As we pass the quarter mark of the 2025\u201326 NBA season, plenty of surprising trends have emerged and it\u2019s time to project who will make their first All-Star Game. That could prove a more complicated endeavor this season than in the past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the 2026 game in Los Angeles at the Clippers\u2019 Intuit Dome, the NBA is introducing a new format that requires 16 American-born All-Stars and eight international All-Stars. Additionally, there are no longer positional requirements for All-Star voting. Fan voting opens Wednesday and runs through Jan. 14. The 24 players with the most All-Star votes will receive the honor no matter what, but the NBA will name additional All-Stars if necessary to ensure the American vs. International format will work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Regardless, becoming an NBA All-Star is a lifelong achievement for every player who earns the honor. It\u2019s also a fiercely competitive race. But every year\u2014whether due to injury or an undeniable breakout campaign\u2014there are a few spots claimed by up-and-coming stars who hunger to make their All-Star debut. Last year there were six players who earned their first All-Star nods, led by Victor Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton\u2019s injuries have led to a wide-open Eastern Conference. Similar breakouts have occurred in the West, despite the defending champion Thunder sitting at 24\u20132 and dominating their competition each night. LeBron James missed the first month of the season for the Lakers, which led to plenty of offense to go around even with Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s explosive numbers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Which players are putting forth the strongest case to become a first-time NBA All-Star this season?<\/p>\n
27.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 6.7 apg, 50.3 FG%, 36.9 3P%, 87.5 FT%<\/p>\n
Lakers guard Austin Reaves dribbles past 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey. \/ Bill Streicher-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Reaves was playing out of his freaking mind before a calf strain that will sideline him at least one week. There were pretty high expectations for the guard as he entered his fifth NBA season. He\u2019s blown everybody away thanks to James\u2019s extended absence, which gave Reaves full authority to operate as the Lakers\u2019 No. 2 option\u2014and he took advantage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reaves ranks in the top 10 in points per game (27.8) and is on pace to blow away his previous career high (20.2 last season). He scored 51 points in the third game of the season and already has five games with at least 35 points; Reaves recorded four such performances last season. He\u2019s proven capable of not just getting his own buckets but helping take the Lakers offense to great heights. In over 700 minutes with Reaves on the floor this season, Los Angeles has posted a 120.94 offensive rating, which would put the Lakers offense fifth in the NBA. He is not only a walking bucket on his own\u2014Reaves has turned into an offensive machine, a point guard with a complete grasp of how to leverage his scoring threat to open up the floor for his teammates. Hence Reaves\u2019s career-high assist numbers (6.7 per game).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, basketball is a two-way game and Reaves is nothing to write home about defensively. At times he\u2019ll get picked on by opposing offenses and doesn\u2019t always offer the level of resistance required to be considered a passable defender. But when he\u2019s producing at this level offensively the Lakers will gladly work around those flaws. It\u2019ll be a tough battle for Reaves to earn votes in a talented West, especially when playing alongside two potential shoo-in candidates. But he is making a very strong case to be considered as the NBA\u2019s most flammable offensive player right now.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
24.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 6.8 apg, 50.1 FG%, 44.7 3P%, 89.6 FT%<\/p>\n
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray drives on Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu. \/ Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Murray has an All-Star reputation among NBA fans because he tends to turn on the jets in postseason play and played like a top-10 player in several of the Nuggets\u2019 playoff runs. But that hasn\u2019t really translated over the course of a full season, due to inconsistent play, injury or a combination of the two.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Things are shaping up to be different this season. Murray has played a big role in ensuring Denver hasn\u2019t fallen off despite losing two starters to injury early in the season. The veteran point guard is averaging a career-high 24.9 points per game while embracing the role as the offense\u2019s top option in all non\u2013Nikola Joki\u0107 minutes. The efficiency is what\u2019s separating Murray from previous campaigns, though.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s hitting 50.1% of his shots from the floor and drilling an absurd 44.7% of his shots from beyond the arc while taking north of seven three-point shots per game. To contextualize that number, there are 36 players in the league averaging at least seven three-point shots per game; only 10 of those players are shooting above 40% and none boasts a higher make percentage than Murray. He\u2019s long been one of the NBA\u2019s most slippery scorers, and when paired with a dangerous deep shot, he becomes an impossible assignment for defenders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As with Reaves, Murray\u2019s defense toes the line of acceptable on good nights and there is definitely a benefit to playing a large percentage of his minutes next to Joki\u0107, the most talented offensive player in the world. But as long as he continues to scorch the nets and put up big numbers on excellent shooting percentages every night, Murray deserves a look.\u00a0<\/p>\n
22.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 8.2 apg, 51.6 FG%, 38.5 3P%, 81.3 FT%<\/p>\n
