Three Miami Heat players who can make the All-Star Game

A year after having no representatives in the All-Star Game, the Miami Heat will have a few candidates in a depleted Eastern Conference. 

All-Star voting is not an exact science. Many will say its purely a popularity contest or just a sheer numbers game (that’s partially how Yao Ming made it to eight All-Star games) but for the most part the players who deserve to be there due to their on-court accomplishments rightfully make it.

For the Miami Heat’s All-Star outlook, one thing should be made clear: The Heat will not send any starters to the All-Star Game. Instead, and maybe to their benefit, they’ll have to rely on the reserve process which is voted on by the coaches.

One of the things working in favor of that process is that popularity is instead replaced by worth, with the coaches often awarding those players who have either never made an All-Star Game or have flown under the national radar to have All-Star worthy seasons. The Miami Heat could (and should) have three players in the conversation contingent they get off to a good start.

Simply put, if Miami repeats even something close to their first half last year, they will not warrant a selection for the second straight year. Winning is one of the most important and necessary resume builders for the All-Star voter and without those, the worth essentially evaporates.

But the Heat earned a lot of respect from the inner circle of coaches and players last season with their grit and determination on the way to a 30-11 finish to the season, a mark that put them alongside the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. If they can give that same type of effort and end-to-end tenacity that has become a staple of Miami Heat basketball, the All-Star voters will take notice.