Among Western Conference frontcourt players, Rockets center Alperen Sengun is sixth in All-Star fan voting, according to Thursday’s voting update from the NBA. Sengun recently earned West Player of the Week honors, which boosted his candidacy.
Sengun is the only Houston player in the top 10 for either frontcourt or backcourt players. After placing seventh in last week’s voting update, Sengun jumped Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George to move up to sixth and is within approximately 100,000 votes of passing Clippers co-star Kawhi Leonard for fifth place.
The only frontcourt players ahead of Sengun are future Hall of Famers: LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers; Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets; Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns; and Leonard of the Clippers.
The fan vote accounts for half of the voting that will eventually determine 2024 All-Star starters. Players make up 25%, as does a panel of media members. Since only three frontcourt players start, Sengun is a longshot to earn that honor. He already trails Durant — currently third in frontcourt fan voting — by more than two million votes.
Lakers' LeBron James and Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo continue to lead in the NBA’s second 2023-24 All-Star fan voting return: pic.twitter.com/UutXOXQc5u
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 11, 2024
However, Sengun could still qualify as a reserve. All 30 NBA head coaches are given a ballot to select three frontcourt players, two backcourt players, and two wild-card picks from each conference.
If selected, a reserve could become a starter this year, should one of the starters be injured or choose not to participate. The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will be held on Feb. 18 in Indianapolis.
Just 21 years old and in his third NBA season, Sengun is averaging 21.6 points (54.0% FG), 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.2 steals in 32.3 minutes. As a team, Houston (18-18) is overachieving relative to its win-loss record expectations, and that could bolster the All-Star case for its best player during a breakout season.
Fan voting for 2024 NBA All-Stars continues through Saturday, Jan. 20, and the league’s third and final interim voting update comes next Thursday, Jan. 18. Details on how to vote are available here.
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