Why the 2025 All-Star Starters Represent a Schematic Shift
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The NBA just confirmed the starting lineups for the 2025 All-Star Game, and for the first time in years, the “popularity contest” has been overridden by cold, hard efficiency. While the marquee names like **LeBron James** and **Stephen Curry** remain, the inclusion of **Shai Gilgeous-Alexander** and **Jalen Brunson** signals a league-wide move toward high-IQ, low-turnover basketball as the new standard for elite status.
Jalen Johnson 32 PTS, 15 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL, 10/11 FT, 62% TS on 10/21 FG vs Grizzlies https://t.co/gAsZNiClpN pic.twitter.com/fOO00rbLpP
— NBA Performances (@NBARewinds) January 22, 2026
The West: Space, Gravity, and Point-Centers
The Western Conference starting five—**Curry, Gilgeous-Alexander, Durant, James, and Jokic**—is a masterclass in offensive gravity. The tactical intrigue here is the exclusion of Luka Doncic in favor of SGA. While Doncic carries a higher usage rate, SGA’s impact on the Oklahoma City defense was the deciding factor. He currently leads all guards in **deflected passes (3.8 per game)** and “stocks” (steals plus blocks), offering a two-way versatility that the West backcourt has lacked since the prime of Kawhi Leonard.
With **Nikola Jokic** acting as the primary hub, this lineup allows Stephen Curry to play almost entirely off-ball. Last season, Curry’s efficiency skyrocketed when playing with a high-post facilitator, as it forces defenders to choose between a Jokic drive or a Curry relocation. Adding **Kevin Durant**, who is currently shooting **51% on “long twos,”** creates a mid-range safety valve that makes this specific starting unit almost impossible to blitz.
The East: The End of “Hero Ball”
The Eastern Conference has undergone a total schematic overhaul. The pairing of **Tyrese Haliburton** and **Jalen Brunson** marks a shift away from the ball-dominant wings of the past decade. Haliburton currently leads the NBA in **potential assists (18.2 per game)**, while Brunson ranks in the **94th percentile for pick-and-roll scoring efficiency**.
By surrounding these two floor generals with **Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Joel Embiid**, the East has built a “rim-pressure” juggernaut. This lineup doesn’t just rely on shooting; it relies on the physical toll of defending three players who average over **8.5 free throw attempts per game**. The salary cap implications are also massive: Haliburton and SGA’s selections trigger specific performance escalators in their max contracts, potentially eating into their respective teams’ “tax-payer mid-level” flexibility this summer.
Inside the Huddle
“We are seeing the death of the ’empty calorie’ scorer. To start in this game now, you have to be able to manipulate the defense before you even take a shot. The guys in the East backcourt are essentially offensive coordinators in jerseys.” — NBA Director of Analytics
The Bottom Line & What’s Next
Expect the actual game at Chase Center to look different this year. With high-IQ passers like Jokic, LeBron, and Haliburton on the floor together, the usual “one-on-one” isolation fatigue should be replaced by high-speed transition play.
The immediate fallout will be felt in the reserve voting. The coaches now have the unenviable task of fitting **Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, and Anthony Davis** into a limited bench. In the East, the focus shifts to whether the coaches reward the “winning culture” of the Celtics by naming Jaylen Brown as a reserve, or if they opt for the individual brilliance of Donovan Mitchell. Watch for the official reserve announcement on January 30th; the “snubs” from this starting list will likely spend the next week playing with a massive chip on their shoulders.
