Fred VanVleet Gets All-Star Support from Marvel Superhero

Fred VanVleet's All-Star candidacy has now gone intergalactic.

The Toronto Raptors lead guard received All-Star game support from Canadian actor Simu Liu, known for his role as Shang-Chi in the Marvel Series, on Monday.

VanVleet has been on a tear lately, having scored 30-plus points in five of Toronto's last six games while averaging 31.2 points, 6.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and shot 47% from the floor since returning from COVID-19 protocols.

Unfortunately for the Raptors guard, the first batch of All-Star game fan voting did not go his way. He was 10th in Eastern Conference guard voting, well behind DeMar DeRozan and James Harden who led the conference, and behind others, including Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose, and Tyler Herro.

While it's unlikely fans will vote him in for an All-Star starting game spot, VanVleet has certainly been impressive enough to get the nod from NBA coaches. He's leading the league in minutes played, he's fifth in points per game for Eastern Conference guards, and the advanced metrics have him as one of the most valuable players in the entire league.

The next batch of All-Star game fan votes will be released on Jan. 13. The starters will subsequently be announced on Jan. 27 with the reserves revealed on Feb. 3.

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