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Warriors center Zaza Pachulia is second in Western Conference All-Star voting

By Brad Berreman

January 4, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9, left) and center Zaza Pachulia (27, center) grab a loose ball against Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3, right) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Trail Blazers 125-117. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 4, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9, left) and center Zaza Pachulia (27, center) grab a loose ball against Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3, right) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Trail Blazers 125-117. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The merits of fan voting for the NBA All-Star Game are subject to debate every year, but this year the debate may reach a new level.

The Golden State Warriors have the NBA’s best record (31-5), and with the star power they have it’s not surprising to see multiple players ranked highly in fan voting for February’s All-Star Game right now. But the concept of a rising tide raises all boats has reached an inexplicable level, with the NBA All-Star voting results released on Thursday.

Your eyes are not deceiving you. After the first returns of the All-Star fan vote, Zaza Pachulia trails only Kevin Durant among Western Conference frontcourt players. “Robust” averages of 5.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game over 32 games this season (17.7 minutes per contest) are clearly enough to give Pachulia over 98,000 more votes than Spurs’ forward Kawhi Leonard. Pachulia also has over 203,000 more votes than his far more accomplished Warriors teammate Draymond Green.

Fans regularly stuff online ballots with votes for players from their favorite team, and players on teams coming off strong seasons also tend to get a boost the following year. MLB All-Star voting reflected this clearly back in 2015, when Kansas City Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar was voted in as a starter after the team reached the World Series in 2014.

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But Pachulia didn’t even play for Golden State last season, or any other time before signing with them as a free agent in July. So his association with great team success is limited to this season. With Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Green in starring roles, there appears to be a wide appreciation for Pachulia’s rebounding and ability to set screens.

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