The Elite Ten: Tactical Breakdown of the 2025 NBA All-Star Starters
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The starting lineups for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game at Chase Center are officially set. While the fan vote usually rewards legacy, the player and media ballots this year pushed through a tactical evolution. We are seeing a move away from high-usage “heliocentric” stars toward hyper-efficient facilitators and two-way disruptors. LeBron James hit a historic 21st selection, but the real story lives in the backcourt shifts in both conferences.
Cade Cunningham was swishin’ & dishin’ in the Bay!
🏎️ 29 PTS
🏎️ 11 ASTThe East-leading @DetroitPistons win on the road! pic.twitter.com/vypyCiKkPB
— NBA (@NBA) January 31, 2026
The Western Conference: Gravity and Defense
The West starters feature a terrifying blend of length and perimeter gravity: **Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Nikola Jokic**. The tactical pivot here is the inclusion of SGA over Luka Doncic. While Doncic leads the league in several volume categories, SGA’s defensive metrics were the tie-breaker. He currently leads all guards in **deflections and contested shots**, allowing the West to field a starting unit that doesn’t have a “defensive liability” for the first time in years.
With **Nikola Jokic** as the offensive hub, this lineup allows Curry and Durant to operate almost exclusively as off-ball threats. Last season, Durant and Curry combined for the highest “gravity” score in the league, meaning defenses surrendered open layups just to stay glued to their jerseys. Adding a 40-year-old LeBron James, who is currently shooting a career-high **39% from deep on five attempts per game**, creates a floor-spacing nightmare for the Eastern Conference frontcourt.
The Eastern Conference: The Playmaking Revolution
In the East, the guard duo of **Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton** signals a complete tactical overhaul. Brunson is the first Knicks guard to start since 1975, and he earned it by ranking in the **96th percentile for pick-and-roll efficiency**. Pairing him with Haliburton—who leads the NBA in potential assists—gives the East a pass-first identity they haven’t seen since the days of Dwyane Wade and Jason Kidd.
This backcourt will be feeding a frontcourt of pure physical dominance: **Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Joel Embiid**. The East’s blueprint is clear: use the speed and vision of Brunson and Haliburton to trigger early-clock attacks for Giannis and Tatum. Embiid provides the half-court insurance, currently averaging **1.12 points per possession in the post**, the highest mark for any starter in this group.
Inside the Huddle
“You look at these rosters and you see a league that is tired of watching guys dribble the air out of the ball. The voters picked guys who move the rock and move their feet on defense. It’s going to be the fastest All-Star game we’ve seen since the format change.” — NBA Western Conference Assistant Coach
The Bottom Line & What’s Next
The attention now turns to the reserves, where the “snub” list is led by **Luka Doncic and Anthony Edwards**. Their exclusion from the starting five is likely to trigger a high-scoring “revenge” stretch over the next two weeks. For teams like the Thunder and Knicks, having a “Starter” validates their roster-building strategies ahead of a chaotic trade deadline.
Watch for the betting lines to shift once the coaches name the reserves on January 30. The West has more cumulative playoff experience, but the East’s size at the 3, 4, and 5 spots could give them a rebounding edge that usually decides these exhibition matches. The party is in the Bay, but the tactical battle for conference supremacy has never been more intense.
