With the first round of fan voting for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game in the books, it’s looking likely that plenty of established superstars will tack another All-Star nod onto their already glittering résumés. To me, though, the best part of the annual midseason exhibition — yes, even better than the nigh-on-constant format changes introduced to try to make everybody care about the game again! — is when we get an injection of fresh blood into the proceedings.
To be clear: I’ll never turn my nose up at getting to watch LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Co. It’s just always fun to see new players force their way into the fold, playing well enough to demand attention and recognition from the NBA’s various voting bodies — the fans, fellow players and media members who cast ballots for starters, and the coaches who pick the rest of the rosters — and put themselves in position to earn their first selections.
Getting into that position won’t be easy. The seven multi-time All-Stars who topped 1 million fan votes in the first round of returns — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Jayson Tatum, Durant, James, Karl-Anthony Towns and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — all look like locks for selection, health permitting. And when you factor in some of the other well-known veterans with strong vote totals and statistical profiles — players like Anthony Davis, Luka Dončić, Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving in the Western Conference, and Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson and Trae Young in the East — those 12-man rosters begin to fill up pretty damn quick.
Some first-time hopefuls, though, might have strong enough cases to stand out from a very talented crowd. Four of the players I highlighted in this space last season — Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Scottie Barnes and Paolo Banchero — did go on to make their first appearances. Let’s take a look at some contenders who could follow in their footsteps this February, listed in no particular order … well, except for the first one:
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
I’d like to thank San Antonio’s 7-foot-4 fever dream for prompting me to learn that “no duh” translates to French, roughly, as “non bien sûr.”
Wembanyama sits in the top 10 in the NBA in scoring, rebounds and, of course, blocked shots. He is on pace to become the sixth player in NBA history to average 25 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three assists per game for a full season, joining five of the greatest big men of all time: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal and Patrick Ewing.
He has also made more 3-pointers this season than Trae Young, James Harden, Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving. Oh, and he just turned 21.
Wembanyama isn’t the only reason San Antonio has vaulted from the depths of the draft lottery into the play-in picture in the West; the addition of Chris Paul to organize the NBA’s fourth-youngest roster has also paid massive dividends. (Spurs lineups featuring Wemby and CP3 have outscored opponents by 10.1 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. Groups featuring the big fella minus the point god? They’ve gotten outscored by 11.8 points-per-100.) He is the biggest one, though — literally and figuratively.
On top of being one of the most efficient high-volume scorers in the NBA, Wembanyama is also the leviathan at the heart of the Spurs’ 12th-ranked defense — a unit that clamps down at a top-four clip when he’s on the floor. Those impossibly long arms not only hold opponents to a minuscule 48.8% shooting at the rim — third-stingiest among 78 players to guard at least 100 up-close shots, according to Second Spectrum — they dissuade countless other would-be forays to the basket by dint of his all-encompassing, all-smothering presence in the lane.
Combine his growing offensive impact with his Defensive Player of the Year-caliber bona fides on the other end, and you’ve got what’s been, according to metrics like estimated plus-minus and value over replacement player, a top-five player in the NBA this season. Add in Wemby’s flair for the dramatic …
… and you’ve got a non bien sûr All-Star.
Evan Mobley, Cavaliers
There’s plenty of credit to go around for Cleveland’s historically incredible start to the season: new head coach Kenny Atkinson’s reimagining of the Cavs’ offense, a bounce-back campaign for point guard Darius Garland (who deserves plenty of All-Star consideration in his own right), superstar Donovan Mitchell’s willingness to take a (small) step back and spread the wealth, better health, stellar bench play, etc. A sizable share of it, though, belongs to Mobley, who in his fourth season has taken a long-awaited offensive leap — and, in the process, performed like one of the best two-way players in the entire NBA.
The 23-year-old has blossomed in a bigger role in Cleveland’s offensive hierarchy. Mobley’s not just averaging a career-high 18.8 points per game; he’s doing it on career highs in true shooting percentage (which factors in 2-point, 3-point and free-throw accuracy) and points per shot attempt, while also taking more shots, increasing his time of possession and finishing a larger share of the Cavs’ offensive possessions with a shot attempt, foul drawn or turnover. For most players, an increase in usage leads to a decrease in efficiency, which makes sense; it’s hard to do stuff as well when you have to do more of it. When you can still produce at the same high level while shouldering a heavier playmaking burden, though? That’s the sign of stardom.
Mobley has tightened up his handle, empowering him to be more aggressive attacking the basket en route to career-high numbers in drives per game and points per drive. The confidence has extended to the perimeter: He has more than doubled his 3-point attempt rate from last season, and he’s knocking down a career-best 41.7% of his triple tries.
