The NBA last week announced the 10 players selected to start the 2026 All-Star Game. Eight players in my official media poll made the final cut: Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic and Victor Wembunyama in the West, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown in the East. Jalen Brunson beat out my pick Donovan Mitchell for the final starting spot in the East; Stephen Curry finished ahead of my pick Anthony Edwards in the West.
These results are neither shocking nor fair; Brunson and Steph would be my top picks as backups if they weren’t in the starting lineup. Instead, Mitchell and Ant will begin my reserve picks – which, I hasten to remind you, are completely irrelevant and are for entertainment purposes only. Fans, players, and media members vote on starting lineups, but NBA coaches alone select which players ultimately make up each league’s reserves; my opinion simply doesn’t matter!
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That means: I Do Have some ideas. Here are the seven* players from each league who I would select to complete the 2026 NBA All-Star Game roster, regardless of position this year, based on the latest round of All-Star changes issued by the league office:
*There will be more than seven due to some assumptions I made regarding injury substitutions.
All the stats and records heading into Tuesday’s game.
Western Conference
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Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
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Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers
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Alperon Sengun, Rockets**
(* Missed the game due to injury)
(** Damage replacement)
I made my case Edwards Vote him to start. The 37-year-old Durant Still one of the best offensive players in the game, he averaged 26.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists on 51/41/88 shooting, helping Houston rise to fifth in the NBA in offensive efficiency and fourth in the Western Conference. While the Clippers have been brutal to start the game, they’ve been arguably the hottest team in the NBA for weeks, boasting the league’s best record and second-best net rating since Dec. 20 — and Leonard has been at the heart of this transformation.
In his 14th season, Kawhi is averaging a career-high 28.1 points per game, shooting 49.8% from the field, 39.7% from three-point range, leading the NBA in free throw percentage, and leading the league in steals. Advanced metrics such as projected plus-minus, LeBron, Darko, bench value and player efficiency rating rank Leonard among the top five to 10 players in the league this season. Of course, the entire independent investigation remains a nagging question of whether the Clippers conspired to circumvent the salary cap and pay Leonard more than allowed by league bylaws, which is sure to draw a new round of attention considering the Clippers are hosting the All-Star Game, and of course, Leonard’s presence may only further stoke interest. Oh well. Then I think his basketball level should not be that high.
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Holmgren With his improvement in his third season, he earned recognition as the NBA’s best team scorer (17.8 points per game, 57.1 percent shooting from the field, 37.6 percent from three) and rim protector (holding opponents to 46.9 percent shooting, second among players who defended at least 100 close shots). Murray As has become a trend with his No. 1 pick, he posted career-best scoring, assist and shooting efficiency numbers to help Denver stay within striking distance of Oklahoma City. However, his performance since his longtime running mate went down — averaging 28.2 points and 8.4 assists in 36.5 minutes per game on 50/43/91 shooting splits, helping Denver not only stay afloat but win more games than it would have lost without the three-time MVP — has solidified that. Avdija He was an absolute monster in Portland, kicking the breakout that started years ago in Washington into overdrive and propelling the Blazers into the playoffs with an elite shooting efficiency of 26-7-7 per game.
I wrote last week about housekeeperas well as his ongoing All-Star Game. We’re giving him the nod here because he suffered a season-ending ACL tear that required replacement surgery. If Jokic doesn’t come back from a hyperextended left knee in time to play, we’ll need two.
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The first location is BookerAveraging more than 25 points and six assists per game, he became the leader of the seventh-seeded Suns, and his attitude adjustment and subsequent turnaround became the best story in the league this season. Go second Sanggonthe ball-handling and playmaking center of Houston’s top-five offense, and the huge inside-blocking deterrent of the top-five defensive core.
Apology: Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, James Harden, Amen Thompson, De’Aaron Fox, Stephen Castle, LeBron James, Trey Murphy III, Austin Reeves.
