Team USA Stars Got Next
It was what it was, indeed.
After we asked Anthony Edwards whether his generation would bring competitiveness back to the NBA All-Star Game on Saturday, he replied “It is what it is at this point.”
One day later, the Minnesota Timberwolves guard was named the 2026 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player after what was arguably the most hard-fought All-Star contest at least since 2020. Edwards led Team USA Stars to victory with a standout performance on a roster loaded with the next generation of NBA stars. That team, which took the court just two days after 12-time All-Star Chris Paul, who over a 21-year career was one of the league’s brightest lights, won over the two more veteran All-Star teams even though the average age of their players was just 24.8 years old.
With Paul gone and superstars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant all facing the ends of their careers, a torch has been passed to this new group of All-Stars, who are no longer waiting for their moment, they’re living in it.
Cade Cunningham - Detroit Pistons
“(The game) is in good hands. We’re ready to take on the next era,” Cunningham said after Sunday’s game.
It may be easy to forget Cunningham was the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Four seasons later, after lots of basketball growing pains, he has led the Pistons to the best record in the league, averaging more than 25 points and almost 10 assists per game.Tyrese Maxey - Philadelphia 76ers
Maxey is stepping out of Joel Embiid’s tall shadow in the City of Brotherly Love. In his sixth season, he’s averaging nearly 29 points per game. Like Cunningham, this is his first time being named a starter in the All-Star Game but he put up nine points in as many minutes in the championship round.
Jalen Duren - Detroit Pistons
Duren is a major reason that the Pistons are the biggest surprise in the Eastern Conference, if not the NBA. He's averaging a 17 point double-double this season, good enough to land him his first All-Star selection as a reserve.
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Jalen Johnson - Atlanta Hawks
Since leaving Duke for the NBA in 2021, Johnson has been stuck in basketball purgatory with the Hawks. He’s making up for it this season, averaging nearly a triple-double this season, scoring 23 points a game.
Scottie Barnes - Toronto Raptors
It was the second All-Star appearance for Barnes, who's averaging just above 19 points a game, while grabbing over eight boards per contest. Along with Brandon Ingram, he has the Raptors in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
