The name that is directly above Julius Randle’s name on the weighted voting list for Eastern Conference frontcourt players is also the name most likely to prevent Julius Randle from earning a spot on the All-Star roster Game.
Bam Adebayo had a higher ranking from both fans and other players, while the media ranked Julius Randle higher.
The rational NBA fan in me says it’s not hard to see why Adebayo gets the respect he has. Its averages of 19.8 / 9.3 / 5.5 are rather eerily similar to Randle’s figures. Adebayo is also shooting well at both close range and long range. He also spins the ball at about the same speed.
If Adebayo does the All-Star Game against Randle it will be largely thanks to last year’s run to the finals during last season’s bubble. We’ve seen it many times before, where a player who was a key part of a playoff team in the previous year gets more love than a player who is statistically better but is part of an up and coming team. Adebayo is a really good player, but it will be his team’s reputation that will give him more place than his individual game on the pitch.