First-time NBA All-Stars? These hopefuls have strong cases

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(Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

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…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/first-time-nba-all-stars-these-hopefuls-have-strong-cases-154659568.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-01-08 15:46:00

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