With the All-Star game coming in February, discussions have begun around the league about the All-Star starters. The NBA opened the voting process on Christmas Day, and the community is already torn about some players. This year, there are a few surefire starters, like Steph Curry or LeBron James, but a ton of players deserve a spot and might not get it. One team that definitely believes they need a few spots for their players is the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are tied for first place in the East and they are having a great season. With a great season comes recognition, so here are two players that need to be All-Stars.

Kevin Durant 

Starting with a lock, Durant is not only a surefire All-Star starter. He is also the favorite to win the NBA MVP award, for the second time in his career. He will be challenged by Curry, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it is difficult to see voters ignoring the historic season Durant is having. After an Achilles injury in 2019, Durant missed the 2019-20 season completely but has dominated in both the 2020-21 season and in the first half of this season. The Nets are playing in accordance with their biggest star, as his great season is the main reason why the Nets are prime championship favorites.

Durantula is having a historic season. At the age of 33, and with an almost career-ending injury just two years ago, Durant is averaging close to 30 points for the third time in his career. With 29.9 points, 7.8 rebounds. 5.8 assists, shooting 52.4% from the field, and 38.1% from three-point range, he is defying voices that said he will never be the same after the injury. He became even better and the Nets star will be the first name on the East All-Star ballot for many.

His style of play is also beautiful to watch. Durant was never an athletic monster or a player which will score eight or nine threes in every game. Rather, slowly and methodically, he kills off the opponent with offensive moves that are impossible to stop. The Nets' offensive schemes are putting him in various positions, in the lower post, on both wings, with or without the ball in his hands, and he finds a way to be open for a split second, enough to get the ball and put it in the basket. Durant has simply been dominant, and he might even be the captain for his team in the All-Star Weekend.

Durant also has the narrative on his side, completely. Without Kyrie Irving, who is going to be back in two weeks reportedly, the Nets are 23-10 and it is a testament to the unstoppable nature of Durant's offensive talent. He has been helped by the rest of the roster pulling its weight, but without Durant, it is a question of whether the Nets would be even close to the top of the East, where they are sharing the first seed with the Bulls. The Nets live and die with Durant, so it will not be a surprise when he leads his team in the All-Star game in Cleveland come February.

James Harden 

However much Durant is a lock, that much is Harden a risky pick. Harden will most likely get into the final All-Star roster, but the Nets star will do it because he bounced back strong and because of the weight of his name. James Harden is having a poor season, according to his own standards. After an MVP award and a few historic seasons in the Houston Rockets, the former Thunder guard is just growing accustomed to being the second fiddle in this All-Star bunch in Brooklyn.

This season, he is averaging 22.4 points, 9.8 assists, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. His efficiency is not amazing, but that has never been a staple of Harden's game. The Nets guard had a very poor start of the season, with new changes to personal fouls affecting him and his free throw numbers, which have stabilized in the last few weeks. He really turned it on since the last game in November against the Knicks. Since then, he is averaging 27.1 points, 10.8 assists, 9.0 rebounds, with 1.4 steals per game. If he can continue this run into January, Harden might even be considered a lock.

However, there is one problem for Harden – the field is very strong. The two starting spots will be heavily contested between the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Trae Young, and Bradley Beal. That only leaves a few spots, and beyond the Nets star, there are other contenders such as Jaylen Brown, Fred VanVleet, LaMelo Ball, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, and many more. They are not that ahead of Harden, but if the whole season is considered, Harden is also not that ahead of them.

In the end, it will be a coin flip between a few guys for the last few spots on the roster. Nets fans and Harden will be hoping to capture one of the spots, but it is difficult to say. Should he continue the run he has been having for the past month, Harden should not worry as he will be right there in Ohio come February.