Utah Jazz's Lauri Markkanen Slips in Latest NBA All-Star Voting

Utah Jazz star forward Lauri Markkanen ended up making some notable noise in the first NBA All-Star fan voting returns, placing in the top 15 vote-getters of Western Conference candidates, and made for some additional optimism about what his All-Star fate may hold for later this season.

However, it looks like Markkanen's name has wound up falling a few spots in the last week since those first fan voting returns were revealed, as the Jazz star now ranks slightly lower in the newest batch of returns from the league.

Via an announcement from the NBA, Markkanen now ranks as the 18th highest vote-getter in the West through the first three weeks of fan voting, with 221,110 votes coming his way, and the 34th-most votes among both conferences.

Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo remain the leaders in their conferences in the second fan returns in NBA All-Star Voting 2026.

Fans (50% of the vote) join NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%) in selecting five players in each conference honored as starters. pic.twitter.com/u8tlbj9GA8
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 6, 2026

While not a drastic drop in the standings of top-vote-getters from the last time around, it does leave Markkanen on the outside looking in for an All-Star selection in the eyes of the fans. Still, it certainly won't count out his candidacy in the coming weeks before the festivities tip-off in just over a month's time.

Does Lauri Markkanen Have a Real Chance to Be Named an All-Star?

The reality is that fan voting only affects the starting five of the All-Star selection process, leaving just 10 of 24 total spots across both conferences having a 50% pull from the fans, while the other 14 reserve nods are decided on by coaches around the league.

For Markkanen's case, he'll have to be one of the lucky seven reserves in the West to earn that aspired nod––which really narrows down to one of five spots, considering two of those seven reserve selections will inevitably go to members of the backcourt. Yes, this year's All-Star Game will be between USA and World teams, but the selection process between conferences to get stars in remains the same.

So, will Markkanen be one of those five select reserves in the West? Even with his rock-solid start to the season, it could be tougher than you think.

Jan 3, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) shoots over Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images

If we're looking at strictly fan voting to determine the current Western Conference "starters," that makes Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, and Deni Avdija the three top vote-getters in the frontcourt to get that nod.

Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, while not the most likely starters, both feel like virtual locks to make it into the All-Star mix, instantly taking up two spots of five spots in the reserves mix.

That leaves Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Cooper Flagg as his closest competitors in the frontcourt. Markkanen has a strong case against all of them, but it's hard to say he's a shoo-in to be deemed the most deserving of those five.

Then, there's the layer of "Wild Card" selections that play into effect for All-Star reserves. Two of those seven spots in each conference can be designated to any player without position constraints, meaning that if Markkanen isn't one of the three forwards selected, he could be up against a wildly talented pool of guards for those final two slots, and that might be an uphill battle to face.

Austin Reaves, James Harden, Jamal Murray, and Devin Booker all have extremely strong cases in their own right; probably a bit better than the contenders that lie in the frontcourt reserve for the Western Conference, meaning Markkanen could be a tight squeeze into one of those coveted 12 All-Star slots.

If able to sustain his current production (27.7 PPG on 47.7% from the field), while able to stay on the floor somewhat consistently across the next month, the coaches may give him that well-deserved recognition as a reserve, though it might be a close call.

However, unless a true surge in voting transpires, his shot at being named a starter by the fans doesn't appear to be the most likely outcome, at least for this year's ballot.

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