You don't have to tell many people in Dallas that Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic is sort of good at this basketball thing. Apparently the appreciation for his game isn't just local.
Doncic on Thursday checked in with the fourth-most All-Star fan votes (679,839) in the Western Conference, behind only Derrick Rose, Stephen Curry and Lebron James. Fan voting accounts for only 50 percent of how the All-Star starters are determined – with the media and player votes making up the other half – and the voting stays open until Jan. 21.
But for now, Doncic, a 19-year-old from Slovenia, has more early votes than MVP winners Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, and more than New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis.
In the Eastern Conference, only Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard earned more early votes. The All-Star game is Feb. 17 in Charlotte.
While the vote tallies are divided by conference, the All-Star Game rosters aren't. Two team captains will draft the teams from each conference's pool of starters and reserves. So Doncic, playing in the West, could land on the same team as Antetokounmpo from the East, for example.
Now back to why Doncic is getting legit All-Star consideration. He starred in Europe the last few seasons, so maybe an overseas vote has helped. But his on-court play for the Mavs has been stellar, especially as a rookie.
He's averaging more than 19 points per game, six rebounds and five assists. He's also showing up with moments like this:
And this:
Oh, and this:
