“Trash Voting”: Fans Outraged by Dereck Lively II’s All-Rookie Team Snub, Warriors Star Favored

The results for the NBA All-Rookie teams are finally in. The title is awarded to the most promising young stars every season. The picks highlight the outstanding new talent that this season has witnessed. While the selection of players like Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren for the first team was highly anticipated, fans were upset with Dereck Lively II’s placement on the second team.

Up next in the first team were Brandon Miller, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Brandin Podziemski. The second team was graced by Dereck Lively II, along with, GG Jackson II, Keyonte George, Amen Thompson and Cason Wallace. These players have made a lot of motion for their respective teams this season.

All-Rookie Teams for the 2023-24 Season

The voting of the All-Rookie teams is conducted by Head Coaches who are naturally not permitted to vote for their teams. The team is composed of two line lineups; the first team and the second team. The players receive two points for each first-team vote and one point for each second-team vote. This is what the line-up looks like.

First Team:

• Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)
• Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder)
• Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets)
• Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami Heat)
• Brandin Podziemski (Golden State Warriors)

Second Team:

• Dereck Lively II (Dallas Mavericks)
• GG Jackson II (Memphis Grizzlies)
• Keyonte George (Utah Jazz)
• Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets)
• Cason Wallace (Oklahoma City Thunder)

This year’s results have drawn a lot of criticism. Fans felt that Mavs’ Dereck Lively had been snubbed and that he deserved to be on the first team. Lively, who has been pivotal for Dallas this season was expected to secure a first-team spot. Many took to twitter to voice their disappointment at the results. Here’s what people said.

One fan reinstated the belief that Lively was pivotal to the Mavs reaching the finals this season.

Another fan just simply expressed disappointment.

One reply was not having it with the voting. They said, “We don’t care.”

A fan felt that Lively deserved to be there instead of Podziemski and Jaquez.

Twitter erupted to Lively’s defense. These are some among the many other tweets voicing dissatisfaction with the voting this year and one sentiment is common; Lively deserved to be on the first team. Even the player himself had something to add to the discussion.

“They don’t mess wit the Mavs,” says Dereck Lively

Dereck Lively took to Instagram to express disappointment with the results. He reshared the results on his story  and said, “D*mn, they really don’t mess wit the Mavs.” It seems that the player was expecting to secure a spot in the first team as well. He joked about the league’s bias against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavericks’ official Instagram page shared a post celebrating their star player. Lively averaged 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.4 blocks and 42 starts in 23.5 minutes this season.

At the end of the day, the votes that go towards the All-Rookie teams are highly subjective. The results are not an accurate representation of the players’ performances this season. This season’s results are just another reminder of the subjective nature of award titles. The league currently faces a lot of pressure from fans who demand that the voting process be more transparent and fair. For now, fans can follow the journey of these young stars and see how they grow with their teams.