In final fan voting update, Rockets’ James Harden holds All-Star lead

Rockets guard James Harden holds a huge lead for an All-Star Game starting spot, while Russell Westbrook is fifth among West guards.

In the third and final weekly update from the NBA, Houston Rockets star James Harden continues to hold a sizable lead in fan votes to be a backcourt starter in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.

The 30-year-old Harden has been an All-Star in all seven of his completed seasons with the Rockets, and a starter in five of them.

In Thursday’s update, Harden continues to rank second in fan voting among Western Conference guards, trailing only Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. Doncic, who hails from Slovenia and brings a significant international voting presence, nearly leads the entire NBA in fan voting.

Harden leads Portland’s Damian Lillard by a commanding total of nearly two million votes for the second starting slot among West guards.

The fan vote accounts for half of the voting that determines All-Star starters. Players make up 25%, as does a panel of media members.

While votes from the latter two groups are not yet known, it’s hard to imagine Harden not in the top two of West guards by many voters (if any). The 2018 MVP is averaging a league-leading 37.2 points per game, which is the highest total of any player in the last 56 years and the most by a guard ever. He’s also in the NBA’s top 10 in assists at 7.5 per game.

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Fellow Rockets guard Russell Westbrook, averaging 24.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game, is fifth in fan voting among Western Conference guards. However, barring an injury to Doncic or Harden, there doesn’t appear to be a path for the league’s 2017 MVP to start.

However, Westbrook could still make the All-Star Game as a reserve. All 30 NBA coaches are given a ballot with the ability to select three frontcourt players, two backcourt players, and two wild-card picks from each conference. Westbrook has been an All-Star in eight of the last nine seasons, and he was the game’s MVP in 2015 and 2016.

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Besides Harden and Westbrook, no other backcourt or frontcourt player with the Rockets (26-14) is currently in the top 10 of fan voting totals. Fan voting continues through Monday, Jan. 20. From there, the game’s starters will be announced on Jan. 23, and reserves on Jan. 30.

The player in each conference with the most fan votes will be named a team captain and subsequently draft his own roster for the game. At the moment, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks are on course for that honor.

The 2020 All-Star Game will be held on Sunday, Feb. 16 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.