The fans have had their say; now it's the coaches' turn.
Monday, the starters for the 2026 All-Star Game were announced — live on NBC — based on a fan vote (as well as players and select media). As a quick reminder, those starters are:
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Stephen Curry
Luka Doncic
Shai Gilgious-Alexander
Nikola Jokic
Victor Wembanyama
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Jaylen Brown
Jalen Brunson
Cade Cunningham
Tyrese Maxey
The next step is for the league's coaches to vote to select the seven reserves from each conference, with those players announced on NBC on Feb. 1. After that, the players will be divided into the two USA and one world team for the new All-Star Game format.
Who should be those All-Star reserves? Here are the picks of NBC NBA writers Kurt Helin and Eric Samulski, with some analysis.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
| KURT HELIN'S PICKS | ERIc SAMULSKI'S PICKS |
| Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) | Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) | Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) |
| Jalen Duren (Pistons) | Jalen Duren (Pistons) |
| Jalen Johnson (Hawks) | Jalen Johnson (Hawks) |
| Scottie Barnes (Raptors) | Scottie Barnes (Raptors) |
| Michael Porter Jr. (Nets) | Michael Porter Jr. (Nets) |
| Norman Powell (Heat) | Josh Giddey (Bulls) |
Breakdown of picks
Kurt Helin: In the East, there were a lot of locks: Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns, but there are a couple of names we both think should make it that maybe not a lot of fans have seen. Eric, make the case for Scottie Barnes in Toronto and Brooklyn's Michael Porter Jr.
Eric Samulski: Barnes is 12th among Eastern Conference starters in Player Impact Estimate, which I know is not a perfect stat, but as a baseball guy too, I do view it as similar to how baseball uses WAR (Wins Above Replacement). Barnes has played really strong defense while also averaging 19.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while keeping the Raptors in the mix despite injuries of varying length to RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, and Immanuel Quickley. I think he has emerged as the key cog on that team and has demonstrated the all-around game to be rewarded with an All-Star appearance.
Porter Jr. has also had a really good season. He's 8th in Player Impact Estimate while ranking 7th in the East with 25.7 points per game on a 58.8% effective field goal rate (eFG%). He's also averaging 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists while playing on a fairly mediocre team. I know people will think that playing on a bad team makes it easier to put up impressive numbers, but it also means that defenses can key on you with nobody else to really make them pay. The fact that Porter Jr. continues to produce despite that level of defensive attention is worthy of recognition.
Kurt: The fact that there are a lot of teams trying to trade for Porter right now speaks to his value — other front offices covet him for a reason.
We have six of the seven East bench players the same, but the only difference is that I have Norman Powell from Miami, and you have Josh Giddey from Chicago. These are two good players on mediocre teams who have had to carry a large load, and while Powell is scoring more (23.9 points per game) and doing it more efficiently (63 true shooting percentage), Giddey gives you more assists and rebounds. I picked Powell just because I see his impact in Miami keeping that team above .500, but Giddey was next on my list.
Eric: Giddey's recent injury does hurt his case a little bit, but he's also averaging essentially nine rebounds and assists per game. His offensive performance has been really well-rounded, and he's been carrying a team with far fewer playmakers than the Heat. His defensive rebounding rate is about the same as Josh Hart's and Giannis', and he has the 5th highest assist rate in the Eastern Conference. Powell has been tremendous for the Heat, but I had to reward Giddey's all-around offensive dominance and playmaking.
Kurt: Were there any snubs in the East you felt particularly bad about? Evan Mobley? Desmond Bane? To be honest, outside of choosing between Giddey and Powell for the last spot, and feeling bad about not including Pascal Siakam off the struggling Pacers, I was good with it.
Eric: Me as well. Siakam has been playing well, but I couldn't make the case for him. I really wish I could have chosen Franz Wagner because of how well he was playing before the injury, but he just missed too much time.
Western Conference
| KURT HELIN'S PICKS | ERIK SAMULSKI'S PICKS |
| Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves) | Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves) |
| Kevin Durant (Rockets) | Kevin Durant (Rockets) |
| Alperen Sengun (Rockets) | Alperen Sengun (Rockets) |
| Chet Holmgren (Thunder) | Chet Holmgren (Thunder) |
| Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers) | Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers) |
| Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) | Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) |
| Jamal Murray (Nuggets) | James Harden (Clippers) |
Breakdown of picks
Kurt Helin: Eric, we agree on almost all of the bench All-Stars in the West. The conference is so deep that there seem to be a lot of locks: Anthony Edwards barely missed out on being a starter, and Houston deserves to have Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun. One that may surprise a few people is Portland's Deni Adjiva. Did you think he was on the bubble or more of a lock guy who must make the team?
Eric Samulski: I considered Deni as a lock. He's 10th in the West in points per game, while also chipping in nearly seven rebounds and assists per game. He contributes in every area of the game and has kept the Trail Blazers competitive even with Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant sidelined for extended periods of time. I expect him to be the Most Improved Player in the league, and he deserves to be an All-Star.
Kurt: Agreed. Where we disagreed on our lists is that you have James Harden and Kawhi Leonard from the Clippers; I could only go with one and went with Leonard, who has just been a beast on both ends this season. That gave me room for Jamal Murray, who I feel deserves it.
Eric: Truthfully, you're probably right. I wanted to have Murray on this team, and maybe I should have, but it's hard to leave off a player who just moved to 9th all-time on the NBA scoring list. Murray and Harden are also averaging about the same points per game, but Harden is also averaging more rebounds and assists per game as well. So the stats are similar, if not slightly leaning towards Harden, and he probably deserves to be rewarded for the achievements he accomplished this season, especially with the game in LA.
Kurt: I think there has to be a Clipper with the game in LA, but I leaned into Leonard even though Harden carried this team through the start of the season (which didn't go terribly well for the Clippers), to be kind. To me, more than just All-Star-level stats (which he has), Murray has been critical to the Nuggets being top three in the West and 7-4 without Nikola Jokic. He's earned his first All-Star nod.
But there are no easy choices in the West. Leaving off Devin Booker hurts.
Eric: I agree. The Suns are a team that has drastically outperformed my expectations, and it feels odd that we can't reward anybody on that team with an appearance. Booker was behind Murray for me on the "next man up" list.
Kurt: I felt that way about Booker, and frankly, Julius Randle and Lauri Markkanen. All are deserving in a stacked conference that's so deep with talent that great players are not going to make the cut.
The one other hard question in the West: Should this be an All-Star Game without LeBron James?
Eric: If you had asked me three weeks ago, I would have said yes, but I'm not so sure now. Over the last month, he's averaging 26 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. He has been playing at an elite level, so I can see him getting an extra spot courtesy of Adam Silver. If we knew for sure that it would be his last season, then I would say it would be a lock.
Kurt: I found it interesting that even the fans didn't vote him in, where I thought his popularity (and Lakers nation) would have put him over the top. I'm with you, he needs a special designation from Silver, an All-Star Game in Los Angeles has to have LeBron.