Making the case for 8 potential 1st-time All-Stars

The All-Star Game is quickly becoming an event that shines a spotlight on the NBA's best up-and-coming talent.

No fewer than four players made their All-Star Game debuts in each of the last 11 midseason showcases, including the 2020 edition in which 10 players featured for the first time.

A year after Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson, Scottie Barnes, and Paolo Banchero earned their spots as first-time selections, we're taking a look at eight players who are deserving of a maiden All-Star nod for the Feb. 16 event in San Francisco.

This one is as obvious as they come. Defensive Player of the Year front-runner Wembanyama has improved in nearly every category after a historic rookie campaign, including efficiency, where the Frenchman is seventh in the league at 24.4 behind the likes of Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 19-22 Spurs are also exponentially better with him on the court (plus-3.7) than they are when he sits (minus-9.8).

The 21-year-old is currently top 15 in the NBA in scoring and rebounds, and his 4 blocked shots per game are 1.5 more than the next-closest competitor. Wembanyama can become just the sixth player in NBA history to average 25 points, 10 boards, three blocks, and three assists per game, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Patrick Ewing.

The West's All-Star roster is likely to be stacked with holdovers from last year, leaving little room for newcomers. But it would be irresponsible not to have a second Thunder standout join Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in San Francisco, and this Thunder team is a force at both ends because of Williams, a superstar in the making.

Williams is one of six players averaging at least 20 points, five boards, five assists and 1.5 steals per game this season, and he's been an adaptable cure-all for a team that's played large portions of the campaign without Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. In the absence of a rim-protecting big, 6-foot-6 J-Dub has assumed the role of frontcourt stopper's for the league's best defense and is fifth in the NBA with 3.6 deflections per game. Out with the old, in with the new.

The second-place Rockets merit a representative. And who better than Sengun to become the first player since James Harden and Russell Westbrook (2019-20) to represent Houston? Jalen Green is the Rockets' leading scorer (21.5), but Sengun is the central focus of an offense that has somewhat surprisingly vaulted into the top 10 in offensive rating (113.9).

Sengun's rebounding, assist, and block returns are up this season, and he's averaging a combined 4.9 steals, blocks, and deflections per game. The Rockets own the league's fourth-best defensive rating (107.7), and it's largely because of him. Few big men in the league have the same impact on winning as Sengun, and for that, he deserves a spot in the All-Star Game.

The Clippers sit fifth in the Western Conference despite Kawhi Leonard missing a significant portion of the season. Powell is a big reason why. Once considered merely a defensive spark plug off the bench, Powell moved into Ty Lue's starting five this season and has emerged as an efficient point of attack.

His 23.7 points per game mark the highest average of his 10-year career, and he's been lights out from the perimeter, shooting 44.1% from deep on eight attempts per game - both career highs. It might be a bit of a stretch to get Powell to All-Star Weekend in a talent-rich West, but he deserves to be there.

Like Wembanyama, Cunningham should be a lock for a maiden All-Star appearance. And like Wembanyama, the Pistons talisman is a first overall pick meeting lofty expectations. He's just doing so a little later than expected due to injuries and Monty Williams' turbulent spell in the Motor City.

Cunningham is enjoying career bests in nearly every statistical category and has led the Pistons to a 22-21 record that's already eclipsed their win total in four of the last five seasons. He's all but certain to snap the league's longest All-Star drought (the franchise's last representative was Blake Griffin in 2019).

It's fair to assume the Cavaliers will send Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland to the All-Star Game, but Mobley also deserves to be there. The fourth-year big has emerged as one of the league's best two-way talents. He was already an elite defender, and he's top 10 in blocks and contested shots, but he's now also blossoming into a star at the other end.

Once a head-fake savant, the 23-year-old is taking on more of the offensive load under Kenny Atkinson. He's posting a career high in points with significant upticks in both usage and efficiency - two metrics that often conflict - and should be a lock for a reserve frontcourt spot with perennial All-Stars Joel Embiid and Bam Adebayo out of the picture.

The usually anchored Heat are lost at sea this season, largely due to Jimmy Butler's unsurprisingly mercenary approach to his tenure in South Beach. But things would be much worse without Herro's career-defining campaign, especially considering how atrocious Adebayo has been at the offensive end.

Herro is picking up the slack with career bests in points, field-goal percentage, and 3-point percentage, and his efficiency is the result of improved shot selection. Herro is taking fewer midrange shots and more from beyond the arc (a career-high 9.6 attempts per game). The Heat are also far better on offense with Herro on the floor versus when he sits (113.9 ORTG compared to 103.9). Not bad for a player who Pat Riley labeled as "fragile" last season.

A year removed from getting some All-Star recognition amid the Celtics' 64-win season, White could again be on the cusp in a weakened East, especially if injury replacements are required. White's case might not be as strong this year considering the Celtics are behind the Cavs, but there's still an argument he deserves to be there.

White is posting a career best in points and is eighth in the league in total 3-pointers made for a team that relies heavily on perimeter threats. He's shooting 37.1% from beyond the arc, an impressive percentage considering he attempts nine per game. He's also shooting an astounding 62.5% from the field in the clutch and leads all guards with 52 blocks, numbers that cement his value as an elite two-way contributor.