Who should really start the 2025 NBA All-Star Game?

All-Star voting season always tells on us.

Most fans still vote with nostalgia. Truer still, name recognition. Even in the age of NBA League Pass and bootleg NBA streams, the best players are not always the most famous, and the most famous are not always the best night to night.

So let's ignore the fan vote. Instead, let's make our choices for who should start in the All-Star Game based on an eye test that rejects popularity. 

Here's the starting five that should represent each conference for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game. Real talk. 

Western Conference starters

Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Thunder
There is no guard in the West with a cleaner shot diet. Shai is scoring 32.5 points per game on 55.4 percent shooting, living at the nail, living in the paint, living in that hallowed mid-range defenses keep trying to take away. He's also taking care of the ball with 1.9 turnovers per game while carrying a lead role. And oh yea, the Thunder look like a juggernaut. Without question, that's what a starting guard looks like.

Luka Doncic, Lakers
Doncic is putting up 34.1 points, 8.8 assists and 8.6 rebounds in 36.6 minutes, while every possession looks like his to take. The three-point percentage (32.0) isn't pretty, but the overall shot making and the passing volume still tilt the court in L.A.'s favor. The West backcourt is crowded, but Doncic has his best chance at MVP this season, should voters begin to feel SGA fatigue. 

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
Edwards has become a two-way wing to build an All-Star lineup around. He's scoring 28.3 points per game with 40.4 percent shooting from three, and he's doing it without needing a traditional point guard to spoon feed him. He can run spread pick and roll, bully smaller guards and he holds up defensively when the game turns serious in crunch time.

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
Wembanyama is the rarest of rare frontcourt player who warps your brain on both ends. You can see the whole floor shift when he is near the rim and when he trails into a three. This spot could have gone to a traditional forward, but the West isn't traditional anymore. Neither is Wemby. But he is the future. Strap in. 

Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Jokic is still the league’s most reliable offense. He's scoring 29.4 points on 60.5 percent shooting with per games of 12.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists, and his 24 double-doubles and 13 triple-doubles tell you how often he send opposing teams packing. Who doesn't want to see the league best offensive weapon playing alongside the next best four lightning rods? 

Eastern Conference starters

Jalen Brunson, Knicks
Brunson is scoring 29.1 points with 6.6 assists, and he's busting everyone's butts in every type of defensive coverage imaginable. He forces rotations, even though he's been off-ball more than ever in his Knicks career. When New York’s offense is humming, it's because Brunson is turning ball screens into a downhill rollercoaster.

Cade Cunningham, Pistons
Cunningham's posting 27.0 points, 9.2 assists and 6.4 rebounds, and he's doing it while seeing every help defender opposing teams can throw at him. His assist numbers speak to his vision, but the eye test is more glaring. He manipulates the weak side like a seasoned vet, and he's gotten better at changing speeds inside the action. Don't believe it? Wait until Jalen Duren brings down a Cunningham lob on your favorite center's head. 

Tyrese Maxey, 76ers
Maxey has crossed into a different phase of his career, and it has been most visible when Philadelphia strips things down. Without Joel Embiid, the burden shifts from talent to responsibility, and Maxey has responded by playing with force and clarity. He is averaging 31.7 points with 7.1 assists, shooting 39.9 percent from three, but the numbers only tell part of it. His speed still bends defenses, but the leap has been mental. He reads help earlier, accelerates into space instead of traffic and turns broken possessions into clean looks. 

Jaylen Brown, Celtics
Brown has been carrying more than a scoring load this season, and that responsibility is showing up on both ends. He is averaging 29.3 points on 50 percent shooting while becoming the Celtics’ primary driver when the offense stalls. He ranks among the league leaders in points generated off drives and he's creating his own looks in the midrange when spacing collapses. 

Karl Anthony Towns, Knicks
This is the selection that will start arguments, which is the point. Towns is averaging 21.6 points and 11.6 rebounds. Towns’ spacing changes coverages. Next to Brunson he's anchored the league's second-best offense as a passing hub and stretch shooter. More importantly, he has been in the 90th percentile in scoring and defense, showing he is getting better art guarding the rim and protecting at the level.