How Nets' Michael Porter Jr. Stacks up in the All-Star Race

Michael Porter Jr. hasn't let his injury history stop him from shining in the NBA. He overcame lingering back/spine injuries during college and into his first couple of seasons in the league. He then played through a shoulder injury in the 2025 Playoffs before joining the Brooklyn Nets in the offseason.

It seemed as though Porter Jr. wouldn't live up to his 5-star rating coming out of high school due to those injuries and team situation for many years, but a change of scenery has helped him break that mold. He averaged 16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 stocks per game in six seasons as a Denver Nugget, which are good numbers, but nothing that warranted All-Star recognition.

Since joining the Nets, Porter Jr. has shown he can be more than a third option and carry the bulk of a team's scoring. He's averaged 25.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game on 49.5% field goal shooting and 40.8% three-point shooting.

Even with these career-best numbers, a bid in the All-Star game is no easy task. In the first returns of fan voting, Porter Jr. received the 10th most votes in the Eastern Conference.

With the new All-Star game format, 16 American players will be split into two teams of eight, and eight international players will form a third team. 12 players from each conference will still be selected. The starters are 50% chosen by fan vote, 25% chosen by current NBA players and 25% by a media panel. The seven reserves from each conference will be selected by NBA head coaches.

Of the players above Porter Jr. in the voting, three would qualify for the international team. If the current voting trend keeps up, then his fate will be in the hands of coaches.

The two players above Porter Jr. in the voting that one could argue he is more deserving are Karl-Anthony Towns and Pascal Siakam. Towns is averaging 22 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game on the 19-14 Philadelphia 76ers. Siakam is averaging 23.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game on the 6-30 Indiana Pacers.

The only player below Porter Jr. in the voting that may have an argument over him is Brandon Ingram, who is averaging 22.3 points, six rebounds and 3.7 assists on the 22-15 Toronto Raptors. Based on this information, Porter Jr. shouldn't have much trouble making his All-Star debut, pending coaches' views on him.

He scores efficiently at a high level, rebounds and has made a young Nets team look better than many thought they would. Brooklyn may not be Porter Jr.'s forever home, but it should be the place that earns him his first All-Star nod.