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As the old-school All-Stars of the past decade move on to the last phases of their career or retiring, we see a wealth of relatively new-school talent making personal breakthroughs and improving their teams in ways we didn't see from them in the past.
The NBA's landscape sports a settled look with the right mix of older veterans who have been dominant for long periods of time, as well as younger talents looking to force their way into fan's imaginations with their ever-improving displays.
The 2017-18 NBA season has seen a number of breakout players making their mark on the league, but the seven players we have picked out here are on a whole other level to their competition and are performing at the best form of their careers.
Honourable Mentions: Clint Capela, Tobias Harris, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum
Let's take a look at the top 7 first-time selection candidates for the newly-tweaked All-Star game:
#7 Devin Booker
Stat-line: 24.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.2 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.3 bpg
If there was just one argument that could end the debate of whether Devin Booker does really belong in the league's elite realm of All-Stars, it came with his record-breaking 70-point outburst against the Boston Celtics last season, as he scored 58.3% of his team's total of 120 in a 10-point loss.
That game was the highest-scoring outing by an NBA player and Booker was only 20 years old during the time of that game. It elevated his ppg average by 2 per game, making his total improvement 8 ppg from his rookie season through his sophomore year.
Booker is no one-game wonder, though, as he continues to demonstrate through his third year in the league. His ppg average has now leaped up to 24.5, while he continues to improve as a facilitator, defender, and shotmaker. By all accounts, he is going to be an All-NBA scorer by the end of his career, and this season is the one in which he should make his first bow during the All-Star weekend festivities.
#6 Victor Oladipo
Stat-line: 24.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.0 bpg
Over the course of the regular season, it has become the norm for the best Most Improved Player candidate to be a lock for the All-Star game. Going by that norm, Oladipo is a prohibitive favorite to feature in the festivities to be held on the second weekend of February at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
His point-per-game average has climbed an astounding 9.0 points since his trade to the Indiana Pacers. A higher usage rate, more looks from the 3-point territory and general all-round excellence have propelled Oladipo on the hottest streak of his career, as he finally shows the league the reason why he was drafted #2 in the comparatively weak draft class of 2013.
His numbers have improved across the board, but the biggest differences to his game are his improved finishing through traffic in the paint and his 3-point stroke. These can be attributed to a spell he spent training in Miami under Dwyane Wade's mentorship this offseason.
His defense has markedly taken a turn for the better as well, as his total of 2.8 steals plus blocks per game is one of the highest in the league for guards.
Indiana is currently ranked 7th in the Eastern Conference, rallying behind the scintillating efforts of this 5th-year stud.
#5 Karl-Anthony Towns
Statline: 20.4 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 0.9 spg, 1.5 spg
The former #1 pick is a unicorn in the truest sense, as he became the only player in NBA history to net 2000 points, 1000 rebounds and 100 3-pointers in a single regular season campaign in 2016-17. He is an inside-outside threat in the truest sense of the word, taking 3.7 3-pointers per game and making them at a 40% clip this season.
His scoring numbers have dipped from last season with the introduction of talented scorers Jimmy Butler, Jamal Crawford and Taj Gibson into the Wolves' lineup, but one would be foolhardy to call this a regression. The Wolves are currently the NBA's #7 and the Western Conference's #4 seed, buoyed by an offensive lineup capable of rivaling any in the league on their day.
Towns owns a positive net rating of 4.4 points per 100 possessions for the first time in his young NBA career. Given the Timberwolves current standing and the fact that Towns is quite often their first option in the offense, Towns deserves to make the cut for this year's All-Star game.
#4 Bradley Beal
Stat-line: 23.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.5 spg
Pry away a 20-point, 10-assist player from any NBA roster for a few days and you'd expect the team to go on a winless streak. How would you react, though, if the said team maintained its win percentage, it's standing in its conference and in fact, lost a couple of games post the superstar's return?
