It's almost that time. 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend is around the corner, with the festivities beginning in San Francisco on Feb. 14. The New York Knicks could not only have two players in the Bay Area, but both could be starters.
Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle were named All-Star reserves last season, but Randle didn't participate because of his dislocated shoulder. Brunson should've been named a starter over Damian Lillard, but the fan votes swayed in the latter's favor.
Lillard held a narrow lead over Brunson in the final 2025 All-Star fan voting returns, and Brunson could've closed the lead or surpassed Lillard when voting closed on Jan. 20. Towns had the third-most votes in the East frontcourt, so he's in position to start. Fan votes account for 50 percent, and current players (25 percent) and the media (25 percent) account for the rest.
Starters will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 23, on TNT at 7 p.m. ET. Reserves will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 30, on TNT at 7 p.m. ET. Before the announcements are made, let's have some fun and guess which players will be in San Francisco over All-Star weekend.
Predicting NBA East All-Star starters and reserves
East All-Star backcourt starters: Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell
Brunson and Donovan Mitchell are the two best guards in the East, and they could've been on the same team. Everything happens for a reason, though. Right?
Mitchell's numbers are slightly down from last season's, but he's still averaging 23.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. He's one of the best scorers in the league. Brunson's numbers are also slightly down, but that's what happens when you share the floor with a player like Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks' star guard is still putting up an average of 26 points and a career-high 7.3 assists per game.
East All-Star frontcourt starters: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns
It's hard to envision three other East frontcourt starters besides Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and KAT. Giannis has the Bucks at No. 4 in the conference after a rocky start to the season, averaging a career-high 31.5 points and 12 rebounds per game. Tatum is the best player on the No. 2 Celtics, nearly averaging a double-double with 27.5 points and a career-best 9.3 points per game.
Towns didn't make the cut to be a starter because he plays for the Knicks, but rather that he's having a dominant season. There were questions about how he'd fit in with New York, and he quickly quieted all the doubters. KAT is averaging 25.1 points, a career-high 13.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game, shooting a career-best 43.3% from three. A center who can shoot threes and plays for the Knicks? Yep!
East All-Star reserves: Cade Cunningham, Damian Lillard, Trae Young, LaMelo Ball, Jaylen Brown, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
The reserves are always a toss-up. It could go a few different ways. Darius Garland could hear his name called, too.
The most exciting name on the list is Cade Cunningham, who deserves to be named to his first All-Star team for his role in the Pistons' resurgence. Detroit would make the playoffs if the season ended today, which is a feat in itself after the team's 2023-24 season.
It will be interesting to see which players are named reserves. As always, there will be snubs, and fans will be outraged, but that's how it goes.