Put that point-producing development next to his customary excellence on the defensive end — top-10 in the NBA in contested shots, blocks and defensive EPM, helping anchor a top-six defense whether he’s playing the 4 next to Jarrett Allen or sliding over to center — and you’ve got a strong case by the numbers. Add in the context of the Cavs’ damn-near-perfect start and rocket-ship ride to the No. 1 seed in the East, and how his play on both ends has fueled it, and Mobley feels like he should be a sure thing.
Jalen Williams, Thunder
Oklahoma City’s climb to title contention centers on Gilgeous-Alexander’s rise from late lottery pick to perennial MVP candidate. But the Thunder wouldn’t be who they are — a top-10 offense, a historically monstrous defense, able to shapeshift and swap spots in the blink of an eye — without Williams’ own journey from late lottery pick to the brink of stardom, which has continued apace in his third season.
J-Dub’s one of just six players in the NBA this season averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and 1.5 steals per game. The other five? Two MVP candidates (SGA and Jokić), someone who would be a third if not for games missed due to injury (Dončić), another ascendant wing who saw his own All-Star campaign paused by injury (Franz Wagner) and James Harden, who, despite suffering through his worst shooting campaign in 15 years, has played a massive role in keeping the Clippers in the Western playoff picture while Kawhi Leonard worked his way back to the court. Pretty decent company for a No. 2 option!
Williams compounds that complementary offensive value with phenomenal defensive versatility. He doesn’t guard the opponent’s top threat every night — OKC has Luguentz Dort (and Cason Wallace, and Alex Caruso, and …) for that — but the 6-foot-5 Williams punches up in weight class every night as the Thunder’s primary power forward with aplomb and, thanks to staggered injuries to Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams, has even spent a significant chunk of the first half of the season moonlighting as a small-ball center. OKC has played nearly 400 minutes without any of its true bigs, with J-Dub as the last line of defense; it has won those minutes, defending at a top-10 level and forcing turnovers on an obscene 20% of opponents’ possessions with a high-pressure, havoc-wreaking style enabled in part by Williams’ ability to hang in against bigger opponents.
A dip in shooting efficiency over the past month could hurt Williams’ chances in such a crowded Western field. But as the second-best player on the best team in the West, his ability to do everything well merits careful consideration.
Cade Cunningham, Pistons
It was a rocky first three seasons for the former über-prospect and No. 1 overall pick: left behind by Scottie Barnes and Mobley in the 2022 Rookie of the Year race; shelved less than a month into his sophomore campaign by a stress fracture in his left shin; mired in the hellscape that was the shockingly brief and historic-losing-streak-defined Monty Williams era in Year 3.
The vibe’s a little different in the Motor City this season, though. With new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and stabilizing vets like Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley laying down a steady backbeat — and, crucially, providing steadier spacing — to allow Cunningham to step to the front of the stage and look like the star so many projected him to be.
Cunningham is averaging 24.4 points, 9.5 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game — all career highs, and a level of production that only Jokić, James, Harden, Dončić, Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson have ever reached over the course of a full season.
With more shooters and finishers on the other end of his passes, only Young and Jokić average more assists or points created via assist than Cunningham, who’s flirting with becoming the first Piston to crack 10 dimes per game since Isiah Thomas back in 1987. With more offensive threats for defenses to honor, Cunningham’s seeing less congestion when he drives to the basket — which he does more often than anybody besides SGA, Brunson and De’Aaron Fox — leading him to generating points on 65.3% of those drives, a career-high.
And when defenses sag off of him or go under on screens to try to keep him out of the paint, he’s developed the ability to punish them with the pull-up 3 — a shot he hit just 30% of the time through his first three seasons, that he’s knocking down at a 38% clip thus far this season, and that makes him so, so much tougher to guard:
When Cunningham’s at the controls, a Detroit team that’s still light on offensive talent overall scores at a near-top-10 level. His play — as an improving scorer, as a top-flight facilitator, as a grab-and-go rebounder, as a willing defender and as a leader — has the Pistons at .500 in January for the first time in six years, and with a real shot at postseason play. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, but this is who the Pistons hoped Cade could be: an organizing principle; a rising tide that can lift all boats; an All-Star.
Alperen Şengün, Rockets
I thought Şengün had a case last season, as the leading scorer, rebounder and half-court offensive hub for a Houston team that began the difficult trek toward respectability before ultimately falling just shy of postseason play. This season’s Rockets have climbed all the way into second place in the West, pairing their elite defense with a kind-of-shockingly top-10 offense that, once again, frequently revolves around the Turkish big man’s rare combination of dancer’s footwork, deft touch and dad strength:
The 22-year-old’s shooting efficiency has tailed off this season, but he’s still averaging 19 points on 49% shooting to go with 10.4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.3 steals per night — numbers that only Jokić and Kevin Garnett have matched before age 23. Şengün has mitigated his shooting slide by hitting the glass, dishing assists and limiting turnovers at career-best rates, and continues to make strides as a defender under Ime Udoka, averaging a combined 5.4 steals, blocks and deflections per 36 minutes while holding opponents to 59.9% shooting at the basket — the lowest mark of his career and a respectable 33rd out of 78 players to defend at least 100 up-close shots.
