NBA season preview: 5 players most likely to be first-time All-Stars

1. CJ McCollum

This one has a lot of layers. One, we don’t know if CJ McCollum will be on the Portland Trail Blazers, or even in the Western Conference once the All-Star Game comes around. He’s been in trade rumors involving Ben Simmons all offseason, but the deal hasn’t been done and he’s still Damien Lillard’s number two. If he goes to play with the 76ers, he will have a bigger role in the backcourt and that will show the actual impact he was having on the Blazers.

CJ McCollum was close to being an All-Star last season, but an untimely injury ruined that plan. McCollum is by far the best veteran in the NBA to never make an All-Star Game. He’s averaged more than 20 points per game for six straight seasons. Last season, he shot over 45 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3. He can often pull huge performances on big stages whenever he sees fit.

This season, it’s becoming a narrative that McCollum is an underappreciated star. That’s how it starts before a veteran makes his first All-Star team. Whether that’s something in the preseason or a narrative during the voting process, talking about a player’s lack of All-Star nods will lead to them making the All-Star Game in the end.

The real question here is which conference McCollum will represent. Will the Blazers pull the trigger on a McCollum trade? Will McCollum play differently after an offseason full of rumors? He is going to have a chip on his shoulder, and that is scary for the rest of the NBA.