Michael Porter Jr. in position to end Brooklyn’s All-Star drought after the first fan vote came back

Three years have passed since Brooklyn Nets had an All-Star. Michael Porter Jr. threatens to end that drought amid the breakout that began after his trade from the Denver Nuggets.

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

Monitoring a change in the All-Star selection processfive starters and seven reserves will be selected from each conference, regardless of position. Previously, the starters consisted of two backcourt players and three frontcourt players, while the reserves had the same share plus two wild card spots.

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

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

Porter Jr. was among the NBA’s biggest surprises this season. He thrived in the Nets’ lead role, and Jordi Fernandez built the team’s offense around off-ball forward movement and elite shooting.

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

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

Porter Jr.’s career-best numbers turned into a win for Brooklyn. After an 0-7 start, the Nets are 10-9 in their last 19 games with Porter Jr. Brooklyn is 7-3 in December with the third-best net rating in the NBA (10.3), trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder (11.3) and Boston Celtics (10.3).

While Porter Jr. is ranked high in the early fan All-Star voting results, the coaches will ultimately decide whether he emerges as the East’s backup. The NBA will announce the All-Star roster at the end of January.

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