10 NBA Players Most Deserving of Their 1st All-Star Nods

To paraphrase the Blink-182 song "Dammit": To earn your first NBA All-Star bid, well, I guess this is growing up.

Snagging that initial spot in the Association's annual February showcase is a rite of passage for stars, so this cornily butchered lyric isn't wrong. The All-Star exhibition has become a glorified playground exercise, but we still use selections as a form of validation for both past and present players.

Familiar faces dominate the superstar parade, and this year won't be an exception. First-time participants will be few and far between. But that doesn't mean there aren't a number of worthy newcomers—they exist in excess.

The extent to which every one of these players should be considered will be determined by experience, season-long availability, depth at their respective positions and individual performance. Many of these names won't actually get the call to play in the Feb. 19 soiree.

Any one of them, however, could be picked as a reserve—or, in some cases, a starter—without the population accusing the NBA of an All-Star farce.

10. Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Jabari Parker's transition from unfinished prospect to fringe star is terrifying for every team outside Milwaukee.

He needs to develop as a three-point threat? Here, take a 41.4 percent clip on 3.5 attempts per game.

He needs to become a more timely passer if the Milwaukee Bucks aren't going to field a conventional point guard? A career-high assist rate should do the trick.

His defense needs work? Fine, he'll limit opponents to below-average shooting inside six feet of the hoop while (mostly) surviving whenever he guards small forwards.

Initiating pick-and-rolls, becoming a more reliable crunch-time option and boosting his rebounding percentage are all steps Parker still needs to take. If this season is any indication, he'll make those strides sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, enjoy Parker's latest leap—Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant are the only other players scoring at least 20 points per game, posting an assist rate north of 13 and shooting 40-plus percent on triples. It won't be long before Parker joins them as a more serious All-Star option.

9. Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks

Brian Babineau/Getty Images

Kristaps Porzingis has become an underrated defender. 

Part of that's on his exceptionally diverse offensive holster. He joins Kevin Love and Dirk Nowitzki as the only bigs to ever clear 20 points per 36 minutes while shooting 40 percent or better from deep, and his comfort level off the dribble is distinctly on the rise. 

Porzingis is among the NBA's most elite high-volume rim protectors—functionally and statistically. But because the New York Knicks don't have able perimeter bodies and Joakim Noah doesn't move like he used to, more time is devoted to Porzingis' learning curve when defending in space.

News flash: The 21-year-old skyscraper holds opponents to sub-40 percent shooting on isolation and spot-up possessions. And he profiles as an above-average defensive contributor despite more than 75 percent of his minutes coming beside one or both of Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose—New York's two most glaring sieves, according to NBA Math.

Unfortunately, Porzingis' absence of defensive notoriety is owed to the Knicks. They rank 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions, and attention is rarely paid to those who play within defensive crapfests.

If not for a recent rash of Achilles soreness that's contributed to Porzingis missing nearly 15 percent of the season (six games), the unicorn would be a genuine snub candidate when he's inevitably left off the Eastern Conference's All-Star docket.

8. Otto Porter, Washington Wizards

Ned Dishman/Getty Images

Otto Porter doesn't get enough hypothetical All-Star love. Measured against the Eastern Conference's clump of more established, higher-usage forwards, he falls a bit short.

Pit him next to first-time candidates, and he's instantly one of the 10 most viable names.

Porter continues to improve in just about every statistical category. He is setting or tying career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, field-goal percentage and three-point shooting. His progression is most evident on the offensive end, where he's now the consummate combo forward. He makes defenses pay for collapsing on Bradley Beal and John Wall but can put the ball on the floor in a pinch; he's shooting 44.6 percent on catch-and-shoot threes and 56 percent on drives.

Sixty-seven other players are averaging at least 14 points per game. Not one of them has a higher effective field-goal percentage than Porter—impressive, even after accounting for his curtailed usage.

Throw in feisty defensive stands at either forward spot, and the Washington Wizards have one of the league's most balanced young studs.

No, seriously. Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook are the only players who match Porter's offensive and defensive value per 100 possessions.

7. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves

Glenn James/Getty Images

Karl-Anthony Towns is not underachieving in his sophomore march.

He reps a Minnesota Timberwolves squad that has underperformed relative to lofty expectations they didn't deserve, and that's left him among the most overlooked All-Star prospects.

