We are now under a month away from the 2026 NBA All-Star Game slated for Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome.
Fan voting came to a close on Wednesday and the results of the third round of voting will be revealed shortly. Fans account for 50 percent of the vote in determining starters, followed by current players at 25 percent and media at another 25 percent. Coaches will select reserves Feb. 1.
As we get closer to these deadlines, the debates on who should be there and who should miss out intensify, too.
It’s worth remembering this year’s event has been tweaked, catering to a Team USA vs. Team World format. There will be a minimum of 16 Americans and eight international players featured across three teams with a minimum of eight players each.
How much does that change the outlook for certain players on the bubble? Let’s break it all down to find out.
Eastern Conference Starters
Giannis Antetokounmpo (GRE) – Milwaukee Bucks
The best player in the conference is also the leading vote-getter by a decent margin. Antetokounmpo is averaging 29.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and just under a steal and a block. Here’s the kicker, he’s doing it in fewer than 30 minutes per game (29.3).
Jaylen Brown (USA) – Boston Celtics
Slowly and sneakily inserting himself on the long list for MVP candidates, Brown is averaging 29.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists to lead a Boston team near the top of the East. He’s just on the outside looking in for fan voting in sixth but I have a sneaky suspicion he’ll find his way into the starting five.
Cade Cunningham (USA) – Detroit Pistons
The best player for the East’s top seed, Cunningham deserves all the plaudits he’s getting for the season he and his team are having. Having made his first All-Star appearance last season, Cunningham has backed it up with 26.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game this year.
Jalen Brunson (USA) – New York Knicks
Brunson has embraced the offensive changes head coach Mike Brown has tried to implemented into New York’s offense and continued to thrive. He continues to break down defenders at will and seems to hit every big shot in close games.
Tyrese Maxey (USA) – Philadelphia 76ers
If there was an award for players who single-handedly keep their team relevant, Maxey may be the favorite to win it. He’s averaging 30.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.8 steals for a Sixers team currently fifth in the East and rising as Joel Embiid looks increasingly comfortable.
Eastern Conference Reserve Guarantees
Jalen Duren (USA) – Detroit Pistons
Duren is the anchor of the Pistons’ defense and he’s made tangible improvements to his scoring ability. He’s bumped his scoring by six points to 17.9 per game, getting to the free-throw line more often, and is a walking double-double.
Scottie Barnes (JAM) – Toronto Raptors
Barnes has been one of the best defenders in the league while being an important part of the offense as well with 19.4 points and 5.4 assists per game. He has cemented himself as one of the best two-way players in the league and looks set to make his second All-Star appearance.
Donovan Mitchell (USA) – Cleveland Cavaliers
Mitchell may well get a starting spot and be worthy of it. He’s putting up 29.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.5 steals and shooting a career-best 58.9 percent on twos. His 38.7 percent mark from distance is also a career-high and he’s doing that on a career-high 10.1 attempts. It’s just too bad Cleveland as a team has had an underwhelming first half.
Jalen Johnson (USA) – Atlanta Hawks
Johnson’s been so good he made moving on from Trae Young a no-brainer. He’s upped his scoring by over four points to 23.4 per game, his assists by three to 8.1, he’s made his 3-point shot respectable and he’s knocking down nearly 80 percent of his free throws.
Double Representation Candidates
Karl-Anthony Towns (DR) – New York Knicks
Derrick White (USA) – Boston Celtics
Brandon Ingram (USA) – Toronto Raptors
Towns is still an automatic 20-10 double-double but he’s shooting a career-low 52 percent on twos and a career-low 35.6 percent from deep. The Knicks have been very successful until a recent slide and the Josh Hart injury has impacted them more than people expected.
White does so many good things for the Celtics and is so impactful, currently second in the league in stocks (steals + blocks). He hasn’t quite taken to being the second option in the offense, though, shooting just 49 percent on twos and 32.8 percent on threes as he attempts a career-high 16 shots a game.
Ingram’s Raptors have proven to be a level below the Celtics and Knicks, though he has shown to be a crucial cog as the team’s top scoring option. Similar to White, Ingram deserves credit for helping his team exceed expectations coming into the season. Ingram has also been a net positive defender the last month or so but there is still a solid gap between what he and White have provided on that end.
Of these three candidates, I believe White has the best case.
Outside Looking In Candidates
Paolo Banchero/Desmond Bane (USA) – Orlando Magic
Norman Powell (JAM)/Bam Adebayo (USA) – Miami Heat
Michael Porter Jr. (USA) – Brooklyn Nets
Pascal Siakam (CMR) – Indiana Pacers
Banchero has missed a decent chunk of time and still struggles with efficiency. Bane’s raw numbers are down, though he arguably has the best case of any Magic player. Franz Wagner may have been the best option if he hadn’t missed 16 games to this point.
Adebayo continues to be extremely impactful on the defensive side of the ball for a Heat team ranked eighth in defense. It’s hard to look past Powell as a Heat candidate, though, averaging a career-high 23.9 points while continuing to shoot the ball at a high clip. He’s needed to be great in the extended absence of Tyler Herro and he’s done that.
Michael Porter Jr. and Pascal Siakam have similar cases, putting up big numbers on teams with 11 and nine wins, respectively. Siakam is naturally the more proven player as a three-time All-Star but it has been impressive watching Porter be as efficient as ever, despite taking on the largest volume of his career at nearly 19 shots per game.
The Nets are 13 points better per 100 possessions with Porter on the floor while the Pacers are 12 points better per 100 with Siakam on the floor. Because of the notably higher efficiency (62.3 percent vs. 56.1 percent true shooting), I’m giving the edge to Porter.
Final Selection
Starters: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey
Reserves: Jalen Duren, Scottie Barnes, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Johnson, Derrick White, Norman Powell, Michael Porter Jr.
All stats accurate prior to games played on Jan. 15.