The Rockets score, defend, rebound and flat-out play better with Şengün on the floor. For all the intriguing talent they’ve accumulated over the years, he’s the straw that stirs the drink; they’re not playing at a 55-win pace and bidding for the franchise’s best season since taking the KD-era Warriors to seven if not for the big fella. Whether that’s enough to push him past the ranks of future Hall of Famers and multi-time All-Stars throughout Western frontcourts, and the many other deserving options likely to be in the mix for wild-card spots, I’m not sure. But for voters who prioritize a player’s impact on winning alongside eye-popping stats, the fourth-year big man’s case might be too good to pass up.
Derrick White, Celtics
White’s another player I thought might have a shot at making it last season, with the C’s cementing themselves as the team with the NBA’s best record and net rating on the way to 64 wins and an NBA title. In the end, he wound up on the outside looking in, as voters (and, later, when it was time to name injury replacements, commissioner Adam Silver) opted for players with gaudier box-score stats over an advanced stats darling who’d be the third selection from his own team.
The broad strokes of this year’s case are similar. White remains the fourth-leading scorer on a fantastic Celtics team, albeit one that’s got the NBA’s third-best record and net rating, and is second in its conference. He’s scoring more and maintaining his elite shooting efficiency on a higher usage rate and sharply increased 3-point volume.
White is one of 13 players in the league this season averaging 17 points, four rebounds and four assists per game with a true shooting percentage north of .600 — a list laden with MVP candidates, multi-time All-Stars and guys who might be either if they weren’t trying to get themselves traded out of Miami (I’m not naming any names). And what he lacks in sheer amount of buckets generated, he makes up on the other end by being one of the best backcourt defenders in the NBA — great at slithering around screens and chasing movement shooters away from the ball, elite at shutting down transition scoring chances by himself, and the best shot-blocking guard since Dwyane Wade (if not ever).
White’s two-way impact shines through in advanced metrics like EPM and VORP, both of which mark him as a top-20 player this season, and in the fact that Boston seems to thrive whenever he’s on the court — even when he isn’t sharing it with its other stars. The Celtics have outscored opponents by 5.4 points per 100 when White plays without Tatum; by 13.5 when he plays without Jaylen Brown; by 15.1 points per 100 when he plays without Kristaps Porziņģis; and by 14.1 points per 100 when he plays without Jrue Holiday.
What exactly all those numbers say — to what degree White is driving Boston’s excellence and to what degree he’s the beneficiary of the environment around him — is something that reasonable people can debate. What seems pretty cut-and-dried, though, is that since White’s arrival in February 2022, the Celtics have gone 201-77 with him in the lineup — a 57-win pace across about three-and-a-half seasons’ worth of games (regular season and playoffs combined) — and that they consistently seem to operate closer to the top of their potential when he’s on the court, providing the kind of high-efficiency, low-turnover, complementary two-way play with which the C’s seemingly solved the modern game.
That might not be enough to move him past other competitors for roster spots whose box-score stats leap off of the page. It wouldn’t be shocking, though, if the coaches give the 30-year-old White a tip of the cap in honor of both how well he’s playing this season and how big of a role he’s played in turning the Celtics into the juggernaut they’ve been for the last three years.
Tyler Herro, Heat
For all the sturm und drang over Jimmy Butler’s status hanging over South Beach, and for all the handwringing over Bam Adebayo’s down offensive season and Miami’s woeful record in the clutch, the Heat do at least have the silver lining of a breakthrough campaign for Herro in which he’s begun to look like the kind of high-end offensive engine he’s always believed he could be.
Herro has shuffled up his shot selection this season, taking a career-low share of his attempts from midrange and a career-high share from beyond the arc. He’s also taking nearly five triples per game off the catch, working off the ball more often and forcing defenses to account for both his gifts as a pick-and-roll playmaker and the threat of his shooting away from the initial action.
The result of that reorganization has been the best version of Herro to date: 23.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5 assists per game, shooting 55.1% on 2-pointers and 40.1% from 3-point range on 9.5 attempts a night — all career highs — and the driving force behind a Heat attack that, for all its foibles, scores like a top-eight offense when he’s on the floor and like a bottom-three unit when he’s not.
Herro has provided that type of three-level scoring and playmaking while playing several hundred more minutes than the likes of LaMelo Ball, Damian Lillard, Tyrese Maxey and Jordan Poole — all of whom finished above him in the first round of fan voting — as the No. 1 option for a team that’s neck-and-neck in the standings with Lillard’s Bucks and Young’s Hawks, even amid all the Jimmy drama. That context could help earn Herro recognition as one of the most valuable offensive players in the league through the first half of the season — and a first-time All-Star.
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