Michael Porter Jr. threatening to end Nets’ All-Star drought after first fan voting returns

It's been three years since the Brooklyn Nets have had an All-Star. Michael Porter Jr. is threatening to end that drought amid a breakout start following his trade from the Denver Nuggets.

Porter Jr, who has never made an All-Star team, ranked 10th in the Eastern Conference in the first round of this year's fan voting.

Following a change to the All-Star selection process, five starters and seven reserves will be selected from each conference, regardless of position. In the past, starters were made up of two backcourt players and three frontcourt players, while the reserves had the same split plus two wild card spots.

Fans (25 percent), players (25 percent) and media (50 percent) vote on the starters. Meanwhile, coaches select the seven reserves in each conference.

Will Michael Porter Jr. earn an All-Star appearance with the Nets?

Porter Jr. has been among the NBA's top surprises this season. He's thrived in a lead role for the Nets, with Jordi Fernandez crafting the team's offense around the forward's off-ball movement and elite shotmaking.

Porter Jr. has averaged 25.8 points — the 16th-most in the NBA — 7.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists on .494/.404/.823 shooting splits. He's one of five players averaging 25-plus points on over 49 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from three, alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant. His 59.4 effective field goal percentage ranks second among 14 players attempting over 18 shots per game, behind only Gilgeous-Alexander (60.9).

The 6-foot-10 sharpshooter has also shown improvement as a playmaker in his scaled-up role. He's posted a 17.2 assist percentage, more than double any other season in his career.

Porter Jr.'s career-best numbers have translated to winning for Brooklyn. Following a 0-7 start, the Nets are 10-9 over their last 19 games with Porter Jr. in the lineup. Brooklyn is 7-3 in December with the NBA's third-best net rating (10.3), trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder (11.3) and Boston Celtics (10.3).

While Porter Jr. ranked highly in the first All-Star fan voting results, the coaches will ultimately decide whether he makes the cut as an East reserve. The NBA will announce the All-Star rosters in late January.

Kevin Durant was the Nets' last All-Star selection in 2021-22. Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden all represented Brooklyn in the game in 2020-21. The team's most recent selections before that were D'Angelo Russell (2018-19), Joe Johnson (2013-14), Brook Lopez (2012-13) and Deron Williams (2011-12).