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NBA All Star 2016: Round three of votes have been counted up, but how do the Utah Jazz players compared in stats?

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No Utah Jazzmen are likely to be voted in, but that's not how any of would likely have made the All-Star team anyway.

By AllThatAmar
/ new
Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA released their third round of voting results for the NBA All-Star Game. You can continue voting up to midnight on the 18th, and the votes will be tallied up and final winners and losers will be announced on the 21st. The All-Star reserves will be announced on the 28th of January . . . and as a Utah Jazz fan that's the date you circle on your calendar. After all, it's unlike that a Jazzman will jump up from nowhere to be a top vote getter in the next three days. The results are pretty clear cut in this case, though there are some slim races to keep an eye on: the 3rd starting front court spot for the West, the 3rd starting front court spot in the East, and the 2nd starting back court spot in the East. All-in-all, not much drama for the next few days, so here are the results to date:

Western Conference Eastern Conference
Backcourt Team Votes Backcourt Team Votes
1 Stephen Curry Warriors 1,206,467 1 Dwyane Wade Heat 736,732
2 Russell Westbrook Thunder 609,901 2 Kyrie Irving Cavaliers 399,757
3 Chris Paul Clippers 410,284 3 Kyle Lowry Raptors 367,472
4 Klay Thompson Warriors 386,053 4 Jimmy Butler Bulls 356,561
5 James Harden Rockets 319,596 5 John Wall Wizards 281,936
6 Rajon Rondo Kings 157,298 6 DeMar DeRozan Raptors 262,683
7 Manu Ginobili Spurs 144,712 7 Derrick Rose Bulls 217,986
8 Andre Iguodala Warriors 142,047 8 Jeremy Lin Hornets 155,475
9 Tony Parker Spurs 123,136 9 Isaiah Thomas Celtics 111,838
10 Damian Lillard Trail Blazers 105,797 10 Reggie Jackson Pistons 57,736
Frontcourt Team Votes Frontcourt Team Votes
1 Kobe Bryant Lakers 1,533,432 1 LeBron James Cavaliers 830,345
2 Kevin Durant Thunder 774,782 2 Paul George Pacers 569,947
3 Draymond Green Warriors 499,947 3 Carmelo Anthony Knicks 368,336
4 Kawhi Leonard Spurs 487,626 4 Andre Drummond Pistons 361,307
5 Blake Griffin Clippers 396,630 5 Pau Gasol Bulls 294,172
6 Anthony Davis Pelicans 326,070 6 Chris Bosh Heat 266,817
7 Tim Duncan Spurs 303,498 7 Kristaps Porzingis Knicks 248,783
8 Zaza Pachulia Mavericks 299,584 8 Kevin Love Cavaliers 241,700
9 DeMarcus Cousins Kings 267,087 9 Hassan Whiteside Heat 226,039
10 Enes Kanter Thunder 261,608 10 Giannis Antetokounmpo Bucks 60,953
11 LaMarcus Aldridge Spurs 176,956 11 Jonas Valanciunas Raptors 45,743
12 Dwight Howard Rockets 155,975 12 Marcin Gortat Wizards 34,747
13 DeAndre Jordan Clippers 133,484 13 Joakim Noah Bulls 34,274
14 Dirk Nowitzki Mavericks 128,962 14 DeMarre Carroll Raptors 31,861
15 Harrison Barnes Warriors 113,607 15 Paul Millsap Hawks 29,576

Yes, Zaza has more votes than Dirk. This is the world we live in. And, just to make sure no one misses this, there are no current Utah Jazz players on these lists. That's all well and nice, but how do the Jazz players compare to their Western peers they will be fighting against for reserve spots?

Back Court:

There are three Utah Jazz players I selected to judge against the group, Rodney Hood, and bench players Alec Burks and Trey Burke . None of them are playing at an All-Star level, but they are the three best guards on the roster right now.

Player Team G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG PRASB /min PER WS Box +/-
3 James Harden Rockets 40 37.7 28.0 6.0 6.8 1.6 0.7 43.1 1.14 24.3 5.6 5.3
4 Damian Lillard Trail Blazers 34 36.5 24.7 4.6 7.1 1.0 0.4 37.8 1.04 21.8 3.8 3.9
5 Rajon Rondo Kings 37 35.1 11.7 6.4 11.6 1.6 0.2 31.5 0.90 17.1 2.3 1.4
6 Klay Thompson Warriors 38 33.1 20.7 3.9 2.4 0.5 0.8 28.3 0.85 17.8 3.8 0.3
7 Chris Paul Clippers 34 32.3 18.0 3.7 9.6 2.0 0.1 33.4 1.03 24.3 5.0 5.7
8 Andre Iguodala Warriors 40 27.9 7.4 4.2 3.5 1.4 0.4 16.9 0.61 13.6 3.5 2.9
9 Tony Parker Spurs 38 27.3 13.1 2.6 5.1 0.9 0.2 21.9 0.80 19.7 4.6 2.5
10 Manu Ginobili Spurs 35 20.2 10.4 3.0 3.6 1.0 0.1 18.1 0.90 20.0 3.0 4.9
- Rodney Hood Jazz 37 30.1 13.2 3.0 2.6 0.9 0.3 20.0 0.66 13.5 2.1 0.0
- Alec Burks Jazz 28 27.1 14.3 3.6 2.1 0.6 0.1 20.7 0.76 14.9 1.3 -2.6
- Trey Burke Jazz 39 24.3 12.3 2.1 2.6 0.7 0.1 17.8 0.73 15.7 1.5 -1.5

So who gets in? I think James Harden, Damian Lillard, Rajon Rondo, Klay Thompson, and Chris Paul all have very strong claims to deserve a spot. Not surprisingly, these guys all play 32+ mpg. If one of them does get the shaft it will be Rondo because a) attitude, b) Kings record, and c) Kings will probably get an All-Star in Cousins, and not deserve more than one at this stage. The more I think about it, the more likely Rondo will get shafted.

