On February 10, Beijing time, the voting of the 2022 CBA All-Star starting lineup was fully opened. According to the voting rules, this year's CBA All-Stars still use the north-south division. The starting players in each division have 3 frontcourts and 2 backcourt players, and each team can only have a maximum of 1 foreign player in the starting 5 players, as long as the players who have averaged ≥ 15 minutes per game in the first 28 rounds of the regular season are on the list of candidates.
Because the CBA All-Star start vote is completely determined by the fans, and not by the fans' vote, player vote and media vote, as in the NBA, the CBA All-Star starter vote is still contested by the popularity of the players. Who is the most popular among fans? Or who lacks an opponent in the same position? Whoever can lock in the starting seat is largely available.
Looking at the northern region, Liaoning center Han Dejun, striker Zhang Zhenlin and defender Guo Allen should be able to lock in the starting qualification in advance.
Guo Allen's popularity is unparalleled. As the first guard in the CBA, Guo Allen's strength is obvious to all. Over the years, the CBA has produced many excellent defenders, and once had a great impact on Guo Allen, but it has to be admitted that Guo Allen still surpasses any local defender in the competition of stability and comprehensive strength. With a super strength to lay the foundation, coupled with Guo Allen's cheerful personality of love to play and love to play, this has also allowed him to accumulate extraordinary popularity, which is not difficult to see from the number of comments, likes and forwards of his social media. As the CBA's signature star and the core defender of the Chinese men's basketball team, Guo Allen's early lock-in of the starting qualification as in previous years will also be a foregone conclusion.
Although Zhang Zhenlin is a second-year player, he has attracted much attention when he first entered the CBA last season, and is another rare player in the CBA who has just entered the league and is popular. The explosive dunk, super physical fitness and willingness to show his style allowed Zhang Zhenlin to enter the All-Star Game as a starter last season, and the number of votes even exceeded the two big brothers of Zhou Qi and Zhao Jiwei in the same district. Off the field, Zhang Zhenlin's humble personality has attracted countless fans for him, and this year, the "Grand Duke" should also be able to continue to enter the North District starters.
Han Dejun has also accumulated high popularity over the years. Originally, he still had Zhou Qi as an "opponent" in the North District to compete for the frontcourt position, but this season, Zhou Qi joined the Australian NBL League, and Dahan had no competitive pressure at all in the North District line, and he and Zhang Zhenlin entered the North District for the second consecutive season together.
The remaining one frontcourt position and one backcourt position in the North Zone may be slightly suspenseful. The suspense of the frontcourt may unfold between Abdul Shalamu and Ding Yanyuhang, Abu is back to the peak this season, the average performance of 22.1 points per game allowed him to temporarily lead the local scoring list, this handsome and beautiful teenager has once again won widespread support from fans this season, but the poor performance of the Xinjiang team may appropriately affect the evaluation of Abu. As for Ding Yanyuhang, although he missed the second stage of the regular season due to injury this season, his state is far from returning to the best, but after returning to the CBA after two years, Xiaoding's average performance of 14.2 points per game still exceeded the expectations of many fans, and his popularity is still good.
The final suspense of the North District backcourt may be Jeremy Lin and Zhao Jiwei. Jeremy Lin, who returned to the CBA this season, still has many fans, even if his performance is not particularly ideal. In contrast, Zhao Jiwei's performance is more recognized, but can Zhao Jiwei's popularity surpass Jeremy Lin this time? It remains to be seen.
As for the Southern District, Yi Jianlian, Zhou Peng, Zhao Rui and Hu Mingxuan may not be surprised to be selected as a group to start.
Yi Jianlian has returned from a serious injury with a ruptured Achilles tendon this season, and although he has not yet fully regained his pre-injury dominance, the performance of "Big Brother" averaging 16.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game is still the level of the top domestic interior line. Moreover, whether Yi Jianlian's performance is good or bad does not actually affect the fans' love for him, as the signature player of the CBA and the banner figure of the Chinese men's basketball team for so many years, Yi Jianlian has long been a "legend" in the hearts of countless fans. In this vote, Yi Jianlian's biggest suspense should be whether he can be re-elected as the king of votes.
Zhou Peng has become less and less competitive in the local front over the years, especially in the Southern Zone. The veteran captain of the national team and the Guangdong team is not very popular, but with the stable output of the Guangdong team and the national team, Zhou Peng is also getting more and more fans.
Zhao Rui and Hu Mingxuan are defender representatives with both strength and popularity. In addition to outstanding strength, Zhao Rui's own powder-sucking personality and Hu Mingxuan's appearance allow each of them to have a strong support group. Coupled with the unique exposure of the Guangdong platform, it is also a high probability that Zhao Rui and Hu Mingxuan will continue to work together to support the start of the southern district.
The only remaining frontcourt seat in the Southern District may be between Wang Zhelin and Shen Zijie. Shen Zijie was successfully selected for the Southern Division starting line-up with his outstanding performance, passionate playing style and "Peace Bird" personality last season, and Wang Zhelin received more exposure and better results after switching to Shanghai this season, and the two may have one to enter the Southern Division.
According to the voting arrangement, the voting time is from 18:00 on February 10 to 12:00 on March 3. However, in view of the extraordinary popularity of Guangdong and Liaoning teams, this season's CBA All-Star starter is most likely to be the "world" of Liaoning and Yue, and the remaining seats depend on the competitiveness of other players.