The 2021 NBA All-Star Game might be very different from previous years’. Different in that it might not happen. But that doesn’t mean an All-Star Team won’t exist. Whether the game happens or not, players will still be voted onto the team as starters and reserves.

For Mavericks’ fans, this is another opportunity to get Luka Doncic another All-Star Team nod. He earned his first appearance last season, becoming the youngest All-Star starter in 15 years – one of many records I think he’ll break. He’s even an MVP candidate this season, even though their record isn’t quite what fans expected in the first part of the season.

In addition to Luka, Kristaps Porzingis might even earn a spot this season. Sure, he’s still got his same old injury concerns, but he’s putting up nearly 20 points and 8 rebounds a game.

Here’s how to vote for Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and the rest of the Dallas Mavericks for the 2021 NBA All-Star Team.

In this Article

1. How to Vote for a Player for the NBA All-Star Team
2. Results Updates
3. How Teams are Chosen
4. When Captains and Starters Will be Revealed
5. When Reserves Will be Revealed

How to Vote for a Player for the NBA All-Star Team

When

Voting Window: Thursday, January 28, noon ET to Tuesday, February 16 11:59 p.m. ET

2-for-1 Days (votes count twice): January 30, February 2, February 4, February 13, and February 16 on all voting platforms

A voting “day”, including 2-for-1 days, is from 12 am to 11:59 p.m. ET

How

NBA App: Submit a full ballot through the NBA app. A full ballot is 2 guards and 3 front court players from each conference. You can submit one full ballot each day through the NBA app.

Download the app: Android | iOS

NBA.com: Submit a full ballot on the voting page at NBA.com. A full ballot is 2 guards and 3 front court players from each conference. You can submit one full ballot each day on NBA.com.

Twitter: Tweet, retweet, or reply to a tweet with the hashtag of a player’s first and last name or Twitter handle and include the hashtag #NBAAllStar. (For example: “#LukaDoncic #NBAAllStar” or “@luka7doncic #NBAAllStar”)

Each tweet can contain only one player’s name. You can vote for up to 10 players per day.

I made it super-easy for you! Use the Click to Tweet links below to vote for Luka or Kristaps on Twitter.

My #NBAAllStar Vote: #LukaDoncic
Click to Tweet

My #NBAAllStar Vote: #KristapsPorzingis
Click to Tweet

Results Updates

The results of fan voting will be shared throughout the voting window.

Dates: Thursday, February 4 and Thursday, February 11

How Teams are Chosen

In addition to fan voting, media members and current players have an official vote.

Here’s how the teams are chosen.

How Starters are Selected

Fans, current players, and media will vote for players to be included in the All-Star game as starters. Fan votes account for 50% of a player’s overall ranking. Current player votes will account for 25% of the ranking. Media member votes will account for 25% of the ranking.

Current players and media members vote by submitting one official ballot each. Their ballot includes three frontcourt players and two guards from each conference.

The two guards and three frontcourt players with the best score in each conference are starters. If there is a tie between two players, the fan vote will be used as a tiebreaker.

Here is the formula the NBA uses to calculate a player’s final ranking:

(Fan Rank x 2 + Player Rank + Media Rank) / 4

For example, in 2019 Luka Doncic ranked 2nd in total fan votes for frontcourt players, 8th in player votes, and 6th in media votes, so his weighted score or rank was 4.5. Since only three frontcourt players are selected as starters, he did not make the cut.

How Reserves are Selected

NBA head coaches will vote for players to be included in the All-Star game as reserves. They each submit one ballot that includes two guards, three frontcourt players, and two players of any position. They can vote for any NBA player. They don’t have to choose from the players in the starters pool.

How the Teams are Drafted

There aren’t details on how the teams will be drafted because plans for the All-Star Game are still on hold. I’ll update this page as more information is revealed.

