5 players who deserve to be first-time NBA All-Stars

The NBA released its first wave of All-Star voting returns Jan. 2, and there were no shortage of surprises. Boston Celtics center Tacko Fall is sixth in Eastern Conference fan voting, despite the fact he’s only logged 11 meaningless minutes over three games. Over in the Western Conference, Los Angeles Lakers scrub Alex Caruso is eighth among all guards, despite the fact that he looks like he should be teaching an eighth-grade math class.

It’s highly unlikely either player will be chosen when the final rosters are announced, but it does show fans’ appetites for new faces in the annual mid-season classic. With that in mind, here are five players who are likely to make their first NBA All-Star Game appearance in Chicago on Feb. 16.

Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)

Doncic doesn’t just deserve to be a first-time All-Star; he deserves to be the league’s MVP. The 20-year-old maestro is averaging 29.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game and has already recorded 11 triple-doubles in his first 32 games. Doncic's heady play has the Mavs in the hunt for the top seed in the West, which is a remarkable accomplishment, considering most fans couldn’t pick his teammates out of a police lineup.

Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans)

I’ll be the first to admit Brandon Ingram looks like a tattooed coat rack, but damn it if he doesn’t know how to fill up the stat sheet. The spindly forward is averaging 25.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in his first season in New Orleans and appears to have finally come into his own as an elite playmaker. He’s still all elbows and knees, but the All-Star Game was made for players like Ingram, who can get out in transition and score in bunches.

Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)

It seems almost unfathomable that Devin Booker has yet to make an All-Star team. The Phoenix phenom has averaged more than 24 points per game in each of the last three seasons, despite facing a steady diet of double teams and aggressive close-outs on every possession. The Suns’ past failures have likely held Booker back, but that should change this year, now that Phoenix is slowly but surely worming its way out of the Western Conference basement.

Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors)

Is it possible to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year award two years in a row? Toronto’s Pascal Siakam definitely deserves consideration. The hyper-kinetic forward has upped his scoring average by 8.2 points, from 16.9 to 25.1, and is nailing nearly 40% of his 6.3 three-point attempts per game. Siakam has emerged as the undisputed best player on the defending champs and deserves oodles of credit for keeping the Raptors near the top of the Eastern Conference following Kawhi Leonard’s departure.

Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)

The Hawks have the league’s worst record, but just imagine how much of a dumpster fire they’d be without Trae Young. The sophomore sensation is averaging 28.9 points per game and has already dropped 40 points or more five times this season. He’s the only reason to tune into Atlanta’s games this season (sorry Alex Len) and his flashy handles and long-range bombs lend themselves perfectly to a wide-open showcase like the All-Star Game.

Honorable mentions: Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Spencer Dinwiddie (Brooklyn Nets), Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz), Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)

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