NBA All-Star reserves: Who deserves a spot? Which potential first-time selections should make the cut?

The NBA announced the 10 players who’d been voted in as starters for the 2026 All-Star Game last week. Eight of the players on my official media ballot made the final cut: Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Dončić and Victor Wembanyama in the West, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown in the East. Jalen Brunson earned the final starting spot in the East over my pick, Donovan Mitchell; Stephen Curry finished ahead of my pick, Anthony Edwards, in the West.

Those results are neither stunning nor injustices; Brunson and Steph would’ve been my first picks as reserves if they hadn’t made the starting lineups. Instead, it’ll be Mitchell and Ant kicking off my reserve picks — which, I hasten to remind you, are wholly and completely irrelevant and for entertainment purposes only. Fans, players and media members vote on starting lineups, but NBA coaches alone choose which players wind up comprising each conference’s reserve corps; my thoughts don’t matter at all!

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That said: I do have some thoughts. Here are seven* players from each conference — chosen irrespective of position this year, in accordance with the most recent round of All-Star alterations decreed by the league office — that I’d pick to complete the 2026 NBA All-Star Game rosters:

* There’ll be more than seven, due to me making some assumptions on injury replacements.

All stats and records entering Tuesday’s games.

Western Conference

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers

Alperen Şengün, Rockets **

(* will miss game due to injury)

(** injury replacement) 

I made my case for Edwards in voting him a starter. The 37-year-old Durant remains one of the sport’s most remarkable offensive players, averaging 26.4 points on 51/41/88 shooting splits to go with 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game to help elevate Houston to fifth in the NBA in offensive efficiency and fourth in the Western standings. While the Clippers scuffled through an absolutely brutal start, they’ve been arguably the hottest team in the NBA for weeks now,…

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Author : Dan Devine

Publish date : 2026-01-27 15:06:00

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