Should Nets Forward Michael Porter Jr. Be an All-Star?

The NBA released the All-Star starters and voting results for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game.

Three voting groups determined the starters for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game:

▪️ Fans (50%)
▪️ NBA players (25%)
▪️ Media panel (25%)

Complete voting results are available here: https://t.co/0YQtBsIaGp

Below are the overall rankings for the top finishers in each conference. pic.twitter.com/W21e8EOvpH
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 19, 2026

Though Michael Porter Jr. wasn't named one of the starters, as expected, he still got a surprising amount of attention for this year's festivities from players, fans and the media.

The Brooklyn Nets have been one of the worst teams in the NBA all season, though they had a 7-4 stretch in December in which they led the league in defensive rating and looked like they could legitmately compete for a play-in spot.

The Nets are 0-8 without their leading scorer in the lineup. If you ask Nets coach Jordi Fernandez, the No. 14 pick of the 2018 NBA Draft deserves his first shot of playing among the league's best players.

“He's an All-Star," Fernandez said. "He's played like an All-Star, you just got to watch him play, and how much better he's gotten. He's been in a different role, and he's proven he can do it. And it's not just the shot-making, which I think if you're an NBA fan, you just watch Michael take and make shots, right? It's how he's been working off the ball to get those shots, also rebounding, career-high rebounding and free-throw attempts and assists.

"All those things that he's just making an impact to the group. He's just doing his job, and it's not about him; it's about the group. So if you think about his impact to competitiveness, that's what All-Stars do, and that's why Mike should be there.”

Porter came to the Nets with low expectations. Many thought he'd slightly raise his scoring averages and take full advantage of being the primary option of a team for the first time in his career with little substance.

While MPJ has taken advantage of being the primary scorer, he has done it within the confines of the Nets' offense and hardly, if ever, dribbles the air out of the ball. In the process, he proved he wasn't a merchant of three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and proved he can be adaptable no matter the situation.

With that said, it's not easy to average nearly 26 points per game and 50% shooting, no matter how good or bad your team is. Porter hasn't had the luxury of having a championship-level supporting cast and another All-Star by his side to help the Nets win games, and he shouldn't be punished for that.