The first returns of the NBA All-Star voting have been released, and as always, there has been a handful of surprises here and there. The usual suspects still dominate the fan votes, though, which includes Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum.

Despite his stellar play this season, however, Tatum had to settle for the fourth spot in the East frontcourt. His 2.1 million votes were outpaced by the Top 3 frontcourt vote-getters in the conference, namely, Kevin Durant (3.1 million), Giannis Antetokounmpo (2.9 million), and Joel Embiid (2.2 million).

When asked if he has the desire to be a starter in the All-Star Game, Tatum got brutally honest in his response:

“Yeah, I mean, I would like to start, obviously. Who wouldn't?” Tatum said. “I'm in a tough a*s position behind KD, Giannis & Embiid. … I know I got my work cut out to beat one of those guys but regardless, I think we'll all be in Utah playing in the (All-Star Game).”

I see no lies here. Tatum also mentioned that in his mind, all four of them are in the MVP conversation right now. As he said, Tatum would love to be a starter for the East again this season, but at the same time, he understands that he's still behind KD, Giannis, and Embiid — at least when it comes to the All-Star votes.

This anomaly simply speaks volumes of how much talent there is in the NBA. Tatum is well on his way to becoming an all-time great, and the fact that he ranks fourth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players just goes to show the elite level of talent in the league.