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At this point in the season, the only reason Michael Porter Jr. wouldn’t be a first-time All-Star is the Brooklyn Nets’ 10-19 record. The 6-foot-10 wing is averaging 25.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists on extremely impressive 49-40-82 shooting splits.
Porter is getting way more opportunities to shoot than he did as a Denver Nugget, but it’s not necessarily inflated. The 27-year-old is scoring with incredible efficiency, becoming an offensive catalyst in the Nets’ recent success.
However, though Brooklyn has been red hot through December (7-3, first in defensive rating), the overall record is what may turn off media and league personnel when casting votes.
Fortunately, it seems like that isn’t affecting the fans, as the first return for NBA All-Star voting favored Porter. He landed 10th out of the top 20 players in the Eastern Conference with 150,370 votes.
Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their conferences in the first fan returns in NBA All-Star Voting 2026.
Fans (50% of the vote) join NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%) in selecting five players in each conference honored as starters.
Next fan update: 1/6. pic.twitter.com/pHykl9yhTE
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 29, 2025
Porter places ahead of some former All-Stars and fan favorites, including LaMelo Ball (11th), Brandon Ingram (12th) and 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid (17th). Despite the Nets being in the midst of a rebuild, he has managed to stand out among the league’s best players, ranking 14th in points per game.
Of the players averaging more than 25 points per game this season, the first-year Net is one of four players shooting at least 49% from the field and 40% from three, showing just how much of a positive impact Porter has on this offense.
Brooklyn has a chance to close out 2025 on a winning streak with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET. If the Nets take this one at home, they’ll extend their winning streak to four games and move to 8-3 this month.
Amid the team success and individual production, Porter’s rise to stardom has (naturally) resulted in trade rumors. He doesn’t quite fit Brooklyn’s timeline, given its young talent and immense draft capital, and there are reports of the organization expected to move on by the trade deadline, which sits on Feb. 5.
The Nets are expected to bring back assets best suited for the long term if Porter departs. However, nothing is guaranteed, as evidenced by last season’s handling of Cam Johnson. Brooklyn merely fielded offers for the veteran, as they will do with Porter, but didn’t end up trading Johnson until the summer.
Whether or not Porter makes an All-Star appearance in Los Angeles, what matters just as much, if not more, is if he does it as a member of the Nets organization. For now, Brooklyn fans are rooting for the forward to represent their team in 2026.
