Why Durant, Booker Deserve Starting Nods in All-Star Game

NBA All-Star voting is now open - and we make the case for Devin Booker and Kevin Durant to enter.

PHOENIX -- The NBA all-star fan voting window is officially open. 

Fans will now have the opportunity from now until Jan. 20 to vote Phoenix Suns players into the starting lineup for the Western Conference as the NBA moved back to the East vs West format after a handful of years going with player-drafted teams. 

The Phoenix Suns have already started the campaign to get the star duo voted in as starters in the 2024 edition of the game. 

The Suns sent out a memo explaining rules for voting, how the selection process works and more in a memo sent out this morning:

"NBA All-Star Voting is now live, giving Suns fans the opportunity to vote for Devin Booker and Kevin Durant to be starters in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. Fans can vote by going to Suns.com/AllStar."

Additional details on NBA All-Star Voting and NBA All-Star 2024:

● Fans must have an NBA ID to vote. Register for NBA ID at NBA.com/ID.

● Voting opens today, Dec. 19, and runs until Jan. 20 at 9:59 p.m. MT.

● Fans will have six days where their vote will count for triple on special 3-for-1 Days: Dec. 25, Jan. 1, Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 15 and Jan. 19.

● Fans with NBA ID may submit one full ballot each day; one full ballot comprises three frontcourt players and two guards from both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.

● Voters in the United States will be automatically entered to win a trip to NBA All-Star 2024 in Indianapolis.

● NBA players and media will continue to join fans in selecting the NBA All-Star Game starters. Fans will account for 50 percent of the vote, while all current players and a media panel will account for 25 percent each.

● The NBA All-Star Game starters will be revealed on Thursday, Jan. 25 during TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax. The All-Star reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, will be announced on Thursday, Feb. 1.

● The 73rd NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 18 in Indianapolis.

Durant is a likely shoe-in to start in the West front court alongside LeBron James and Nikola Jokic. 

Durant, a 13-time All-Star, has started in 10 of those appearances. 

The argument for Durant is clear as day.

The Suns' star forward is averaging 30.6/6.2/5.6 and is second in the league in three-point percentage. 

Durant is the second-best front court player in the Western Conference by a comfortable margin, trailing only Jokic. 

Booker has a clear case himself, but it'll likely be a much tougher road to actually achieve the goal of being one of the starting guards. 

He'll be competing against the internationally-popular megastars Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic while also being alongside a newly-minted MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

While Phoenix is currently boasting a worse record than the OKC Thunder and Dallas Mavericks, that record has little to do with Booker's output. 

Booker is eighth in the league in scoring (28.1 PPG) and sixth in assists (8.3 APG,) all while boasting an above-average true shooting percentage at 61%. 

He has been the undisputed engine of the Suns' offense, gathering seven double-doubles in the process. 

He has also created countless open looks for teammates behind a blend of masterful eye manipulation, strong timing, and the ability to thread passes through tight windows. 

Booker is a top-10 scorer AND playmaker in this league - that shouldn't be discounted. 

While Curry is still quite possibly the better player, Booker is having the more productive season for a better team, and he should get the nod. 

Now is the time to get votes out for Durant and Booker, Suns fans!