Name recognition is a big part of making the All-Star team. The Atlanta Hawks have struggled with that for years, and Jalen Johnson is the latest player to become a victim. Johnson is putting up what would be a historic season for a non-All-Star, averaging 19.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.
He has the best on-off differential in the East, per Cleaning The Glass.
And yet, Johnson is nowhere to be found on the initial returns from the fan vote, which accounts for 50% of the final tally.
Johnson is one of five players with such a stat line this season. The other four – Alperen Sengun, Domantas Sabonis, Giannis Antetkounmpo, and Nikola Jokic, were among the 40 players – 20 in the frontcourt – listed on the fan vote return.
Jalen Johnson outplaying almost everybody in front of him in East All-Star voting
Johnson’s omission is especially notable given the players he has been passed over, which, again, is only the initial result. The next is on January 9. Players and media will also account for 25% each.
1) Paolo Banchero
Because of how the NBA divvies up the slots, Johnson has the unfortunate of going up against talented names like Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Karl-Anthony Towns, with only the Milwaukee Bucks star a true positional match.
All three are deserving of their slots, even ahead of Johnson’s rarified season track.
Then there is Orlando Magic big man Paolo Banchero, who is averaging 29.9 PPG, but he has fewer assists and rebounds than Johnson.
Even more notable, Banchero has appeared in just five games this season. This is where name recognition comes into play. Fans know Banchero, the No. 1 overall pick of he 2022 NBA Draft, but the casual fan on social media may not know he has been sidelined most of the season.
Banchero has not played since October 30.
He remains without a clear timetable to return to the court, and he is not the only player whose inclusion points to the potential flaws of fan votes having so much influence.
2) Jimmy Butler
The apparent bell of the trade deadline ball, Butler’s case is the quintessential example of a player’s name and reputation affording them an opportunity their current level of play would otherwise not afford them.
Butler is a multi-time All-Star and All-Defensive presence, and he has led the Heat to the NBA Finals.
However, he has played in 22 games. His 17.6/5.5/4.7 line – even with a 37% clip from downtown, is not outdoing Johnson either. The Heat are 1.0 games ahead of the Hawks in the East standings, so that is not the best argument when Johnson’s impact has been so clear.
Butler’s apparent trade request has no bearing on is All-Star viability.
In many ways, it may have helped raise his profile among fans when he might not have been at the forefront of discussion due to his play and lack of availability.
3) Jaylen Brown
Brown technically plays a different position on the floor/fills a different role for the Celtics than Johnson for the Hawks. For the sake of argument, though, many of the issues that apply to Banchero and Butler apply in this situation.
Brown has appeared in 28 games and boasts a 24.4/6.0/4.6 line.
There is a clear emphasis on scoring over some other facets of the game in the fan’s voting, which is to be expected.
Still, it is notable that Johnson – who was in the running for Most Improved Player in 2023-24 before injuries nuked his season, and could be in the running again this season – is still flying so far under the radar.
The Hawks falling from No. 5 to No. 7 in the East certainly does not help.
4) Joel Embiid
Like Brown, Joel Embiid does not play the same position as Johnson. Embiid is a center, a position Johnson has and should only moonlight at. But the 12 games the 2022-23 MVP has played this season make him another prime example.
His 24.1 PPG, 7.6 RBG, and 3.7 APG line is another example of fans’ focus on scoring.
Embiid – again like others on this list – is shooting the deep ball roughly as efficiently or worse than Johnson.
It is unclear just how far down the list Johnson is, and there is still a chance the player and media vote gets him in or that he is named an alternate like Trae Young was in 2023-24. But his omission from the initial vote is quite surprising for anyone paying attention.