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NEW YORK — Focus began to shift to Indianapolis as the NBA released its initial round of fan voting results Thursday for the 2024 All-Star Game.
DeMar DeRozan ranked ninth among Eastern Conference guards with 175,233 votes. After earning All-Star selections the last two seasons, DeRozan has remained a consistent producer for the Chicago Bulls while stepping up as a facilitator to average 22.4 points and 5.3 assists. He sits ahead of the Boston Celtics’ Jrue Holiday (145,144) and just behind the Celtics’ Derrick White (175,940).
But another Bull was excluded from the top 10 in this first round of voting: Coby White, who has buoyed the team with a breakout performance in his first full season as the starting point guard.
White is averaging 17.8 points and 4.8 assists and shooting 39.3% behind the arc with 2.9 3-pointers per game. His averages were hindered by a slow start and a brief shooting slump at the end of December, but White’s contributions have been critical to the Bulls righting the ship.
Fan voting opened Dec. 19 and will conclude Jan. 20, accounting for 50% of the selection of the All-Star starters. Current players and members of the media each provide 25% of the remaining voting. Fan votes will be tripled on four remaining days: Friday, Jan. 12, Jan. 15 and Jan. 19.
The All-Star reserves are voted on by each conference’s coaches.
DeRozan often performs best in player, media and coach voting and lowest in fan voting. He was voted in as a starter in 2022 and was a reserve last season — his sixth All-Star selection overall.
If neither player is selected, the Bulls would not have a representative in the All-Star Game for the first time since 2020. Zach LaVine was a reserve in both 2021 and 2022.
White could earn an invitation to Indianapolis through a different avenue: his shot. He’s tied with the Los Angeles Clippers’ Paul George for the seventh-most 3-pointers in the NBA this season with 103.
While an All-Star selection might not be in the cards for White this year, he could be a strong challenger in the 3-point competition.
Regardless of whether he’s part of the festivities, White is drawing outsized attention from opponents on a scale he never has seen before.
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White doesn’t always draw the best defender on the court — that’s typically reserved for DeRozan, who remains the team’s most reliable scorer and earns veteran respect from opponents.
But as this season has progressed, teams have visibly changed their defensive game plans in an attempt to stall White’s explosiveness as the well-rounded conductor of the offense.
Chicago Tribune Sports
“He’s getting different matchups from game to game due to the way he’s playing,” coach Billy Donovan said. “This is the maturation process that he has to go through with all these challenges.”
The first noticeable signal came in a rematch against the Miami Heat on Dec. 16. White had scorched the Miami defense two nights earlier, scoring 26 points on 4-for-11 3-point shooting while tallying 11 assists. So the Heat responded by switching Jimmy Butler — one of the cagiest defenders in the league — onto White in the second meeting.
White was surprised by the decision. Butler typically makes a better physical match to take DeRozan. His length and strength were disruptive for White, who still managed to tally 22 points and five assists.
Since then, this has become the status quo for White — and he loves it.
“I mean, who wouldn’t want this challenge,” White said. “For me, this is what you dream of — teams having to game plan against you, being a focal point of the scouting report. So I just get excited for the challenge.
“It’s a sign of respect. Mentally I go into it like every other game, but obviously I’m excited for what’s ahead of me.”
Earning that respect was never the focus for White. But it’s a clear distinction he has arrived at a new chapter of his career — and stands on the threshold of joining a new tier of talent in the NBA.