anytime soon, either. Before the Kings impressive blowout win against the Orlando Magic on Monday night, Mike Brown got brutally honest about NBA fans who have been voting early and often.
Kings coach Mike Brown's response to De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis being outside the top 10 in fan voting for the All-Star Game:
— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) January 10, 2023
"Them fans don't know what they're talking about."
Once again, Brown is proving why he was the perfect coach for this Kings team. While he is correct in his take, the more important thing is his willingness and eagerness to support his players. It helps that his brutally honest answer is spot on regarding voters.
Kings stars should easily be top ten
The fans voting early in the process really don’t know what they are talking about if we are going to be completely honest. Mike Brown was brutally honest but hit the nail on the head.
Every year, players in big markets or that are fan favorites around the league get massive fan voting numbers. It makes sense and isn’t the best way to gauge who is all-star-worthy most of the time. With that said some names that make the top ten while the Kings stars don’t are just disrespectful.
Fans around the league need to understand what Sabonis and Fox have done for the Kings this season. They deserve that kind of recognition from fans. Hopefully, they’ll soon begin getting it.
Three Golden State Warriors are on the list that Sabonis is not. Those three players are Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney. There is no doubt Sabonis would be well above those three (and a few others), if fans knew what they were talking about when it came to fan voting.
For Fox, he trails Jordan Poole, Austin Reaves and Russell Westbrook. It might not even need to be said, but this voting style is clearly a popularity contest. The results show Mike Brown is spot on with his analysis, the fans just don’t know what they are talking about.
Kings fans can try to change this before it’s too late by voting for their deserving all-stars. Sabonis and Fox will likely continue doing their part night in and night out but it’s unknown whether the more casual basketball fans will take notice in time.