Predicting the Eastern Conference All-Stars: Does LaVine sneak in?

The 2025 NBA All-Star game is just over a month away. The 74th edition of the prestigious event will be held on February 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Unlike the previous 73 contests, the 2025 iteration will feature a mini-tournament involving four teams.

These four teams will play three games—two semifinal contests and a championship between the two semifinal winners. Each team will comprise eight players, 24 of which are the NBA All-Stars divided into three teams. The fourth slot will include the championship team from the Rising Stars game on February 14. This team will feature prominent first-, second-year, and G-League players from around the association.

Moreover, the voting process remains the same in years past. The All-Star starters are selected by 50 percent of fan votes, 25 percent from the media, and 25 percent from fellow players. NBA coaches will choose the seven All-Star reserves.

After two early fan voting returns, we have a pretty good understanding of the All-Star starters. The three leading vote-getters in the frontcourt are a shoo-in. However, the backcourt is up for discussion as LaMelo Ball leads the Eastern Conference guards. Furthermore, the frontcourt reserves are unresolved. Much of the East's prominent forwards and bigs have dealt with injuries to begin the season.

Predicting the Eastern Conference All-Stars

Eastern Conference Starters

Backcourt: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets

Ball's inclusion in the starting lineup is reliant on the fan vote. If he cedes his spot as one of the top two vote-getters, Ball likely won't remain a starter and will be on the All-Star bubble. However, after two continuous weeks of garnering more than a few hundred thousand votes than the next-highest recipient, Ball should earn the starting nod.

Backcourt: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

Despite the all-around decrease in counting stats, Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell is all but guaranteed to earn his second career All-Star start. The 28-year-old guard is the leading scorer on the NBA's best team.

Frontcourt: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Unlike Mitchell, Jayson Tatum has seen an increase in nearly every statistical category this season. Like the Cavaliers guard, he plays for one of the league's better teams. Tatum will without a doubt start for the Eastern Conference for the third consecutive season.

Frontcourt: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

The Greek Freak is a special talent. In his 12th professional season, he's averaging a career-high 31.7 points per game. Antetokounmpo has started eight consecutive times for the East and will earn his ninth start ahead of this year's midseason clash.

Frontcourt: Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks

Karl-Anthony Towns falls in the category between Ball and Antetokounmp. He's not overly reliant on the fan vote as he's impressed in his first season in New York, but he's not the prototypical superstar shoo-in. Nevertheless, as the third-highest fan vote recipient in the frontcourt, Towns will start for the Eastern Conference squad.

Eastern Conference Reserves

Backcourt: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

There's a possibility Jalen Brunson starts over Ball. However, we'll go with the more mundane prediction here and assume the 6-foot-2 guard comes off the bench. Following his first All-Star nod a season ago, Brunson will make the trip to San Francisco after increasing his assist average to 7.5 per game and helping revitalize the Knicks.

Backcourt: Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks

Damian Lillard made the All-Star team a season ago, albeit amid a relatively disappointing campaign. He'll rightfully be selected as an All-Star reserve this season after upping his averages across the board in his second season in Milwaukee.

Frontcourt: Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers

The 23-year-old Evan Mobley is in line to earn his first All-Star appearance of his career. The 6-foot-11 forward is equal parts defensive anchor as he is an offensive focal point. Mobley is averaging a career-high 19.0 points and 1.2 three-pointers per game, suiting up for the 33-4 Cavaliers.

Frontcourt: Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

The reigning NBA Finals MVP is on the brink of earning a starting nod for the first time in his career. Unfortunately for Jaylen Brown, the East's frontcourt is loaded, thus forcing him into a reserve role. Following a slight downtick in his statistics a season ago, Brown's counting stats are up across the board although his efficiency has declined.

Frontcourt: Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers

Perhaps the biggest wildcard of the group, Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen is slated to earn an All-Star nod due to various injuries to frontcourt players in the East. While Allen isn't a typical All-Star, statistically, he's an indispensable player on the NBA's best team. The 6-foot-9 center leads the Cavs in player efficiency rating, win shares, and box plus/minus.

Wild card: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

Onto the actual wildcards, Cade Cunningham is as deserving as any All-Star reserve. The Oklahoma State product has improved in every season, averaging 24.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 9.3 assists this year. Cunningham has helped guide the once-hapless Detroit Pistons out of the league's gutter.

Wild card: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

Last, but not least, the league's leading assist man Trae Young. The three-time All-Star is averaging only 22.5 points per game this season—the least amount since his rookie year. However, he's averaging the most assists per game since John Stockton in the 1994-95 season. Plus, Young has improved statistically in every month this season.

Snubs

Backcourt: Zach LaVine, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro

The triumvirate listed above are the biggest snubs. Zach LaVine is off to an incredible start to 2025, but he still has some ground to make up. There's a chance LaVine earns a spot as an injury replacement if any of the selected players go down between January 30 and February 16.

Darius Garland and Tyler Herro are as deserving as LaVine. Garland's numbers are back to form after a down 2023-24 season. He's currently on pace to secure a rare 50/40/90 campaign. Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro has evolved from sixth-man to alpha scorer on a playoff team. He's averaging an efficient 23.6 points per contest.

Frontcourt: Franz Wagner, Jalen Johnson

Sorry, Franz Wagner, if not for a torn oblique, you would've made the trip to your first All-Star game. Injuries suck. Atlanta forward Jalen Johnson is exponentially improving. While he might not make an All-Star appearance this season, expect to see the high-flying forward next season and beyond.