5 players who could make their first all-star team this season

Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

Edwards made leaps in almost every offensive category from his Rookie of the Year runner-up season to year two in the league. In most circles, he is already considered a star at 21 years old.

The Timberwolves, coming off a season where they made a playoff appearance, have reloaded and acquired three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to partner with Karl Anthony-Towns and Edwards.

Edwards was a borderline All-Star last season, and I think he is the most likely player on this list to make his first All-Star team.

Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

Fresh off a late season push for the Rookie of the Year award, Cunningham goes into year two primed to take a step forward. The team around him is improving, which should help Cunningham continue improving as he heads into year two.

Coming off a rookie season that saw him average 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, he is clearly “the guy” in the Pistons’ offense heading into this season. Given his role in the offense, Cunningham could be well on his way to his first All-Star season in 2023 if his numbers improve and the Pistons are more competitive.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder

Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off a few injury-filled seasons. The Thunder guard has only played in 91 games over the last two seasons. However, when he’s on the floor, he has been great for OKC and has asserted himself as the leader of the offense.

In 56 games last year, SGA averaged 24.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. The Thunder are still rebuilding, but it will be hard to ignore SGA’s stats and abilities. If he can stay healthy this season, he may be on his way to his first All-Star appearance.

De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings

Fox was one of the biggest snubs from last year’s All-Star game, so he is another likely person to make his first appearance at the All-Star game this season. Unfortunately, he maybe has fallen victim to the Kings being a struggling franchise despite his efforts.

Nonetheless, Fox averaged 23.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game last season. If he stays healthy and provides similar numbers, he will have a strong case to make the All-Star game in 2023.

Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors

The reigning Rookie of the Year in the NBA, Barnes really impressed in his first NBA season. At just 20 years old, he averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game last season. He also made the postseason for the first time, which helped separate him from his Rookie of the Year competition.

Barnes is a good candidate to improve on his Rookie of the Year campaign and, in turn, could stir up the conversation for his bid to the All-Star game.

Honorable Mentions – Malcolm Brogdon, Jalen Green

Brogdon has always been a borderline All-Star-caliber player. His problem has been that he has only played over 65 games in a season once in his career, which was his 2016-17 Rookie of the Year campaign. Brogdon is now a member of the reigning Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics. If he can stay healthy, there is reason to believe he could make a run at the All-Star game this season.

As for Houston’s Jalen Green, he is a rising star in the league. He averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game in his rookie year. The Rockets are expected to struggle again this season. However, if Green can take a step forward, the Rockets will be more competitive. The team’s improvement would likely provide a strong case for himself for the All-Star game. Either way, Green will most likely be participating in All-Star festivities that weekend, even if he is not selected to the team.