The NBA All-Star game is just a month away, but the selection process has already started to unfold. The second wave of fan voting was recently released, with the league’s brightest stars occupying the top spots. This year, the league announced changes to the game which will include a four-team tournament — three teams made up of the selected All-Stars and the fourth being the winning team from the Rising Stars challenge.
The 24 NBA All-Stars (12 from each conference) are still going to be selected in the same way as usual — two guards and three frontcourt players for the starters and reserves plus two wildcard spots. Let’s look at the potential roster for the Eastern Conference, beginning with the projected starters:
Starters
Guard: LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets)
The NBA’s most recent fan voting returns had Charlotte’s young guard as the top vote-getter among Eastern Conference backcourt players. Fan voting accounts for 50 percent of the starter selections for the NBA All-Star Game, with current players and media members given 25 percent each.
Ball has always posted good counting stats, but his scoring has risen a level in Year 5. He’s just under 30 PPG and leads the league in three-pointers made per game (4.5). The Hornets have struggled this year (8-28), but have been more potent when Ball is on the floor. They’re just 1-10 when he doesn’t play this year.
Guard: Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Cleveland’s Mitchell is right behind Ball in the fan voting. The two players have vastly different campaigns. Ball is putting up massive numbers on a terrible team. Meanwhile, Mitchell’s stats are down while leading the best team in the NBA. Part of that is due to the Cavaliers constantly blowing teams out and making it unnecessary for Mitchell to play many minutes. He’s at his lowest MPG (31.4) of his career, and his PPG (22.8) is his lowest since his rookie year.
Mitchell’s lower usage has led to some impressive efficiency improvements. He’s shooting over 40 percent from three for the first time in his career on 9.1 attempts per game. He’s also lowered his turnovers to 2.1 per game, a career-best. The Cavaliers are 33-5 and will likely send multiple All-Stars to San Francisco.
Frontcourt: Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
The Eastern Conference frontcourt selections shouldn’t be too difficult to decipher. Jayson Tatum is one of three locks. Coming off an NBA Finals run, Tatum is posting career-highs in points, rebounds, and assists. This is a player who has made the All-NBA First-team three years in a row and continues to get better.
Frontcourt: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Antetokounmpo is set to make his ninth-straight All-Star appearance in 2025. He’s been the best player in the conference for several years and is the East’s best chance for an MVP this season. He’s leading the league in scoring (31.4) while providing defense for a team that sorely lacks it.
Frontcourt: Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks)
In his first year in the Eastern Conference, Karl-Anthony Towns is projected to be a starter in the All-Star game. He currently ranks third in the fan vote behind Antetokounmpo and Tatum. In fourth place is Orlando’s Paolo Banchero who has only played in seven games this season.
Towns is putting up monster stats for his new club. After taking a bit of a backseat to Rudy Gobert the last two seasons, Towns has been reinvigorated as his team’s lone big man. He ranks second in the league in RPG (14.0) behind only Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis, and is scoring 25.4 PPG on impressive shooting splits (.554/.449/.838).
Reserves
Guard: Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks)
The third-place Knicks will have two All-Stars this season, with Jalen Brunson all but certainly locked in for one of the reserve spots. Brunson has maintained his elite scoring and playmaking after the Knicks’ roster shakeup in the offseason. He never seems to be phased by the moment, and always seems to perform in New York’s biggest games. In his most recent outing, Brunson poured in 44 points in a rout of the Bucks.
Guard: Damian Lillard (Milwaukee Bucks)
There are several deserving guards in the Eastern Conference this year. We’ll save some for later, but the 34-year-old veteran gets some recognition here. Lillard is still showing that he can get it done in Year 13. His numbers are all up from last season, and he’s come on strong since Milwaukee’s slow start. NBA coaches select the seven reserves. When deciding on the last few spots, Lillard’s track record and pedigree may be the difference over other candidates.
Frontcourt: Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers)
The second most likely Cavalier to earn an All-Star nod is Evan Mobley, who is enjoying a breakout season. Mobley has always had the tools to be a great player. The league has seen his immense skill set on full display this season as the Cavaliers have rolled through their early schedule. Mobley has improved his scoring from all levels, most notably from beyond the arc where he’s made over 40 percent of his three-point attempts. He’s Cleveland’s best defender and seems to be getting better as the season progresses.
Frontcourt: Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
The reigning NBA Finals MVP is having a bit of a down year but remains a heavy favorite to make the All-Star squad. Though his averages are down, his counting stats remain impressive and he’s recording a career-high 4.8 APG. The Celtics are currently No. 2 in the East and have the third-best record overall. It would be a surprise if they didn’t get two All-Stars. However, some might argue Derrick White has been Boston’s second-best player through the first half of the season.
Frontcourt: Jalen Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
Injuries have taken a toll on many Eastern Conference All-Star candidates. The aforementioned Banchero looked unstoppable before getting injured just five games into the season. His teammate, Franz Wagner joined him on the injured list with an oblique injury. He could have a chance for a late surge if he returns, but Wagner hasn’t even begun taking contact yet. Joel Embiid has been in and out of the lineup all year.
Toronto’s Scottie Barnes has had a couple of injuries already but has still played more games than projected starter LaMelo Ball. However, Barnes is not in the top 10 of fan voting and plays for a dreadful Raptors team that coaches are unlikely to reward. Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson — the frontrunner for Most Improved Player — seems like a solid choice. The Hawks are right at .500, and Johnson has been productive on both ends of the floor (19.8 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.1 BPG).
Wildcard: Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons)
The former No. 1 overall pick has done enough to earn his first All-Star nod. Cunningham has come into his own in Year 4 with the Pistons. He’s posting career highs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, field-goal percentage, and three-point percentage. On top of it all, the Pistons are winning games. They’re currently the 8-seed in the East and are 9-2 over their last 11. In January, Cunningham is averaging 25.1 PPG, 8.9 APG, and 6.6 RPG while shooting 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from beyond the arc.
Wildcard: Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Both wildcard selections will likely be guards in the East. There are more worthy candidates in the backcourt than in the frontcourt. Trae Young is no stranger to being snubbed from the All-Star Game and leads the league with 12.1 APG. Tyrese Haliburton started for the East last year and is still posting solid numbers despite a slight dip from ”23-’24. Tyrese Maxey, Tyler Herro, and Zach Lavine all rank in the top 20 in scoring.
In the end, we’ve seen coaches reward winning in these situations. The Cavaliers have been the dominant team in the East, and Garland is having a career year. As a team, they wouldn’t be where they are if it weren’t for the strides Garland has made on both ends of the floor. He’s been an indispensable piece for the best team in the conference.
