Hawks guard Trae Young has continued to make his case for a third All-Star appearance, and fans seem to agree. Young jumped from third to second place among guards in the Eastern Conference in the second version of fans voting for the NBA All-Star game.
He sits behind only Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton after securing 1,449,485 votes.
Young has put up some of the best numbers, averaging 30.4 points and 12.2 assists per game last month, while making 47.5% of his overall shots and knocking down 42.2% of his 3-point shots. He had seven consecutive games of 30-plus points and 10-plus assists, tying Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson.
Though he has cooled a little as of late, he continues to give the Hawks some solid offense, averaging 24 points per game. In the Hawks’ 139-132 overtime win over the 76ers, Young recorded his 20th game this season with 20-plus points and 10-plus assists, which leads the NBA. It’s his 147th such game of his career, two shy of tying Gary Payton for the 14th-most such games in NBA history.
Young, who has two All-Star nods under his belt, missed out on last season’s All-Star game. He finished fifth among guards in the first round of fan voting last season and was not among the reserves picked.
Through 34 games, he has averaged 27.8 points and a career-best 11 assists, while shooting 36.2% on 3-point shots. He also averages a career-best 1.4 steals per game.
Haliburton has 23.6 points and a league-leading 12.5 assists and leads the league in total assists, as well as assists per game, all while shooting 49.7% from the field and 40.3% from 3. He also has propelled himself into the MVP conversation after helping the Pacers to a 22-15 record.
The Pacers were dealt a blow Monday when Haliburton left their matchup against the Celtics in the second quarter. On a drive to the basket, he slipped and went down in a split. He needed to be carried to the locker with assistance from teammates and later was diagnosed with a left hamstring strain. He is expected to miss two weeks.
The All-Star game takes place Feb. 18 at the Pacers’ home arena, Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, with All-Star Weekend happening over three total nights from Feb. 16-18. It returns to the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference matchup with the traditional scoring system with four 12-minute quarters.
The teams will continue to compete to win each quarter for a charitable organization of their choosing.
Captains will be named to lead their respective teams and will be the starter from each conference who receives the most fan votes in his conference during voting.
Fans account for 50% of the vote to determine the starters for the game. Current NBA players and a media panel account for 25% each.
The next “3-for-1 Day,” when each fan vote will count three times, takes place tomorrow.
The next fan voting update will be shared Jan. 18, and voting ends at 11:59 p.m. ET Jan. 20. TNT will reveal the All-Star game starters at 7 p.m. Jan. 25.
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