What about the Jazz? None of our guys are playing at a high enough level to be a threat to make it. I do like our guys, but it's not like they have earned more clout with their on court play than Parker or Iguodala right now. Rodney, Alec, and Trey will all enjoy the All-Star game from home.

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Front Court:

Obviously I picked Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Rudy Gobert to focus on here; after all, they are the Jazz' "Big Three".

Player Team G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG PRASB /min PER WS Box +/-
3 Anthony Davis Pelicans 33 35.6 22.8 10.8 1.7 1.3 2.5 39.1 1.10 24.2 3.5 1.7
4 Blake Griffin Clippers 30 34.9 23.2 8.7 5.0 0.7 0.6 38.2 1.09 23.6 3.9 4.3
5 Kawhi Leonard Spurs 39 33.3 20.2 7.1 2.6 1.9 0.9 32.7 0.98 25.9 8.0 8.7
6 DeMarcus Cousins Kings 31 33.3 26.1 11.0 2.6 1.4 1.3 42.4 1.27 23.7 2.9 1.7
7 Dwight Howard Rockets 33 33.2 14.2 11.9 1.5 1.0 1.6 30.2 0.91 19.7 3.4 1.4
8 DeAndre Jordan Clippers 38 33.1 11.6 13.4 1.0 0.5 2.4 28.9 0.87 20.3 5.6 3.4
9 Dirk Nowitzki Mavericks 37 30.9 17.7 6.8 1.9 0.6 0.6 27.6 0.89 20.3 4.0 2.1
10 LaMarcus Aldridge Spurs 38 29.8 15.9 9.0 1.3 0.3 0.9 27.4 0.92 19.5 4.4 -0.1
11 Zaza Pachulia Mavericks 38 29.1 10.8 10.9 1.8 1.0 0.4 24.9 0.86 18.9 4.2 2.8
12 Harrison Barnes Warriors 24 28.7 12.7 4.7 1.8 1.0 0.2 20.4 0.71 15.7 2.3 0.7
13 Tim Duncan Spurs 35 26.2 9.2 7.7 3.0 0.9 1.3 22.1 0.84 18.0 3.7 5.5
14 Enes Kanter Thunder 40 20.1 11.4 7.6 0.6 0.2 0.5 20.3 1.01 23.8 3.9 -1.1
- Gordon Hayward Jazz 39 35.3 19.4 5.1 3.2 1.2 0.3 29.2 0.83 18.6 3.8 1.8
- Derrick Favors Jazz 26 32.6 16.8 8.6 1.5 1.5 1.2 29.6 0.91 23.6 3.4 3.6
- Rudy Gobert Jazz 19 31.9 8.4 9.7 1.6 0.8 2.6 23.1 0.72 16.5 1.6 3.8

So who gets in? Once again, the strongest relationships exist between minutes played and performance, and performance with deserving to make the team. (Hmm, maybe Crazy Old Amar isn't wrong 100% of the time?) Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin (if healthy), Kawhi Leonard, and DeMarcus Cousins should all make the team. They've earned it. Dirk is having a good season, but I think his bid will be out of historical sympathies more than earning a spot if he is selected.

What about the Jazz? This is where the rubber hits the road, Hayward is actually averaging the second most MPG out of this group -- but his performance / production is far below what a star player gets you. Well, at least Hayward is getting paid like one. (N.B. Gordon isn't the only overpaid guy in the league. Today GMS overpay because you are actually paying for the cap size, not always paying for the player.) Favors is a tough customer on the court, and has a really nice All-Around game, but it's not like he's dropping five dimes a game as a PF or anything. Gobert gets rebounds, plays defense, and blocks shots. That's his job with the Jazz. He's just not All-Star level in overall performance yet. As it stands right now, if the Jazz don't have an All-Star this season it's not going to be a snub.

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Complications:

There are two complications to look at, a) deserving-ness, and b) injuries. If Kobe Bryant does the honorable thing and elects to be injured this year that opens up another roster spot in the West. If someone else is injured, and you never know with what's been happening this season, that helps everyone's chances out. Unfortunately, opportunity isn't equally rewarded. Deserving a spot makes a difference. Teams that underperform deserve less, and teams that are playing great deserve more. The Pistons from years ago had four All-Stars at once. Did that team deserve more All-stars than the Warriors do this year? If the Dubs get four All-Stars (through deserving) then that changes the equation completely. The Spurs also deserve at least two with how well they have performed, even if it's hard to make a case for anyone outside of Leonard.

Certainly this season none of the Jazz players deserve a spot. But I will say, of late, Gordon Hayward has been doing more with the time he is given, and is playing much better than when he started the season. I love these six Jazzmen, and see them helping the team get a lot of wins when healthy. But this team will still go another year without an All-Star as they continue to search for bright spots during difficult times.

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