NBA All-Star Voting: 2019’s First Returns Unfavorable for Memphis Grizzlies

With Memphis falling in the NBA’s Western Conference standings, it should come as no surprise to see a lack of votes for Memphis Grizzlies players.

On Thursday, the first returns for NBA All-Star voting were made available to the public eye. It is not hard to believe that zero Memphis Grizzlies appeared in the report.

At this point in the season, when the Grizzlies are making headlines for all the wrong reasons and the losses are piling up, the thought process becomes “do any of Memphis’ players even deserve votes?”

Heading into Friday’s home matchup with the Brooklyn Nets, the Memphis Grizzlies own an 18-19 record, which is tied with the Dallas Mavericks for 10th in the West.

Losses will not equate to NBA All-Star votes. Stellar individual performances could; however, their top tandem has been failing to stand out, especially as of late.

For instance, Mike Conley — though suffering an arm/shoulder injury on Wednesday — produced a whopping zero points against the Detroit Pistons in 28 minutes. This was the first time in over three years that Conley has gone scoreless in a regular season game.

Injured or not, who can say that he is an NBA All-Star at this point? His strong play has dwindled, along with the Grizzlies’ team record. Plus, Marc Gasol has taken a back seat, too, after looking like the sure-fire Defensive Player of the Year.

Having appeared in three NBA All-Star Games, including being the West’s starting center on one occasion, Gasol’s play has not been prominent enough in 2018-19.

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In all fairness to the Memphis Grizzlies’ best, NBA All-Star voting is obviously a popularity contest. The first returns could not be anymore supportive toward this statement as you take a look at guy like DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins has yet to play in a game this season for the Golden State Warriors due to injury recovery, but he is 10th in votes received among Western Conference frontcourt players at 92,977 votes.

If DeMarcus would still be a member of the Sacramento Kings or New Orleans Pelicans — and perhaps playing at full health — he may not have as many votes as he has now. This is the power of large-market teams, people.

In all honesty, the rookie — Jaren Jackson Jr. — appears to be the most deserving for NBA All-Star votes at this point. Not only has he been the most exciting Grizzlies player to watch in recent weeks, but Jackson Jr. has had the greatest output. His 26 points and 10 rebounds kept the struggling Memphis Grizzlies competitive on Wednesday versus the Pistons’ frontcourt duo of Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond.

At this point, the All-Star scenario is nearly the same as all other seasons for the Memphis Grizzlies’ hopefuls. It boils down to the league’s head coaches and their votes. Even then, when holding a losing record, it will be difficult for Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, or any other Grizzly to reach Charlotte for NBA All-Star 2019.

One additional factor remains, and that is injury replacements for the NBA All-Star Game. Right now, if the Houston Rockets‘ Chris Paul earns the trip to Charlotte, Conley may sneak in as his replacement. That is, if he is unable to play by the time the annual game rolls around.

For now, keep voting, Grizz Nation. With an easier schedule around the corner, hopefully the Memphis Grizzlies’ top names will return to form and begin earning NBA All-Star votes at a higher clip than they are right now.