Isaiah Thomas' All-Star Chances Improved Thanks To Kyle Lowry
BOSTON (CBS) -- Isaiah Thomas won't know until next Thursday whether he's been selected to the All-Star as a reserve by Eastern Conference coaches, but his odds of being chosen just got a whole lot better after starters were announced on Thursday night.
Fans from around the world voted for two guards and three frontcourt players in each conference that will take the court in Toronto for the 65th NBA All-Star Game on Feburay 14th. Thomas did not come close to being elected as a starter, as he finished in ninth place among guards with 153,642 votes.
Kyle Lowry and Dwayne Wade will make up the East backcourt, along with LeBron James, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. That lineup will match up against Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and Kawhi Leonard from the West.
So how exactly do those lineups pertain to Thomas' chances? A late surge from fans in the voting helped pushed Lowry into a starting spot ahead of Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving. That's an important development since Lowry would have been a sure thing to be named to the East bench by coaches.
In contrast, Irving won't be active at All-Star weekend now due to the fact he's only played 14 games this season and his numbers in those games are not All-Star worthy. His potential inclusion as a starter would have taken a spot from a more deserving player (such as Thomas) by bumping Lowry to the bench, but that's no longer a concern after the Raptors guard and Wade finished ahead of Irving in the fan vote.
Thomas will be battling with several other impressive guards (Jimmy Butler, John Wall, DeMar DeRozan, Reggie Jackson, Kemba Walker) for the final 3-4 spots expected to go to backcourt players on the East bench. The 5-9 point guard has been Boston's leading scorer this year by posting career-highs in both points (21.7) and rebounds (6.7).
Ultimately, the decision for coaches will likely come down to choosing from the Thomas, Jackson, and Walker contingent, since Butler, DeRozan and Wall have more impressive all-around numbers than that trio. The waiting game will come to an end on January 28 when reserves are announced, but Thomas still has a couple more opportunities to strengthen his case this weekend in matchups against the Bulls and Sixers.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.
