The NBA in 2022-23 is a much different game than it was even just 20 years ago. Whether it be the rules of the game or the 3-point shooting explosion over the last decade, the NBA’s scoring and offensive presence has never been bigger or mightier. It seems that every other night, a new player is setting a new career-high in points. Already in 2022-23, we have seen Donovan Mitchell join the 70-point club, and Luka Doncic had a 60-point triple-double. Add that to the influx of 40 and 50-point games that seem to be a regular occurrence this season, and you have one of the most exciting starts to a year the NBA has ever experienced.
- 4. Lauri Markkanen
- 3. De’Aaron Fox
- 2. Tyrese Haliburton
- 1. Shai Gilegeous-Alexander
- Who Else Could Make A Run At Their First All-Star Selection?
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Among the players that are breaking out into superstar and star roles are some other players who have failed to get the recognition they deserve so far in their careers. I am speaking, of course, about the players who are still looking for their first trip to the NBA’s All-Star Game mid-season. There are a host of players that have a case to earn their first selection this season, but there are only 4 who have stood out above the rest and seem likely to snatch it. Below are the players that we are alluding to.
These are the most likely first-time All-Stars for the 2022-23 season.
4. Lauri Markkanen
For the past few seasons, and even with flashes of brilliant play, Lauri Markkanen has been at the center of trade rumors and struggled with missed time. Markkanen, now in his 6th season with his 3rd different team in 3 years, hasn’t played more than 65 games in a season since his rookie year. He also had 3 straight seasons from 2019 through 2021, where he missed 30 games or more. On the court, his play had been steady as a double-digit scorer and decent rebounder. In 2022-23, the entire narrative about Lauri Markkanen, the best No. 23 in the NBA, has shifted.
Markkanen is enjoying, by far, the best season of his young career so far with the Utah Jazz. He has played in 37 out of 40 games for Utah in 2022-23 as they sit 10th in the West after a blazing start to the year. Markkanen is leading the team in scoring with 23.9 PPG on 52.8% shooting overall and 42.1% from three on 7.1 attempts. Markkanen’s leap in production not only has him in contention for the Most Improved Player award but also the first All-Star selection of his career.
3. De’Aaron Fox
In the middle of his 6th season with the Sacramento Kings, De’Aaron Fox is generating the first real All-Star buzz of his career. It seems a bit surprising, considering he had a career year in 2021 with 25.2 PPG, 7.2 APG, and 1.5 SPG, but here we are. Perhaps it is because the Kings only won 31 games in 2021, finishing 12th in the Western Conference. This year, for Fox and the Kings, the days seem to be much brighter ahead.
As it stands in 2022-23 through 33 Games, the Kings are 20-16 and sit 5th in the Western Conference. Fox is leading the way for the Kings along with last year’s prized deadline acquisition Domantas Sabonis and rookie Keegan Murray. Fox is averaging 23.8 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 0.9 SPG but is shooting the ball better than he has in quite some time. His 3-point percentage has improved from 29.7% in 2022 to 33.9% in 2023. He is also shooting the ball over 50.0% from the field overall for the first time in his career. The only thing holding Fox back from being an All-Star in the West is a loaded hierarchy at the guard position.
2. Tyrese Haliburton
Look away, Wally Szczerbiak, this one is going to sting. Regardless of what the former Timberwolves and Knicks sharpshooter has to say, Tyrese Haliburton is the second-most likely player to earn his first All-Star selection. Haliburton is taking the league by storm in just his 3rd season in the NBA, which happens to be his first full one with the Indiana Pacers. Haliburton played a year and a half with the Kings in 2021 and 2022 and was supposed to be the franchise’s next guy up. After a surprising trade to the Pacers in exchange for Sabonis, Haliburton has embraced his place in Indiana.
Haliburton has the Pacers sitting at 21-17 through the team’s first 38 games, which is good for 6th in the Eastern Conference. Haliburton is averaging 20.7 PPG and leading the league in assists with 10.1 APG. Haliburton has also recorded 1.8 SPG, which is a career-high, and is shooting 41.0% from three on 7.4 attempts. Haliburton has led the Pacers to a surprising surge earlier than expected with their rebuild, much to the delight of an ailing fanbase. Haliburton is likely to be rewarded with an All-Star selection at 22 years old, with many more in the future.
1. Shai Gilegeous-Alexander
If there is one player making the All-Star ballot incredibly interesting this season, it is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In the Western Conference, you have the obvious choices of Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, and Ja Morant, who are pretty much guaranteed spots in the All-Star game this year. This leaves 3 potential spots for Gilgeous-Alexander, the best Canadian-born player in the NBA, to get in, and the way he is playing, he undoubtedly has a spot saved for him.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is currently averaging 30.8 PPG thru 33 games played so far in 2022-23. He is also averaging 4.8 TPG, 5.8 APG, and 1.7 SPG. He is shooting 35.4% from 3-point land and 49.9% overall for the 16-21 Thunder, who believe it or not, are much more competitive than in recent years. Gilgeous-Alexander is a superstar in the making, turning the corner toward that status right before our eyes. I will be shell-shocked if he is not rewarded with the first All-Star selection of his career.
Who Else Could Make A Run At Their First All-Star Selection?
Along with the players who are most likely to get into their first All-Star Game, there are a few others who could sway some voters before voting ends. The first of these players is Jalen Brunson, who is in his first season with the Knicks and showing why he should be a No. 1 guy with 20.3 PPG and 6.5 APG so far. Another selection that could sway some voters is OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors. Anunoby is currently averaging 18.6 PPG and 5.8 RPG but has also entered into serious contention for Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Anthony Edwards is another player who will be considered for his first All-Star game. Edwards is currently in his 3rd season with the Timberwolves and is averaging a career-high 24.0 PPG along with 6.3 RPG and 4.4 APG, also career-highs. Another All-Star selection could be second-year big man Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mobley is averaging 14.5 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 1.3 BPG for the surging Cavs. These young stars aren’t making the process easy on fans and media voters alike while also making the coach’s decisions tougher than ever. Stay tuned for which players make it and which will have to wait until next year for another chance at their first All-Star selection.
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