5 Surprise Picks to Be NBA All-Stars in 2026
The NBA is a star-driven league, and these five players could break through this season.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is almost guaranteed to be one of the more interesting contests in recent seasons. For starters, Adam Silver has said that the event will feature some sort of USA vs. World format. Perhaps national pride will amplify the competitive intensity.
On top of that, the Los Angeles Clippers will host the All-Star festivities. The Clippers, of course, are under investigation for salary cap circumvention, and the league is not expected to issue a punishment until the spring at the earliest.
Tensions should be high between the NBA and Steve Ballmer, making the event worth tuning in for.
Of course, then there is the actual game, which has long been disappointing. Perhaps if players felt they had something to prove, the game might be better to watch. These five players all have a chance to get invited to play despite their lack of star power.
Kristaps Porzingis, Atlanta Hawks
Kristaps Porzingis has been teammates with high-level point guards like Luka Doncic, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Bradley Beal (the Washington Wizards used him as a pseudo ball-handler. However, he has not been an All-Star since his stint with the New York Knicks.
Trae Young should be able to change that. Young has never played with a lob threat who can also step out and hit 3s. The pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop in Atlanta is expected to dominate the Eastern Conference, and Porzingis is at the center of it.
Porzingis is also in a contract year, so his effort and availability should be top-notch. Depending on the All-Star Game format, he might be pushed out in favor of other European bigs, although he is due for a career year.
His preseason scoring wasn’t anything to brag about, although he was recovering from a long-term illness. As he hits his stride and extends his range, expect Porzingis to step up for a promising Hawks team.
OG Anunoby, New York Knicks
Mike Brown likes big wings. In Cleveland, he got the most out of LeBron James (not that that’s a major accomplishment). During a short stint with the Lakers, he pushed Andrew Bynum to the All-Star Game.
Granted, Bynum was a center, although he was a bruiser like Anunoby, who is more suited for the modern game.
In his most recent seasons with the Sacramento Kings, Brown used Domantas Sabonis as a primary ball-handler. His offense is expected to take some playmaking and scoring pressure away from Jalen Brunson, and OG Anunoby could be tasked with a bigger offensive role while remaining an excellent defender.
Anunoby is a British citizen, and the World team will be missing wings in their depth chart. Expect him to join Franz Wagner and Pascal Siakam on the international squad(s).
Desmond Bane, Orlando Magic
When Ja Morant missed time, Desmond Bane stepped up as one of the best shooters in the league and a top-notch scorer. However, the Memphis Grizzlies often get overlooked when it comes to the All-Star Game.
If the Orlando Magic can stay near the top of the Eastern Conference, it will be thanks to Bane scoring around 23 points per game on excellent efficiency. Add in his solid defense, and that has “All-Star” written all over it.
In the Magic’s starting lineup, Bane is the only true floor-spacer and should get plenty of open looks as Wagner and Paolo Banchero collapse the defenses. There’s a strong case to be made that Bane should have already been an All-Star, and he could finally get his flowers.
Of course, the Magic as a whole will have to live up to expectations.
Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Imagine, for a second, that the San Antonio Spurs remain world-beaters even past their 5-0 preseason. De’Aaron Fox is currently dealing with a hip injury, so a hot start from the Spurs can be pinned on Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle.
Wembanyama isn’t really a ‘surprise pick’ to make the All-Star Game, but Castle, after just his rookie season, is. He is not a floor-spacer like Bane, although he is highlight-worthy and can do it all on both ends of the floor.
If he can beat out Dylan Harper and stay in the starting lineup alongside Fox (who is also an All-Star frontrunner), it’s hard to imagine his two-way impact keeping him out of the Game, especially if the 3-point shots start to fall.
If Castle makes the All-Star Game, the league is in trouble. It means that the Spurs are well ahead of schedule and should be pushing to make the Finals as early as this season.
Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers
Is this a bold pick? Depends on who you ask. Some think Ivica Zubac will make the All-NBA Team.
Other, more rational minds think Porzingis, Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Davis, and a healthy Joel Embiid all have a better shot.
However, Zubac is an iron man, rarely missing a game. On top of that, he should be doing all of the dirty work for a very good Clippers team. If he can continue to demonstrate an impact on the defensive end while slightly increasing his scoring, he has a shot.
With James Harden and now Chris Paul giving him pinpoint passes down low, a scoring increase is not beyond the realm of possibility, even with Beal and John Collins in town, ready to get their own shots.