Brad Stevens Has Message For Players About Importance Of All-Star Vote

BOSTON — The 2020 NBA All-Star Game quickly is approaching, and it’s apparent not everyone’s favorite will make the cut.

Kemba Walker currently is in third place among Eastern Conference guards with 1,331,577 votes, according to NBA.com, just 200,000 behind Brooklyn Nets star and former Celtic Kyrie Irving. Jayson Tatum, meanwhile, is in fifth place among forwards with 1,182,663 votes.

But swingman Jaylen Brown, who’s amidst a breakout season, is in seventh place among East guards with 544,361. Gordon Hayward is in a similar boat with just 291,608 votes, good for eighth place among forwards.

Tacko Fall, on the other hand, is in sixth place among forwards with 543,352 votes — nearly double the number of votes cast for Hayward.

Awkward, yes. But Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has a message for his players about the truth behind the vote.

“There’s always more deserving guys,” Stevens said ahead of the Celtics’ Monday night matchup against the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden. “My message to all of our guys is it’s a lot more important to be playing like an All-Star than to be named one. That’s the bottom line. Anything subjective is what it is, you know? So just do your best.”

Well said.