Celtics News: Surprise Boston Guard Among Top East All-Star Voting Honorees

The first wave of fan voting results has arrived.

Oct 22, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7), guard Jrue Holiday (4) and guard Derrick White (9) react after a play against the New York Knicks in the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The first wave of 2025 NBA All-Star Game fan voting results has arrived.

Although an All-Defensive Team Boston Celtics guard did make the top ten in Eastern Conference vote recipients, it may not be the one casual fans would expect.

Derrick White, not Jrue Holiday, currently — just barely — has cracked the top 10, with his 120,706 fan votes ranking 10th. While Miami Heat shooting guard Tyler Herro's 125,251 votes and Philadelphia 76ers All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey's 246,648 fan votes make sense, it's a bit shocking that a player from the worst team in the NBA, Jordan Poole, received 164,383 fan votes — nearly 44,00 more than White notched, despite being a fantastic two-way player on one of the league's best teams.

Charlotte Hornets highlight reel point guard LaMelo Ball paces the East guards in early voting with 947,444 votes.

Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo are leading the NBA’s first 2024-25 All-Star fan voting returns: pic.twitter.com/eQeU60l673

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 2, 2025

For the past two seasons, White has emerged as one of the league's best two-way guards. His standing in the league at large was recognized when he was named as an injury replacement for L.A. Clippers All-Star wing Kawhi Leonard on this summer's U.S. men's Olympic basketball team alongside All-NBA Boston forward Jayson Tatum and Holiday, and — shockingly — ahead of three-time All-Star Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown. En route to a fifth straight gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic games, White and Holiday became more consistent members of Team USA head coach Steve Kerr's rotation than Tatum.

Tatum looks primed to make his sixth straight All-Star team this year, and his fifth slot as a starter. He's earned 1,385,851 fan votes, second among East frontcourt players behind only Milwaukee Bucks All-NBA power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who leads all players with 1,710,630 fan votes. Brown, meanwhile, is a distant fifth, with 433,636 votes. Remember, fan votes only account for 50 percent of all votes for All-Star starting fives, with the other 50 percent split evenly between players and journalists. Even if he misses out on a starting opportunity, Brown seems likely to earn a reserve spot. Seven players in each conference are named to bench roles.

This year, the 6-foot-4 guard is averaging Colorado product, 30, is averaging a career-high 16.8 points on .452/.392/.838 shooting splits (that 39.2 percent 3-point shot conversion rate arrives on a whopping 8.9 triple tries), 4.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals a night, across 32 contests for the 24-9 Celtics.

The 2024-25 All-Star Game tips off on Sunday, February 16, at San Francisco's Chase Center. Fans can vote on NBA.com.

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