If Andrew Wiggins is an All-Star starter then Darius Garland is a MVP-candidate

Andrew Wiggins is an All-Star starter but Darius Garland is clearly better.

The Cleveland Cavaliers may not have an All-Star this February and that would be a dang shame, as Darius Garland has been the catalyst for this team’s offense for most of the year. It wouldn’t be the worst thing ever if Garland didn’t make the team, as there’s a lot of depth at the position in the East. Yet it would be if we compare Garland to Andrew Wiggins, who “earned” an All-Star starter role thanks to a bunch of K-pop fans. It has to be said that if he’s an All-Star starter, then Garland is an MVP candidate.

To be clear, Garland’s not really an MVP candidate, but Wiggins isn’t an All-Star either. Not really. Wiggins getting the nod is strictly due to the fan vote, a long-maligned process that has no business being in sports. Fans are tribalists and will vote for their guy/squad no matter what. That’s not the way to select players for the annual All-Star game.

While some will argue that an All-Star game should factor in the most popular of players, that’s a flawed argument. Firstly, fans split the vote. So while Luka Doncic is among the most popular players in the league as a whole, the Golden State Warriors fanbase has more individual pull than a lot of other clubs, and as fans are all voting for their respective guys, that means that universally more popular players will lose out. That’s why tiered voting is the way to go.

Secondly, and more importantly, if the All-Star game didn’t matter to contracts, bonuses, and eventual Hall of Fame considerations; then fine. Let the fans vote for the most popular guys. That’s not the case, however, and those bonuses and accolades are absolutely attached to the All-Star game.

When you have the power to put in guys who don’t belong, you have too much power. Giving fans any say in anything this important was always a bad idea.

Darius Garland deserves an All-Star spot more than Andrew Wiggins

They’re in different conferences and play different positions but let’s be real if Wiggins is a starter, Garland is an All-NBA player at least.

In year three for the 22-year-old Garland, he’s averaging 19.8 points, 8.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds, while shooting .467/.396./.907, with an offensive RAPTOR of +3.9, a defensive one of -0.3, and a box +/- of +7.2 on the season.

In year eight, for the 26-year-old Wiggins, he’s averaging 18.3 points, 2.1 assists, 4.3 rebounds, while shooting .487/.416/.671, with an offensive RAPTOR of +0.9, a defensive one of +1.9, and a box +/- of +5.9 on the season.

Also, keep in mind that Wiggins is the number three option on the team now, (formerly number two), while Garland is not only the number one option on his team, but he’s also the facilitator for most of the offense. Something Wiggins is not.

Wiggins is having a good year, that’s not the debate. The debate is whether Wiggins deserves to be an All-Star Starter, while someone like Garland may not even make the team; all because of some K-Pop star influencing the fan vote.

The answer is no, Wiggins is not more deserving than Garland to be in the All-Star Game and he’s not more deserving than Garland to be a starter either. Unfortunately, Garland has to contend with guys like Trae Young in the East. Garland should absolutely be an All-Star player, however, and he and Jarrett Allen have a good shot of going in.

Just don’t get it twisted, Garland deserves it far more than Wiggins ever could.