Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic not an All-Star starter despite fan support

Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic missed out on his bid to be an All-Star starter this season, but the fans showed tremendously love for him.

The Dallas Mavericks were pushing hard for Luka Doncic to make the All-Star team in 2019. The Mavs have not had an All-Star since Dirk Nowitzki in 2015. There has not been a rookie in the game since Blake Griffin in 2011 either. The window for Luka making the team is not closed but took a hit on Thursday evening.

The All-Star starters were announced, and Doncic did not make the cut. The Western Conference frontcourt starters are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Paul George. They are joined in the backcourt by Steph Curry and James Harden. All five men are worthy selections, but it was disappointing to see Luka on the outside looking in.

Not lacking support

The rookie did not make the starting five, but he crushed it in the fan voting. The Mavericks official Twitter account posted the following Tweet shortly after the starters were announced.

Yes, Luka Doncic got more fan votes than Curry, Durant, Harden, and Anthony Davis. The only Western Conference player with more was LeBron. Luka also topped four-million votes. Shout out to all the MFFL’s because that is impressive. Getting Doncic into the game was the goal and fans did everything they could to make it happen.

Not done yet

Luka was not named a starter for the All-Star game, but the reserve selections have not been made yet. The coaches have the say in the final seven players from each conference. The remaining All-Stars are announced on Thursday, Jan 31 during NBA on TNT.

Doncic has a solid chance of making the cut but again faces some stiff competition. There will likely be four more frontcourt players chosen in the West. Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic are locks for two of the positions. That leaves Luka to battle it out with Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Draymond Green, Steven Adams, and LaMarcus Aldridge. Hopefully, the coaches make the correct choice and vote Luka.

Final thoughts

Dallas Mavericks star rookie Luka Doncic was not selected as an All-Star starter despite receiving the third most votes in the entire NBA. A few years back, that would have automatically made him an All-Star. The changes in voting to allow the media and players to have a say cost Wonder Boy.

Fear not because even if Luka is left out again next Thursday, there are plenty of All-Star games and accolades in his future. The prodigy is averaging 20 points per game as a 19-year-old rookie and only should improve in the coming years. Luka Doncic is here to stay, and Dallas Mavericks fans are loving every minute of it.