Predicting 2026 NBA All-Star Reserves: Guaranteed Snubs?

The NBA has spent the last few years searching for a way to revive the All-Star Game by making it competitive, meaningful and worth tuning in to for both fans and players. They may have cracked the code this season with a new round-robin tournament format, pitting U.S.-born players against international stars in a three-on-three series, adding real stakes and a fresh edge to the event. It also reignites the skill debate between U.S. born and international players: the last American to win league MVP was James Harden nearly nine years ago. Whether this format serves as a wake-up call or great entertainment, this year’s All-Star Game is could be one for the books.

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Don’t worry—the is still unveiling an even split of players from both the Eastern and Western Conferences despite the new structure. With the starters already announced last week, here are my predictions for the players who feel like surefire reserve selections.

STARTERS (Announced January 19th, 2026)

Eastern Conference

• Tyrese Maxey (G) — Philadelphia 76ers - 2nd Selection

• Cade Cunningham (G) — Detroit Pistons - 2nd Selection

• Jalen Brunson (G) — New York Knicks - 3rd Selection

• Jaylen Brown (F) — Boston Celtics - 5th Selection

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (F/C) - 10th Selection

Western

• Victor Wembanyama (F/C) — San Antonio Spurs - 2nd Selection

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (G) — Oklahoma City Thunder - 4th Selection

• Luka Doncic (G) — Los Angeles Lakers - 6th Selection

• Nikola Jokic (C) — Denver Nuggets - 8th Selection

• Stephen Curry (G) — Golden State Warriors - 12th Selection

Reserves Predictions (TBA February 1st)

Before the reveal, it’s worth noting how fluid the process is. If the voting does not produce a clean split of 16 American players and 8 international players, Adam Silver will step in to make the necessary selections to finalize the rosters. As with last year, fans account for 50% of the vote, while current NBA players and media members each contribute 25%, and coaches are tasked with selecting wildcards—free to choose the best players available regardless of position. In other words, this year’s All-Star makeup is anything but predictable: but here’s where I land—these are the players who deserve that nod.

Eastern Conference

• Donovan Mitchell (G) — Cleveland Cavaliers (29 PPG · 4 RPG · 6 APG)

• Jalen Johnson (F) — Atlanta Hawks (23 PPG · 10 RPG · 8 APG)

• Scottie Barnes (F) — Toronto Raptors (19 PPG · 8 RPG · 5 APG)

• Michael Porter Jr. (F) — Brooklyn Nets (25 PPG · 7 RPG · 3 APG)

• Pascal Siakam (F) — Indiana Pacers (24 PPG · 7 RPG · 4 APG)

• Franz Wagner (F) — Orlando Magic (22 PPG · 6 RPG · 3 APG)

• Jalen Duren (C) — Detroit Piston (18 PPG · 10 RPG · 1 APG)

The starters have ensured that more than enough guards have been selected to compete. There's also four players here that would be making their very first All-Star game but I think it's worth it. Unfortunately, this would mean guys like Karl-Anthony Towns and Paolo Banchero can't secure a spot. Even Joel Embiid, who has only played 25 games, would be wrongfully excluded if someone like LeBron (who has also missed time to injury) gets selected.

Western

• Anthony Edwards (G) — Minnesota Timberwolves (29 PPG · 5 RPG · 3 APG)

• Kawhi Leonard (F) — Los Angeles Clippers (28 PPG · 6 RPG · 3 APG)

• Kevin Durant (F) — Houston Rockets (26 PPG · 5 RPG · 4 APG)

• Lauri Markkanen (F) — Utah Jazz (28 PPG · 7 RPG · 2 APG)

• LeBron James (F) — Los Angeles Lakers (22 PPG · 6 RPG · 7 APG)

• Jamal Murray (G) — Denver Nuggets (26 PPG · 4 RPG · 7 APG)

• Deni Avdija (F) — Portland Trail Blazers (26 PPG · 7 RPG · 7 APG)

There’s simply too much talent in the Western Conference to give everyone a spot. It’s hard to imagine players like James Harden and Devin Booker being left off, but there are also a few first-timers who feel worthy of being locked in—Jamal Murray included. And if this were anyone else, there’s virtually no chance they’d be selected over some of the conference’s other heavy hitters. But it’s LeBron James. The All-Star festivities could survive without him, sure—but they wouldn’t feel the same.

Biggest Snubs

• James Harden

• Alperen Sengun

• Devin Booker

• Keyonte George

• Austin Reaves

• Chet Holmgren

What underdog do you think deserves a spot? Is a major snub inevitable once the final rosters are out? The selection of starters faced some criticism, but are the reserves gearing to throw us off? And perhaps most intriguing question of all: will this new format finally inject real vigor back into All-Star Weekend, or is it just another experiment? With American-born stars lining up against the league’s dominant international talent, this year’s game might even push the ongoing debate a step closer to an answer.

Reserves for this year's NBA All-Star game will be announced February 1st at 6 PM (ET) 🚨 Can't catch it? Stay tuned to Sportz Nation for your sports updates on all things basketball.

Thanks for reading!

-Joel Piton

(@jpiton7)