Celtics Need More Campaigning For Two Players To Become All-Star Starters

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is in line at the moment to start the NBA All-Star Game for a third consecutive season.

Jaylen Brown and Derrick White have work to do if they want the same honor, though.

The NBA released its first fan returns Thursday — fans make up 50% of the All-Star vote while a media panel and players account for 25% each — as the Celtics trio landed in the top 10 in voting at their respective positions. Tatum garnered nearly 1.4 million votes to put him only behind Giannis Antetokounmpo (1.7 million) for frontcourt players in the Eastern Conference. Brown came in fifth at 433,636 votes while White was 10th for guards at 120,706.

The Celtics surely will do more campaigning on White’s behalf in the coming weeks with the All-Star Game just over a month away. Unlike Tatum and Brown, White has never participated in the marquee exhibition event. Tatum is a five-time All-Star while Brown received the recognition three times, including each of the past two seasons.

White, a two-time All-Defensive selection, blossomed into a star with the Celtics and is averaging a career-high 16.8 points this season while shooting 45.2% from the field and 39.2% from 3-point range. He’s also contributing 4.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. But a cold spell during December might have hurt White’s All-Star chances.

Tatum seems like a lock to start the contest while Brown has a good shot to join him at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Feb. 16.

The All-Star Game will look much different this season with the NBA going to a new format to try to breathe some life back into the game. The game will take on the look of a mini-tournament with four teams and three games. The teams will consist of eight players and Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith will draft the teams on Feb. 6. The fourth team will be the winning team from the Rising Stars game.