The 2026-27 NBA season is officially arriving, with teams across the league reporting to training camp throughout the week ahead of opening night next month. After such a hectic offseason in which several of the league’s pivotal talents changed locations and so many teams changed identities, it feels like we’re entering this season with more possible storylines than any in recent memory.
Whenever the landscape of the league shifts the way it has this summer, a window naturally opens for players who were on the verge of superstardom to break through. Beyond that, there are a handful of players who are entering this season with the expectation of establishing themselves as first-time All-Stars and even potentially first-time All-NBA talents. That includes highly touted second-year stars and veterans who are nearing a full decade of service time in the NBA. All-Star nods aren’t just important for legacy and contract incentives. They serve as a historical record that tells who the 24 premier hoopers on the planet are at that given moment in time. The game itself isn’t what it used to be, but it still means something to be voted amongst the league’s best and especially to be named a starter. With that said, here are the five most likely first-time NBA All-Stars this season.
Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers
As much as LeBron James and his camp tried to paint his departure from the Lakers as a mutual ordeal, the reality was that the team all but pushed him out of the door. It was evident Luka Dončić became the No. 1 guy in Los Angeles the second the Lakers shocked the world by acquiring him in 2025, but it’s hard to overstate just how much of a vote of confidence it is that the Lakers felt comfortable enough to let LeBron move on because they had what they felt was a better No. 2 in Austin Reaves. The Lakers doubled down on that confidence by signing Reaves to a four-year, $180 million extension after it became clear the LeBron era in Tinseltown had ended. The increase in salary aligns with the increase in responsibility he’s going to have in regard to carrying this roster, though he proved entirely capable of handling that responsibility when LeBron wasn’t in the picture for the Lakers early last season. Reaves increased his scoring average from 20.2 points in 2024-25 to a career-high 23.3 points per game in 2025-26, though he did miss a significant chunk of time due to injuries. If he can post a similar improvement in scoring this year, it’s hard to think of many potential first-time All-Stars with a better chance.
Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
All things considered, it seems like a very safe bet that Cooper Flagg (barring injury) makes his first NBA All-Star appearance this season. The offensive polish he displayed late in his rookie season proved he’s going to be among the league’s best scorers for the next decade and change, if not the best outright. I mean, at 19 years old, we saw this kid score 51 points against the Orlando Magic and two consecutive 45-plus point performances in April. In fact, Flagg’s four 40-point games as a rookie were the most since Allen Iverson tallied five in 1996-97. With Jason Kidd out of the fold and former Michigan and FAU coaching guru Dusty May making the jump to the league from college, it will be interesting to see what kind of concepts the Mavericks run offensively that create better offensive opportunities for Flagg in more fitting roles than what he was playing at times last season. Kyrie Irving making his return to man the point means Flagg won’t have the responsibility of (presumably) doing so at all this season, which seems like an objectively better circumstance for his development. And his All-Star chances.
Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk3SWRUH94E Something that became quickly apparent during the San Antonio Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals was that Cooper Flagg wasn’t the only potentially era-defining talent in the 2025 NBA Draft. Dylan Harper, who went No. 2 overall, emerged as one of the most dynamic young guard talents in recent memory with his performance in the postseason and proved that he could plausibly become the Kobe to Victor Wembanyama’s Shaq. Considering the increased role Harper played as the Spurs progressed into the postseason and how important his presence on the court was for them, it would be puzzling if he wasn’t in the starting lineup for as many games as he’s active this season. If that means less minutes for De‘Aaron Fox, that’s what’s going to have to happen. One thing I am confident in is that if Harper is as effective as the Spurs need him to improve upon an already great season last year, he’ll be in Phoenix.
OG Anunoby, New York Knicks
Maybe without his lights-out defensive performance to help the Knicks to a title, or his all-time game-winning tip-in in Game 4 of those NBA Finals, OG Anunoby wouldn’t be one of the hottest names in basketball and instead would still be known as an underrated stalwart. The thing about star-making moments like the one OG had in those Finals is that well … you become a star. And stars get TV appearances and brand deals and most importantly, increased attention that results in more accolades, more acclaim and, frankly, more credit for the things people probably should have noticed before. The point is, all eyes are going to be on Anunoby and the defending champion New York Knicks this season. He’s only getting better on both ends of the floor, and it’s only going to take a slight increase in scoring for him to get over the hump in voting. Plus, what fan base has better reason to crash the fan polls and get their guys in than Knicks fans?
Derrick White, Boston Celtics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O9Re0QbEvA Derrick White is one of the best examples of development in modern basketball history, starting with his transition from Division II University of Colorado, Colorado Springs to the big high-major state school in Boulder. From there, he became a first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, going from 3.2 points per game in 17 appearances as a rookie to 15.4 points per game in his fourth and final full season with the organization in 2020-21. In 2022, he was traded to Boston, where he became a key piece of the Celtics’ run to the Finals that season and eventually to their NBA title-winning team in 2024. Since being traded to Boston, not only has White emerged as arguably the best defensive guard in all of basketball, but he’s playing at a higher level offensively than he ever has before. White averaged a career-high 16.4 points per game last season and his 5.2 assists per game were his most in a season in which he played more than 50 games. With Jaylen Brown off to Philadelphia, White will have even more offensive importance this season and improved scoring totals could lead to his first All-Star appearance at 32 years old.
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