Raptors’ DeRozan second among East guards after first all-star returns

NBA insider Alvin Williams tells Good Show that it’s very hard for him to vote against Vince, since he saw his skill first hand, but in the end gives DeMar DeRozan the nod as greatest all-time Raptor.

DeMar DeRozan appears to be on his way to a fourth NBA all-star selection to the mid-season exhibition.

The Toronto Raptors star is second among all Eastern Conference guards with 259,368 votes after the first all-star balloting returns.

DeRozan will need a lot of help to catch up to the No. 1 Eastern Conference guard. Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics is way ahead of DeRozan with 802,834 votes, the third most among all players so far.

Kyle Lowry, DeRozan’s all-star backcourt running mate, is eighth in East guard voting with just 85,070 votes.

The Milwaukee Bucks‘ Giannis Antetokounmpo (863,416) and the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ LeBron James (856,080) round out the top two vote getters so far, while Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid (433,161) rounds out the top three East forwards.

In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors‘ Kevin Durant leads West vote-getters with 767,402. He’s joined by New Orleans Pelicans pair Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins as the top three West forwards, while Dubs teammate Stephen Curry and last season’s MVP runner-up James Harden round out the West’s backcourt.

DeRozan, 28, is averaging 25.2 points and five rebounds per game on 48.5 per cent shooting this year. He’s also markedly improved to 36.8 per cent from deep.

Voting will conclude on Jan. 15 with the 2018 NBA All-Star Game going Feb. 18 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.