Trae Young was recently voted to be an All-Star starter. Aside from Young, who will be the next Atlanta Hawks All-star?
Trae Young was voted to be an All-Star starter, a big accomplishment for more than one reason. Young has reached near super-star level of play in only his second season. At this rate, he will have several All-Star appearances when his career is done and over with. Also, he will be the first player to represent the Hawks in the All-Star game since Paul Millsap in 2016-17.
The Hawks have acquired many lottery picks over the past few years, but so far, Young is the only one that looks like a sure-fire star. Who is the most likely next All-Star on the Atlanta Hawks?
John Collins
The fairly obvious choice, John Collins is currently the second best play on the Hawks’ roster and was hands-down best play last season. It might be difficult for him to rise in the ranks of Eastern Conference frontcourt players, however. Pascal Siakam, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid look to be All-Star locks for years to come, and without an easily recognizable name, casual NBA fans are unlikely to cast a vote for him. Unless he and the Hawks make a significant leap, Collins will have trouble garnering All-Star traction.
Collins is still the best shot the Hawks have at getting someone other than Young into the All-Star game, though.
Jabari Parker
This is completely dependent on if Jabari Parker re-signs with the team and if he returns from injury and plays as well as he did to open the season. In the month of November, Parker averaged 18.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Since then, he has fallen off. Parker has played one game since December 27, and there isn’t a firm return date set. Considering the month of November was the best month of his career, and it alone wasn’t enough to earn an All-Star nod, Parker likely will not be the answer.
De’Andre Hunter
While the jury is still out on De’Andre Hunter, he is undoubtably the best of the Hawks’ rookies. He’s had hot streaks and looked like a cornerstone of the team at points this season, but he definitely looks like a rookie and has been very inconsistent. Just like Collins, Hunter will need to make a huge leap to earn votes from fans if he has any shot, but with his young age and promising flashes, that isn’t out of the question.
It’s not impossible for any of these guys to make it in the future (especially for Collins and Hunter), but it’s unlikely. The East has a group of super-star frontcourt players that will be perennial All-Stars for the foreseeable future. Or maybe the Hawks’ next All-Star hasn’t been drafted yet. Only time will tell.