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Porzingis: 'Players know' I deserve to be an All-Star starter

Abbie Parr / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Kristaps Porzingis knows he deserves to be an All-Star starter, and he believes he's far from the only one who feels that way.

"Players know," he said, according to the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy. "That's all I'm going to say."

The New York Knicks power forward received the third-most votes among Eastern Conference forwards from his peers to start next month's showcase. However, since player votes account for 25 percent, while media and fan voting make up for the rest, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid got the final starting nod alongside LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, and Kyrie Irving.

"Everybody has their own opinion. Fans are one thing. It is what it is," Porzingis added. "There are a lot of things I could have done better also."

Related: theScore's All-Star reserves picks

Indeed, his team could be doing better. After hovering around .500 for much of the early season, the Knicks have struggled since the new year and find themselves three games out of a playoff spot.

They'd be much worse off, though, if not for the Unicorn, who's averaging 23.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and leads the league with 2.4 blocks. It's very likely he'll accomplish his preseason goal of making his first All-Star team, when the coaches selected the reserves.

"We'll see. I would hope so. In my mind, I deserve it," he said. "All I got to do is play good and win games and the results will take care of itself. I shouldn't be too worried about who is going to vote for me and who is not going to vote for me."

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