Hawks forward Jalen Johnson shoots the ball over Wizards forward Justin Champagnie. \/ Geoff Burke-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Johnson showed flashes of a breakout last season before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. He stumbled a bit to kick off this campaign but once Trae Young exited the lineup with an injury, Johnson was given the keys to the offense. He\u2019s run with it, making possibly the strongest case out of any potential first-time All-Star.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Johnson checks every box as a star in today\u2019s league. He\u2019s a three-level scorer, shooting 38.5% from three while sinking 55.9% of his two-point shots. A gifted passer with the height to see over the defense and basketball IQ to pass players open like a quarterback, Johnson ranks seventh in the league with 8.2 assists per game. And, like any great wing, he hits the boards hard, pulling down 10.5 rebounds per game. His particular combination of talents is perfect for the open space and high pace of the modern game, and it results in winning basketball to boot\u2014Atlanta is 13\u20139 since Young went down and Johnson took over primary playmaking duties.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The load he\u2019s required to carry offensively can lead to some tough defensive showings from the fifth-year wing. But with six triple-doubles in 24 games so far, that can be excused. The 23-year-old Johnson appears ready to cement himself as one of the most talented offensive players in the East and should be rewarded for that with an All-Star nod.\u00a0<\/p>\n
25.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 6.3 apg, 46.9 FG%, 37.7 3P%, 81.2 FT%<\/p>\n
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija dribbles against Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III. \/ Stephen Lew-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Sure, the Trail Blazers won\u2019t compete in a stacked Western Conference, but Portland is a fun (and decent) young team behind its newfound star in Avdija. The No. 9 pick in the 2020 NBA draft consistently improved over his first five seasons, but he\u2019s hitting another level in Year 6. A do-it-all wing, Avdija is averaging 25.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game while shooting a career-best 37.7% from three on career-high volume with 6.4 attempts a night.<\/p>\n
The most impressive part of his breakout is his ability to get to the free throw line and connect at a high rate. He\u2019s getting to the line 9.6 times per game and hitting 81.2% of his free throws, adding nearly eight points a night from the stripe. NBA fans\u2019 dreaded foul-baiting argument comes into play here, but getting to the line at the rate and efficiency Avdija has this season is certainly a skill.<\/p>\n
Portland acquired him before last season in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon, Bub Carrington, a future first-round pick and two second-round picks. That\u2019s looking like a steal for the Blazers, especially when you consider the affordable four-year, $55 million extension Avdija signed with Washington before the trade. The extension is a descending deal too, where he will make just $11.9 million two seasons from now in the final year of the contract. Not bad for a franchise cornerstone.<\/p>\n
What may hold Avdija back in All-Star talks is Portland\u2019s record (10\u201316, 11th in the West), but he\u2019s been that good where he should be in consideration for a reserve spot regardless.<\/p>\n
18.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 64.8 FG%, 74.7 FT%<\/p>\n
Pistons center Jalen Duren goes in to dunk as Celtics guard Jaylen Brown looks on. \/ Winslow Townson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Although Cunningham steers the ship for the East-leading Pistons, Duren is the breakout star of Detroit\u2019s incredible season. The fourth-year big man is averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds per game this season, putting up a career-high 33 points in a win over the Mavericks in Mexico City on Nov. 1. He has two other 30-point games this season and averaged a whopping 21.5 points and 12.6 rebounds in the month of November as the Pistons went on a 13-game winning streak, which tied a franchise record.<\/p>\n
Duren has even more room to grow offensively, where he\u2019s already popped this season. In his big November, he put up 11.7 shots per game, which has dipped slightly to 8.4 field goal attempts in his past five games. Opposing defenses are certainly throwing different looks at Duren following his big start. The 22-year-old center is figuring that out and he\u2019s earned the right to get even more shots up as Detroit looks for its second star alongside Cunningham. There\u2019s a debate whether that player is currently on the Pistons\u2019 roster, but right now, it looks a lot like Duren can be Cunningham\u2019s No. 2 for the future.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s always been a great rebounder, grabbing 10 or more boards a game in two of his three complete NBA seasons thus far. Duren has needed to develop defensively and he\u2019s taken a leap on that end this season, too. He came up with four blocks in the Pistons\u2019 Nov. 28 loss to the Magic and has five more two-block games. There\u2019s still room to grow as a defender, but he\u2019s looking more like the force Detroit needs him to be alongside elite defensive wing Ausar Thompson. Where Duren really shines is with his offensive power, though. Serving as Cunningham\u2019s pick-and-roll partner, he has 62 dunks this season, behind Giannis Antetokounmpo (73) and Rudy Gobert (70).<\/p>\n
Duren has played like an All-Star all season, he just needs to continue the dominance as opponents throw more at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
20.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 8.8 apg, 47.8 FG%, 39.8 3P%, 75.2 FT%<\/p>\n
Bulls guard Josh Giddey drives to the basket against Hornets guard Kon Knueppel and forward Brandon Miller. \/ Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Although the Bulls have come down to earth and are stumbling following a hot start, Giddey is averaging a nearly 20-point triple-double and should hear his name in All-Star conversations. He\u2019s putting up 20.1 points along with 9.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game for Chicago. Only Joki\u0107, Cunningham and Don\u010di\u0107 are dishing out more dimes this season.<\/p>\n
Giddey\u2019s five triple-doubles thus far are the third-best mark in the NBA aside from Joki\u0107, the triple-double machine, and the previously mentioned Johnson. Chicago\u2019s offensive hub is doing it all while shooting a career-high 39.8% from three. The Bulls started their season with five straight wins, but are just 5\u201315 since and have only one win in their last nine games. Through the losing streak, they lost to the Pacers and Pelicans twice each. That won\u2019t do Giddey any favors come All-Star season, but his breakout is enough to earn his first nod despite Chicago\u2019s recent woes.<\/p>\n
He signed a four-year, $100 million extension just before the season, which is paying early dividends for the Bulls a year after they swapped Alex Caruso for Giddey. The toughest question for any franchise is finding its lead star and Chicago may have answered that question with the 23-year-old Aussie. The Bulls have some work ahead to put a winning roster around Giddey, but he\u2019s looking like an All-Star as soon as this February.<\/p>\n
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