Well, the Washington Wizards were the beneficiaries of some inspired play by their 6th year shooting guard Beal, who took over playmaking responsibilities after John Wall was sidelined with a knee injury for around a fortnight this past month. Beal shot the lights out as he dropped 51 and 34 in successive games to give Washington back-to-back wins, as they went a relatively respectable 4-5 in games without Wall.
Despite having the low-scoring game every once in a few weeks, Beal has found ways to improve the Wizards whenever he steps on to the court. His defense is now at an elite standard, and he can also make plays for teammates depending on the game situation.
The All-Star game is an exhibition of 24 of the world's biggest talents, and Beal has shown for the past season that he belongs in the conversation.
#3 Ben Simmons
Stat-line:16.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 7.6 apg, 1.9 spg, 0.8 bpg
While runaway candidates for Rookie of the Year are generally not locks to feature in All-Star Weekend festivities, Ben Simmons is a different animal from winners before him. Having sat out the entirety of his first season with a broken metatarsal, the one-and-done 6'10" point guard out of LSU has taken the NBA by storm in his first run of games.
While his height and playing position are reminiscent of Magic Johnson himself, his statline is virtually identical to the greatest playmaker of all time as well. Consider this: no rookie other than Simmons and Magic has averaged 17 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists per game in the past 50 years.
The ease with which Simmons is able to get to the paint, get defenses to collapse on him and kick the ball out to a teammate waiting at the three-point line is quite reminiscent of Magic. Even Simmons' transition play looks eerily similar to the Lakers legend in his Showtime years.
Throw in Simmons' elite defensive play (he's second in total steals this season to Paul George) and you are beginning to look at a true unicorn: a franchise player who could lead his team to victory in several different ways.
Simmons is as good as a lock for an appearance in the All-Star game, health permitting.
#2 Joel Embiid
Stat-line: 23.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 3.4 apg, 0.6 spg, 2.0 bpg
The Process, as Embiid likes to call himself (the nickname has stuck with fans), is on track to become the NBA's poster boy as early as this All-Star game. After an exhilarating 31-game spell last season in which he led the Sixers to an above .500 record, he is on pace to better himself statistically in every relevant category.
There is a sense of inevitability when Embiid gets the ball for a post-up. He has the footwork of Hakeem, the power and presence of Shaq and the soft scoring touch of Duncan. He is nearly impossible to contain in post-ups, but his shooting range stretches right out to beyond the arc, from where he's admittedly shooting a below-par 27%; yet his 2.6 attempts per game keep opposition centers wary and open up driving lanes for the likes of Saric and Simmons to exploit.
Double-team him, and he has more than enough skill to make you pay by dishing out to onrushing cutters or open shooters beyond the arc, as evidenced by 3.4 apg rate. On the offensive end, there are few big men who compare with the range of multi-faceted skillset.
He's no slouch on the defensive end either, blocking nearly 2 shots every game while holding opponents to less than 50% on attempts inside the paint. An All-Star game selection is a foregone conclusion for this beast.
#1 Kristaps Porzingis
Stat-line: 25.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.6 spg, 2.1 bpg
In terms of breakout seasons, Porzingis is indeed having one of the best ever in NBA history. Freed of Carmelo Anthony's shadow at the Garden, the Zinger is enjoying his role as the Knicks' first option on offense.
Through the first 28 games of this season, Porzingis has led the Knicks to a respectable 8th position in the Eastern Conference with a 15-13 record. His own play has been nothing short of spectacular, as he has become one of the best two-way players in the league in his own right.
He's hoisting 19.3 shot attempts per game, making 46.5% of those looks. He is also a mean shooter from beyond the arc, averaging 40% on 6.6 attempts from downtown per game. As a 7'3" power forward, Porzingis' shooting touch coupled with his ability to finish plays above the rim make him a nightmare mismatch.
Ranking 3rd in blocks per game at 2.1, KP is on track to become the Knicks' best two-way player of this millennium. Making the All-Star game is a foregone conclusion for this 'unicorn', who is a treat to watch every time he gets the ball.
