Much was made about Mike Conley being the best current player to never make an NBA All-Star game. Some would allege that he may go down as the greatest to never earn the accolade. That distinction has been avoided with Conley being announced as the injury replacement for Devin Booker. The 14-year veteran was finally able to check the long-awaited goal off his list.
All of the discourse surrounding Conley’s snub and subsequent selection leads to the thinking of now that he has made it to the great stage who is the best player in the game today who has yet to make an All-Star appearance. Conley was not the only first-time All-Star this season and the others would have certainly been high on this list had they not made it this year as well. Zach LaVine, Zion Williamson, Jaylen Brown and Julius Randle were the other first-time selections this year.
Now that Mike Conley has been named an All-Star at long last, who are the best players in the league still waiting to get the call for the first time?
For the purpose of this ranking, we will separate out the players 25 and under who feel destined to be named an All-Star sooner rather than later. While it is not unheard of for young players to make the game (Williamson, LaVine, Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, Ben Simmons, Luka Doncic and Domantas Sabonis are all 25 and under) there is still a notable crop of up-and-coming stars who should make the leap before long.
After that group, we will go over the top four players who are a little older who are still waiting to get the call. Without further ado, let’s check in on the younger guys.