Yes, Towns' three-point accuracy has dipped (31.4 percent), and he noticeably trails the clips of fellow burgeoning unicorns Joel Embiid (34.5), Myles Turner (41.9) and Porzingis (40.2). But he is adjusting to a green light that former head coach Sam Mitchell never gave him; his three-point volume has more than tripled, and defenses scheme around his range. 

Nothing else stands out as potentially damning to Towns' fast-rising star. Even his defensive warts are overstated.

Every single one of Minnesota's players not named Gorgui Dieng regularly helps too much, and Towns' job is made far more difficult, if not unmanageable, by spending so much time beside resident turnstiles Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins. And he grades out as a plus defender anyway, according to NBA Math.

On that note, let's check in on every player who has cleared 25 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks per 100 possessions through each of his first two NBA seasons: Shaquille O'Neal and Towns.

Overlook that.

6. C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers

Sam Forencich/Getty Images

Last season's Most Improved Player has officially entered All-Star territory. Such is life when you're a Western Conference guard.

Compete for recognition with Eric Bledsoe, Mike Conley, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harden, Paul and Westbrook—not to mention his own backcourt partner's cold-shoulder campaign—and you're at risk of getting lost in the shuffle. But C.J. McCollum's 2016-17 detonation shouldn't be lost on anyone. 

Four other players have ever matched his 23.5 points and 3.7 assists per game on 42.4 percent shooting from long range over an entire season: Larry Bird, Mitch Richmond, Curry and some dude named Michael Jordan. 

Suspect defense and the Western Conference's glut of all-world guards threaten to snuff out McCollum's All-Star candidacy, but he has a well-founded case. And his credentials are stronger than ever.

Now that Paul will miss six to eight weeks with a torn ligament in his left thumb, McCollum at least has a puncher's chance of sneaking onto the roster as a reserve.

5. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

Melissa Majchrzak/Getty Images

Pure defensive specialists don't generate All-Star buzz, regardless of how big, effective or good at Twitter they might be.

Good thing Rudy Gobert is more. 

You won't catch him jacking threes like Cousins, leading fast breaks like Jokic or pounding away in isolation like Anthony Davis. But Gobert is averaging 1.55 points per possession as the pick-and-roll diver—the best mark in the league among 106 players who've seen 25 or more of those touches. And he has been highly efficient in limited time as a post-up scorer.

Though Gobert doesn't rack up a bunch of direct dimes, he sets good, hard picks that create separation for the Utah Jazz's primary options. His 5.7 screen assists per game are the third-most in the Association, trailing only DeAndre Jordan (5.9) and Marcin Gortat (6.9).

Statistical nuance won't be parlayed into universal recognition, but that's where Gobert's defense comes in. What he lacks in 20-point games, he makes up for with double-doubles (29) and by challenging more shots around the basket than anyone else.

Mix this with his ascending offensive value, and Gobert turns into the blueprint for how limited-range bigs can become stars at a time when they're not supposed to be.

4. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Let the record show that Joel Embiid's All-Star push is overrated. Let it also show that there's a difference between overrated and undeserved.

Embiid has missed almost 30 percent of the Philadelphia 76ers' games (11). He doesn't play both ends of back-to-backs. He is on a 28-minute cap that will remain in effect all season, per Calkins Media's Tom Moore. 

Just six players during the three-point era have been named an All-Star while averaging under 26 minutes per game. Three of them were voted in despite missing more than half a season—which, in hindsight, further supports the NBA's reformed voting process.

As ESPN.com's Zach Lowe opined during a Jan. 13 episode of the Lowe Post podcast, this context matters: 

"

You just have to play a certain amount. I don't want to hear how defense doesn't matter, and "Who cares about defense? This is a dunk show," and "Let's put the most fun guys in." 

If this is a serious thing, if we're going to get to the end of a dude's career and say, "I don't know if he's a Hall of Famer—he's just a four-time All-Star," or "He's a lock to get to the Hall of Fame—he's an eight-time All-Star," I think we should take it seriously. And taking it seriously, to me, is who, in these 40-plus games, has been the best all-around player—the 12 best all-around players.

