5 NBA players who can be first-time All-Stars in the 2021-22 NBA season

Five players made the NBA All-Stars for the first time in their careers in the 2020-21 NBA season. Jaylen Brown, Zion Williamson, Mike Conley, Zach LaVine, and Julius Randle. Conley is the clear outlier here, as most first-time All-Stars are young players who will have more appearances in their future.

It's also notable that three of them were in the Eastern Conference, and the Western Conference players were in unique situations. Mike Conley was a major factor on the best regular-season team in the NBA, should have made the team earlier in his career, and was an injury replacement for Devin Booker. As for Zion, I mean... it's Zion Williamson.

An often overlooked aspect is the financial ramifications of All-Star appearances for some of these players who have incentives worked into their contracts. For example, Jaylen Brown earned an additional $1.3-million last season by securing a spot on the All-Star roster. Not to mention the additional media attention that comes with it and potential sponsorship opportunities.

There are a few first-timers every year, and while I don't expect there to be five new faces like last year, there certainly are a handful of promising candidates who fit the bill.

Here are five players who I think have a good shot at making their first NBA All-Star game in the 2021-22 season.

#5 Michael Porter Jr.

In the absence of Jamal Murray, who tore his ACL in April, the Denver Nuggets will need others to step up and replace his production. Michael Porter Jr. is the most obvious candidate.

The 23-year-old is already one of the best shooters in the NBA, converting 44.5 percent of his 6.3 three-point attempts on average last season. Averaging 19.0 points at his age on one of the best teams in the West while standing at 6'10" with his fluidity is an outstanding level of production and skill.

The sad truth is, the All-Star game voting is largely influenced by counting stats and leaguewide popularity. Porter Jr. has had his off-court blunders, but his name has been known in the NBA community since high school when he was a top prospect prior to multiple concerning back injuries.

Vaulting his scoring into the low twenties on average should be enough to garner serious All-Star consideration for the Missouri product. Assuming the Denver Nuggets are still a threat in the West, which is probably a safe bet with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic in the squad.

#4 LaMelo Ball

Charlotte Hornets v Indiana Pacers - Play-In Tournament

Funnily enough, LaMelo Ball might not even be the best player on his own team. He is close enough, though, that his highlights, celebrity and likeness should put him as the All-Star favorite on that roster (shoutout to Terry Rozier).

The 6'6" guard averaged 15.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds in his rookie campaign and was impressively efficient as a first-year player. More flashy full-court passes, triple-doubles and, most importantly, wins for the Charlotte Hornets could spring LaMelo into the All-Star conversation.

Losing in the play-in tournament isn't going to cut it, and the Hornets have a higher upside and expectations than that going into the NBA season. Leading his team to a playoff spot would be an impressive feat in a quietly competitive race for the final spots in the Eastern Conference.

#3 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was on pace to make the All-Star team last year prior to being sidelined with plantar fasciitis. He finished in the top-25 of points per game with 23.7 while flirting with an elusive 50/40/90 shooting splits. 50.8 percent from the field, 41.8 percent from three, and 80.8 percent from the line were his final outcomes in 35 games.

If he can sustain anything close to those numbers for 70+ games, it would be hard not to include him on the All-Star roster. Team success is the lone absent factor, and it's an understandable critique. To counter that, I would say Shai has done everything in his power to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to victories, but the surrounding talent is subpar.

I would gladly bet on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander making a handful of All-Star appearances in his career, and next season may be the first of many.

#2 Ja Morant

Memphis Grizzlies v Utah Jazz - Game Two

Everyone in the NBA witnessed Ja Morant will his Memphis Grizzlies past the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament. He subsequently aided in securing game one on the road against the one-seeded Utah Jazz and dropped 47 points in a game two loss.

If the world wasn't aware of Morant beforehand, they sure are now. Team success is a trend in this conversation, and that is no different for Morant. With the subtraction of Jonas Valancuinas, Morant's offensive responsiliblity will substantially increase while simultaneously decreasing the spacing he has to work with.

The stars figure it out, and Morant is a star in the making. After his playoff run everyone is keeping tabs on his performance. Added exposure with nationally televised games should do wonders if he continues to show up when the lights shine brightest.

Morant averaged 19.1 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from three in 2020-21. Upping his subpar three-point percentage would unlock his driving game and increase his nightly scoring count.

#1 De'Aaron Fox

Making the All-Star roster in the Western Conference is never going to be an easy feat, but De'Aaron Fox was the most obvious name to put on this list. People don't recognize just how stellar he was last season, probably because he did it in Sacramento, which was statistically the worst defense of all-time last season.

Just listen to this statline. 25.2 points, 7.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals while converting 47.7 percent of his attempts from the field and 32.2 percent from three. 17 players averaged 25 points or more in 2020-21, and 15 of them made the All-Star game. The only two left out? Trae Young and De'Aaron Fox.

Team success, team success, team success. I can't stress it enough when it comes to these All-Star selections. Playing in Sacramento also doesn't help his cause, a team that has zero nationally televised games next season.

If the Kings can gain some leaguewide respect, I would expect Fox to be strongly considered for his first All-Star appearance.