5 Potential First-Time NBA All-Stars in 2024-25 Season

The NBA is front-loaded with superior talent. Most teams in the league have a high-tier star that is at least at the level of an All-Star, making it difficult for some players to ever reach the level where they are able to call themselves All-Stars. There are several players who have eclipsed the All-Star level that have yet to make an All-Star game.

Every season is different and several players make leaps while others have setbacks. It is all but guaranteed that the All-Stars from last season won’t be the same All-Stars seen this upcoming year. Despite the insane talent in the NBA, last season saw four first-time All-Stars.

After free agency and the NBA Draft, there are some players that are now in more advantageous positions heading into this upcoming season where they are more primed for an All-Star appearance. There are a limited number of spots, as only 24 players participate in the game. Here are five players that could potentially make the roster for the first time in their career this upcoming season.

1 Victor Wembanyama

The reigning rookie of the year should be an All-Star shoo-in

Victor Wembanyama already took the NBA by storm with an outstanding rookie season where he ran away with the Rookie of the Year award. His stellar season was one of the most impressive rookie seasons since the turn of the century, lining up with some legends with his impact as a rookie. He also finished runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year voting, behind the four-time winner, Rudy Gobert .

Wembanyama led the entire NBA in blocks per game over the course of the 2023-24 season by over an entire block per game, averaging 3.6 per game, while proving his defensive value. His block percentage of 10.0 percent was the first time a player had reached double digits in the statistic since the 1988-89 season when Manute Bol had a block percentage of 10.8 percent and averaged 4.3 blocks per game.

Wembanyama’s ability to block shots is a skill that has been unmatched in the NBA for decades. He even improved on that end of the floor as the season went on. With time, he could become the best shot blocker the league has ever seen.

The San Antonio Spurs also added future Hall of FamerChris Paul in free agency this offseason, which will add a key playmaker to help feed the ball to the 7-foot-4 big man. Paul’s experience will also help give guidance to Wembanyama and the rest of the young Spurs roster.

Out of all the players who are most likely to appear in their first All-Star game, Wembanyama is the easiest choice. Barring injury, his entertainment value combined with his pure skill should easily earn him an All-Star spot in the 2024-25 season.

2 Jamal Murray

Murray has been stuck in a stacked Western Conference

Jamal Murray has been an All-Star talent for many years now and is one of the best players in the history of the league who hasn’t had an All-Star appearance yet. This upcoming season could finally be the year he makes the squad, but he will need to improve slightly if he is going to make the team.

Murray is one of the best playoff-risers of all time as his increase in stats from the regular season to the playoffs is staggering. He has nearly reached superstar status based on his playoff performances alone.

But his main problem has been his stats in the regular season haven’t aligned with how deadly he becomes in a playoff atmosphere. He helped the Denver Nuggets secure their first NBA championship in the 2022-23 season.

In order for him to become a first-time All-Star this upcoming season, he needs to prove he can perform well and consistently during the regular season. Although he tied his career high in points per game and set career highs in field goal percentage, three point percentage and assists per game, the backcourt for guards in the western conference has strong competition for a limited number of slots.

He is playing for Team Canada during the 2024 Summer Olympics, which could help him stay in rhythm ahead of the upcoming 2024-25 season. He is also in line to sign a max extension with the Nuggets this summer, which could be another motivator to becoming an All-Star.

3 Cade Cunningham

The former number one pick could be in line for an All-Star selection

Cade Cunningham has shown improvement in every season he has been in the league. The former Rookie of the Year and first overall selection in the 2021 Draft has been silently elite during his short career. He missed almost the entirety of the 2022-23 season with a stress fracture in his shin. He proved it wasn’t a setback, only a hiccup, as he posted career-high numbers across the board during the 2023-24 season.

The Detroit Pistons holstered the worst record in the NBA last season, including setting a new record for the longest losing streak in the history of the Association. Despite the Pistons being the worst team in the league, Cunningham was a bright spot who went under the radar due to their bad roster, which earned him a new max extension that he signed this summer.

He showed that he is clearly their best player in his first season back from injury and is on a path to becoming a superstar in the NBA. The Pistons were one of the league’s youngest teams last year. If their young players improve to where the Pistons are a more competitive team, it will earn Cunningham more All-Star votes, which could lead to his first appearance in the contest.

4 Jalen Williams

Williams had an All-Star level season last year

Jalen Williams has only played two seasons in the NBA, and he has already reached the level of a star player. This past season, he put up one of the most efficient seasons for any wing player in the league. He was good enough to make an All-Star team as a second-year player, but missed out. His teammate, Chet Holmgren , could also be a candidate to make his first All-Star team this upcoming year.

Williams helped the Oklahoma City Thunder finish the regular season as the one-seed in a tough conference, as he set career highs in points per game, field goal percentage, three point percentage and assists per game.

He did this on a roster that also had the runner-up for the Most Valuable Player award in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander . The two players compliment each other very well and should be a force to be reckoned with for quite some time as they try to compete for a championship.

If Williams continues to improve at the rate he did between his rookie year and second year, he will become an All-Star sooner rather than later. The Thunder traded away one of their young offensive-minded players in Josh Giddey for a defensive stud in Alex Caruso , which should allow Williams more touches on offense while allowing him to guard worse players on defense, making him more effective.

5 Cam Thomas

Thomas is set up to be the top option for the Nets

The Brooklyn Nets made a big splash this offseason as they are looking toward the future when they traded their best player, Mikal Bridges , last month. The trade is proof the Nets are accepting a full rebuild. The trade opens the door for Cam Thomas to take total control of the offense.

Thomas proved he was an offensive threat early on in his career, and has developed on that end each of the last two seasons. His efficiency has slowly increased since his arrival in the NBA. He also led the Nets in points per game last season at 22.5 points per game.

Thomas showed last season that the more time he played in games, the more effective he was. His statistics inflated across the board during the games he received more minutes.

Defense hasn’t been Thomas’s strong suit during his time in the NBA, and it is likely that the Nets will be a bad team next year. If Thomas wants to make the leap to making the All-Star team, he will need to either improve at the defensive end of the floor or have a dominant season offensively.

He has shown that he can be a force offensively, especially with increased usage. So there is a chance Thomas could improve more and become one of the league’s top offensive threats next season.

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