"

Semantics aside, Embiid is playing like an All-Star. Tim Duncan was the last newbie who averaged at least 19 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game. And the Sixers post a top-eight net rating (plus-2.6) when Embiid is on the floor. 

In a world where All-Star bids aren't used to buoy Hall of Fame cases and actualize contract incentives, Embiid should be New Orleans-bound in February. In this world, his candidacy is jaded—and yet, he's still too good to slide any lower.

3. Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz

Issac Baldizon/Getty Images

Career-year Gordon Hayward is an All-Star because teammate George Hill says so.

"It'll be a disgrace if he's not an All-Star this year," Hill said, per ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon. "I feel like he deserves it with the numbers he's put up this year and winning a little bit. That should be a no-brainer for him."

Fortunately for the NBA, Hill's too classy for post-result temper tantrums. Mostly, though, Hayward's case for reserve duty is airtight.

Even with Marc Gasol, Draymond Green, Cousins, Davis and Towns vying for the non-Durant, non-Leonard slots, Hayward's qualifications stand out. He has the shooting stroke to play off the ball, vision to bear point forward burdens, mobility to cover pick-and-roll ball-handlers and strength to get after opposing power forwards.

Hayward's offense in particular has never been better. He is averaging a personal-best 22.0 points per game on near-career shooting, and his accuracy around the rim (68.2 percent) is at an all-time high. He also joins Durant as the only forwards who assist on more than 18 percent of their teams' buckets when in the game while maintaining a turnover rate south of 11.

Hayward's name gets passed over too often when talking about the NBA's best wings. That needs to change, and his first-ever All-Star appearance would be a good start.

2. Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets

Brian Babineau/Getty Images

Two players rank among the top 10 Eastern Conference guards in points per 36 minutes, effective field-goal percentage, assist rate, steal rate, player efficiency rating and box plus/minus—the latter of which measures the total value of a player per 100 possessions.

One is Kyle Lowry, the soon-to-be three-time All-Star. The other is Kemba Walker, who has never grabbed an All-Star selection and may once again be out of luck this season.

Barring some unforeseen voter voodoo, one of Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas, John Wall and Walker will be watching the Feb. 19 showcase from home, the sidelines or tropical parts unknown. There's no point building a case against their general inclusion, but you can make a stand for Walker over any one of them.

LeBron James and Lowry are the only players hitting his effective field-goal (53.7) and assist (29.3) percentages while averaging 20 points per game. And Walker has the highest crunch-time field-goal percentage among point guards who've logged at least 60 minutes in the clutch.

Citing defensive limitations doesn't even detract from Walker's appeal. His 6'1" frame will never hold up against bigger guards, and he's average at best during one-on-one and closeout situations. But Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford has helped turn him into one of the NBA's most reliable pick-and-roll defenders.

Only Jeff Teague has guarded more ball-handler possessions, and Walker places sixth among high-volume defenders in points allowed per possession. If he doesn't get into the All-Star tilt, it's not for lack of merit.

It's because the starter- and reserve-voting processes have failed him.

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Jordan Johnson/Getty Images

How good is Giannis Antetokounmpo?

So good that Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal labeled him a top-five player in his latest superstar rankings: 

"

At this point, denying Antetokounmpo's status as one of the elites is foolish. He's not a flash in the pan so much as an up-and-coming 22-year-old with a legitimate shot to become the league's best player in the not-so-distant future.

For that to happen, the outside stroke will need to come around and make him a bit less one-dimensional as a scorer. That singular dimension is already giving defenses nightmares, but a more well-rounded game will be necessary as he attempts to vault the Milwaukee Bucks well above .500—something the four players ranked ahead have all done with their respective squads.

"

Antetokounmpo is close to answering the above questions. He is shooting better than 40 percent between 16 feet and the three-point line, suggesting dependable long-range touch isn't far off. And the Bucks already record a top-five net rating (plus-4.7) when he's in the lineup.

Oh, and for good measure, no one in Association history has ever sustained the 23.4-point, 8.6-rebound, 5.6-assist, 1.8-steal, 2.1-block per-game line Antetokounmpo is averaging now.

Expecting him to make his first All-Star cameo as a starter is not some rush to judgement. It's a call for him to be recognized for the all-world megastar he is now.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @danfavale.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com or NBA.com and accurate leading into games on Jan. 18.