When Captains and Starters Will be Revealed

When: Thursday, February 18

Where: TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax

When Reserves Will be Revealed

When: Tuesday, February 23

Where: TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax

Luka Doncic is pretty much a lock to be a starter. It was never in doubt last year, but the move of James Harden and Russell Westbrook from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference definitely made it even more certain this year. As for Kristaps Porzingis, that’s tougher to predict. I don’t know if he deserves it this year, but you know I’m going to be voting for him anyway!

Remember that tweet that warned GMs about drafting Luka Doncic? ‘Don’t get fired for drafting this guy.’ Two years later, Luka is an MVP candidate, and a GM was literally fired for not drafting him.

The Dallas Mavericks had a rocky start to their season. Championship aspirations aside, the possibility of winning MVP was slipping through Luka’s fingers faster than an opposing player slithering through the Mavs’ porous defense.

But as the Mavericks’ defense has improved, so has Luka’s case for MVP.

What are the odds that Luka Doncic can actually win MVP this season? Rather than take a wild guess, let’s look at the history of the MVP award to see what it would take for him to win.

Luka vs. NBA MVP History

NBA MVP winners averaged 26.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in their laureate season. Those averages include Centers and Forwards. Point Guards averaged 24.1 points, 10 assists, and 6.1 rebounds.

Either way, Luka’s 27.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game are enough to put him firmly in the conversation. Luka Doncic is putting up MVP numbers. That’s just a fact.

But averaging MVP numbers and actually winning MVP are two different things. Just ask Shaquille O’Neal, James Harden, Chris Paul, and any other great player that’s been “snubbed”. There are more hurdles to overcome.

Historical Season Averages for MVP Winners

The first hurdle is Luka’s age. If Luka Doncic wins MVP in 2021, he’ll be 22 years old when he receives the award. He would be the youngest MVP ever, beating Derrick Rose by a month or two.

Over a dozen players have won MVP aged 25 or younger, but only two players aged 22 or younger have won.

The next hurdle is the Mavericks’ record. The Mavs are currently 6-4 and on pace to win somewhere around 43 games in the shortened 72-game season. Adjusted to an 82-game season, that’s marginally less than 50 wins.

Only eight players won MVP when their team won 50 games or less (either in reality or adjusted to an 82-game schedule). In the modern NBA, only one player has done it – Russell Westbrook, who averaged a triple-double and 31.6 points per game. The last player before him was Michael Jordan in 1988, when the Bulls won exactly 50 games and he averaged 35 points per game.

Combining these two hurdles – age and team record – sets the bar even higher. The two 22-year-old players who won MVP led their teams to an average of 57 wins (adjusted to an 82-game schedule). The Mavericks would have to add an additional seven wins to their projected total to reach that.

The good news is that the Mavericks look better in each game and Kristaps Porzingis’ return should give their win rate a boost. If the Mavericks win 50 games in this shortened season, Luka will be a top three MVP candidate.

Is the MVP Narrative on Luka’s Side?

Before the season started, sports betters put their money on Luka Doncic for MVP, and the national media was eager to promote a new star to their viewers. That’s important because it’s the national media who vote on the MVP award. If the majority of the media predicted that Luka would be an MVP candidate, he’s going to be in that conversation for the entire season.

The media often talk about “voter fatigue”. Since they’re the ones voting, we can assume it’s a real factor. Proof of this is the fact that a completely new crop of candidates has popped up this year – Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, and others.

The bottom line is that the MVP race in 2021 is not clear at this point. That gives Luka and the Mavericks time to figure things out and become the best version of themselves.

Can Luka Win MVP in 2021?

History is not on Luka’s side. His age alone would make his win rare. Even with the narrative on his side, the team’s current win rate isn’t quite high enough to make him a worthy candidate. Then again, they’ve won four games in a row and their focus on defense has finally put their destiny in their own hands.

The Mavericks fan in me knows to always believe in a little Luka Magic. Maybe he has another buzzer-beating win up his shooting sleeve.