NBA Season Preview 2019-20: 10 players most likely to be first-time All-Stars

10. CJ McCollum

Why he’ll make it:

CJ McCollum has put up at least 20 points per game in each of the past four seasons, he’s a career 40.1 percent 3-point shooter and in the Portland Trail Blazers’ second-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets last year, he was legitimately their best player.

There’s no question he’s a proven and entertaining commodity at this point, with the ability to light it up from deep and create his own shot. If he rides last year’s playoff momentum (ignoring his dismal conference finals performance, of course), he could sneak into Klay Thompson’s vacant spot as the new All-Star sidekick of the West.

Why he won’t make it:

Based on talent alone, McCollum deserves to be higher up the list, but narrowing down the Western All-Star field is brutal, and CJ will likely be a casualty yet again unless he harnesses the alpha mentality he embodied in Portland’s seven-game victory over Denver.

Unfortunately, playing next to Damian Lillard doesn’t give him the same opportunity to post All-Star caliber numbers like he would as the lone gunslinger on a team in the East.