The 5 NBA Players Who Could be First-Time All-Stars in 2023

By the nature of how the rosters are chosen, the NBA All-Star Game can be something of a popularity contest. Will the 2023 game in Salt Lake City, Utah, prove to be different?

As reported by ESPN, starters are voted on by a combination of fans, media and other players, while reserves are chosen by a vote of the league’s coaches. Outstanding performance matters, but reputation matters nearly as much and can result in some players struggling to break through to get honored.

Take last year’s game, for example. Of the 24 players initially named to the All-Star rosters, 20 of them had been All-Stars before. The game featured seven first-time All-Stars, but three of those were selected as injury replacements, which are chosen by NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Still, there’s room every year for someone to make his first All-Star game entirely on merit. In fact, just three seasons ago, the 2020 All-Star Game featured nine first-time All-Stars, some of whom — like Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum — have become perennial selections and are likely to be playing in Salt Lake City on Feb. 19.

As for who could follow in their footsteps as first-time All-Stars, there is no shortage of candidates. Let’s look at the five players with the strongest case for making their All-Star Game debuts in 2023.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Of the 62 players who have averaged at least 30 points per game prior to the All-Star break in NBA history, 60 made the All-Star Game (with 54 of those 60 being named as starters). The only two who didn’t — Wilt Chamberlain in 1970 and Adrian Dantley in 1983 — were both injured.

So pencil Gilgeous-Alexander’s name onto the roster this season.

At 24, the Thunder combo guard is one of the NBA’s best scorers right now, ranking third in the league at 31.1 points per game, behind only Doncic and Golden State’s Stephen Curry. That scoring average alone should be more than enough to justify Gilgeous-Alexander’s first All-Star selection, but this rising star is more than just a walking bucket. He’s one of he most active offensive players in the league right now.

Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers

When the Pacers traded All-Star Domantas Sabonis for a package led by Haliburton last season, the thought was the 22-year-old guard could eventually become an All-Star. Few expected it to happen this quickly.

In his first full season with the Pacers, Haliburton is leading the league in virtually every key shot-creation marker. His passes lead to more than 26 shots per game, according to Second Spectrum tracking, which is most in the league ahead of perennial All-Stars such as Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Philadelphia’s James Harden and Phoenix’s Paul. His league-leading 10.9 assists per contest generate a whopping 28.9 points per game for Indiana, which is also the top figure in the association.

De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings

The Beam Team is the talk of the league. The Kings are cooking the competition with a devastating offense led by Fox, who is having by far his best season in his sixth year in the league.

Fox, 24, has built a reputation for being one of the fastest players on the hardwood, and that speed is still his signature trait. When he is on the court, the Kings become the fastest team in the league, logging possessions at a blistering 104 per 48 minute clip.

Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz

Like Indiana and Sacramento, Utah was not supposed to be good this season. Well, the Jazz are, and Markkanen’s breakout season is helping fuel Utah’s surprising start.

After uninspiring stints with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, the No. 7 pick in the 2017 draft is putting up the best scoring numbers of his career. Markkanen is averaging 22.0 points per game, and coach Will Hardy’s wide-open offensive spaces have enabled Markkanen to thrive in new ways. The 7-footer ranks eighth in the NBA in total field goals in the paint this season, per Second Spectrum, and among the NBA’s top 20 most active paint shooters this season, he ranks second in efficiency, converting 66% of his shots in the lane (the NBA average is 57%).

Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies

If it weren’t for a sprained right big toe Bane suffered earlier this month, he’d be the player making the strongest case to debut in his first All-Star game. No other player was turning more heads than he was to start the NBA season.

In just his fourth game of the season, Bane outdueled both Durant and Kyrie Irving, scoring a career-high 38 points and adding seven assists (tied for a career high) as the Grizzlies beat the Brooklyn Nets. Bane shot 10-of-13 on unassisted shots that night, creating 26 of those points himself and signaling to the NBA that he was a vastly more complete scorer than he had been in his first two seasons in the league.

This article was originally published by Kirk Goldsberry on ESPN.