The NBA’s next first-time All-Stars? Best bets, players knocking on the door and long shots

Six players made the All-Star Game for the first time in 2026: Deni Avdija, Jalen Duren, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Johnson, Jamal Murray, and Norm Powell. Who could make their first All-Star appearance in 2027? Here are my top 24 choices, ranked by tiers:

BEST BETS

2025-26 Stats: 21.0 PPG | 6.7 RPG | 4.5 APG | 51-Point Game at 19

Advertisement

The Case: Flagg averaged 25.2 points, 7.2 boards, and 5.3 assists over his final 26 full games last season. He was already one of the game’s 15 to 20 best players for a stretch of his rookie year. With Kyrie Irving back, his efficiency should improve even more. And even putting aside Kyrie, Flagg could take a leap in Year 2 of his career regardless. 

The Hurdle: If Irving’s return isn’t what the Mavericks are expecting and the team struggles again, the team might not win enough games for voters to give Flagg the nod over players on winning teams. All-Stars will inevitably be in Flagg’s future, it’s just a matter of when.

(Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

2025-26 Stats: 16.2 PPG | 5.8 RPG | 2.7 APG | 38.9% 3PT

Advertisement

The Case: Gordon was averaging 20.3 points while shooting 45.2% from 3 and playing his typically excellent defense to begin last season, all before a hamstring injury derailed his year. But the way the year started hasn’t left my mind. Gordon was doing all his typical off-ball scoring alongside Nikola Jokić, but also doing more off the dribble in the post, out of isolation, and in pick-and-rolls. If that type of production carries over to this season, and if he stays healthy, the Nuggets could have first-time All-Stars in consecutive years.

The Hurdle: Will Gordon stay healthy for the first time in a few years? And will he get enough scoring opportunities? The Nuggets might be at their best with Gordon sharing the floor with Jokić, but that doesn’t mean he’ll put up the raw numbers to be named an All-Star.

2025-26 Stats: 23.3 PPG | 4.7 RPG | 5.5 APG | 64.1% TS

Advertisement

The Case: Reaves was averaging 28.9 points through his first 18 games last season, so we’ve already seen him look like an All-Star. But then he got injured and that derailed his bid…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/the-nbas-next-first-time-all-stars-best-bets-players-knocking-on-the-door-and-long-shots-135902697.html

Author : Kevin O'Connor

Publish date : 2026-09-29 13:59:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.