Oct 4, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (11) shoots over San Antonio Spurs forward Drew Eubanks (14) in the first half at the AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
One of the greatest storylines in the NBA last season was Mike Conley’s All-Star Game appearance. Which player can make his first All-Star Game this season?
Last season, one of the greatest storylines all season was the story of Mike Conley. Conley over his career has averages about 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists. He’s had some great peaks, including his 2016-17 season for the Memphis Grizzlies where he averaged 20.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and north of 6 assists per game. He was shooting better than 40 percent from beyond the arc, but despite all this, he wasn’t named an All-Star. That changed this past season when commissioner Adam Silver added Conley to the team to replace the injured Devin Booker.
The story of “first-time All-Stars” doesn’t seem relevant until the game is approaching. This is important for a lot of the players, especially the ones who have never been there. There are so many ways that players can get a taste of the All-Star Game. There is the Rising Stars Challenge, the 3-point shootout, and of course, the slam dunk contest. However, all these players want to do the main event at least once.
Who are the most likely first-time All-Stars for the 2021-22 NBA season?
Conley wasn’t the only one. Julius Randle, Zion Williamson, Jaylen Brown, and Zach LaVine all made their first All-Star Game in 2021. They are players at different levels of their career, and it shows who are the types of players considered first-time All-Stars.
This year, there are some candidates that might surprise fans that never made it to the All-Star Game. Some of these players are young guns that have dominated in the past and others are veterans who just never quite got the statistics to make it. Then, there are the players who just couldn’t be healthy at the right time to make the All-Star Game. That could change this season. These five players are most likely to be the ones to make their first-time All-Star Game.