Eastern Conference
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Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers
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Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks
(** Damage replacement)
I covered this case Mitchell Along with my appetizer last week. barnes The two-way heartbeat of the astonishing third-seeded Raptors, he averaged 19.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists and nearly three steals and blocks per game while regularly guarding the toughest screens at every position in the league. Durham He excelled on the offensive end (17.8 points on 63.2 percent shooting) while remaining a rebounding threat and taking a major step forward as a rim protector and space defender — a major reason why the Pistons rose to second in the NBA in defensive rating and all the way to the top of the Eastern Conference.
Johnson He once competed for the All-Star team last season, but was sidelined for the season due to a shoulder injury. This time around, the fifth-year forward stayed healthy and took his all-around play to a higher level, joining Jokic as one of only two NBA players to average more than 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists per game, forming the core of a post-Trae Young Hawks team that seems to be vying for inclusion as if it were its ancestral birthright.
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There are already many Sturm und Drang and about the character’s costume rips. town The Knicks are in a slump after the NBA Cup, and there’s no doubt it’s been a down season for him offensively, with his points per game, two-point field goal percentage, and three-point field goal percentage all at or near career lows. But he’s still averaging 20 points with a .600 true shooting percentage, leading the NBA in rebounds, playing at a 50-win pace, being the NBA’s No. 4 seed — and, despite staying quiet, the Knicks’ defense is better with him on the floor than off it, and the Knicks’ defense is a top-five caliber in the time he’s not playing with Brunson. I still feel like he’s done enough to deserve recognition.
I’ll round out my list with two more first-timers. I thought Powell He deserved a spot in the West last season, and he’s been even better in his first season in Miami, averaging a career-high 23.1 points on 47/39/84 shooting, taking more 3s and getting to the free throw line than ever before, and fitting seamlessly into the Heat’s new perpetual motion offense — which, by the way, ranks in the top six in scoring when he’s on the floor.
A rational observer might say that Erik Spoelstra’s beloved “giving tree” Bam Adebayo is more important to the Heat’s success (especially on defense) than Powell. But in the consequence-free sandbox of this non-binding thought exercise, I thought it would be more fun to reward Powell for continuing to get better and better as he approaches his 33rd birthday. Likewise, although white There is already one real After shooting abysmal this season — just 48.4 percent from inside the arc and 32.3 percent from beyond — he was an integral playmaker for Joe Mazzula and a Celtics team that overcame various injuries, trades and free-agent exits to somehow finish second in the Eastern Conference. He’s a defensive monster — averaging 1.3 steals, 1.5 blocks and 2.9 steals per game — while posting a 3-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and running the league’s second-best offense. The Celtics wouldn’t be where they are now without White being able to give them everything they need every night. Sounds like an all-star to me.
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That gives me seven. Still, it sounds like we’ll need an eighth — at least, if Antetokounmpo’s assessment of his recent calf injury is ultimately confirmed. For some really good players on a pretty good team, I’d agree Siakama great player on a very, very bad Indiana team that was very bad through absolutely no fault of his own.
When Tyrese Haliburton landed in Oklahoma City last June, everyone knew the Pacers’ season was going to be hopeless. But even without the point guard who made the Pacers special and with the absence of several other rotation players that turned the Pacers into arguably the most injured team in the NBA, Siakam continued to excel: averaging 23.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists on 48 percent shooting from the field and 37.8 percent from 3-point range — all while handling the highest usage rate of his career despite being double-teamed more often than ever and surrounded by a group of players who aren’t quite ready for prime time.
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The Pacers only managed 11 wins. Siakam hit four of those game-winners and tied or took the lead by hitting 14 of 28 shots in the final two minutes, tied for fourth-most in the league in these crunch and final-minute situations. There’s a certain nobility to Siakam’s play this season that I kind of like leaning on the windmill. If things turn out the way I’ve painted them here, maybe Adam Silver will call Adebayo or Evan Mobley — also veteran All-Stars on better teams — to take Giannis’ spot. Here, though, we’re paying homage to Siakam, the missing player who continues to rage against the fading shine of a team that’s been missing almost everything this season.
Apology: Adebayo, Mobley, Michael Porter Jr., Joel Embiid (FYI, you guys: averaging .631 true shooting percentage and 28.3 points in 33.6 minutes per game over the past 15 games), Josh Gidi, LaMelo Ball, Franz Wagner, Mikal Bridges.