Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. is in the middle of the best season of his career as he takes on more responsibility on the offensive end. Many predicted Porter would make the All-Star team for the first time in his career, but many in Brooklyn may be disappointed that he wasn’t chosen as the starter.
The NBA announced on Monday that Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will be the Eastern Conference starters in the 2026 All-Star Game. This means that if Porter wants to be selected as an All-Star this season, he must be selected by the head coach as a backup.
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In addition, the NBA also announced the voting results of the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. Although the top five players were named starters, Porter’s ranking is interesting. Porter finished the poll with the ninth-highest weighted score, which is a combination of fan (50%), player (25%) and media (25%) voting.
Porter averaged 25.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, shooting 48.5% from the field and 39.8% from three-point range, ranking tenth in fan and media voting. Interestingly, Porter received the ninth-highest fan vote with a weighted score of 9.5, putting him almost one point ahead of Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram.
If the polls indicate Porter is worthy of being an All-Star candidate, it seems like he should be a bench player, especially since there are seven bench players, but that’s entirely up to the Eastern Conference head coaches. There are plenty of head coaches around the league who have raved about Porter and his performance this season, but time will tell if it will lead to him being named an All-Star for the first time in his eight-year career.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. not All-Star starter; receives ninth-highest votes
