The Next All-Stars: Central Division

Being an NBA All-Star puts your name in the history books. If a player earns such honors, his name is cemented among the best that have ever played the game. Good players evolve into great ones, greats turn into stars and stars turn into superstars. The LeBrons, the KDs, the Currys, Hardens of the world — they all had to start somewhere!

That’s why Basketball Insiders has started a new series this week to look at the crop of talent with an All-Star bid in their future, going division-by-division. Ben Nadeau kicked us off with the Northwest Division on Tuesday, and today we’ll follow up with a look at the Central Division. Just a reminder before we dive in — the criteria for who’s in line can range anywhere from being on the cusp to raw potential.

This particular group of five has a championship contender and legitimate postseason threat at the top in the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers, respectively, so those teams already have current All-Stars and will be excluded (if you foresee Eric Bledsoe, Myles Turner or T.J. Warren achieving it, you can come back and give me grief if it happens). The Detroit Pistons don’t exactly have stat-sheet stuffers, nor many attractive options to consider as they have torn it all down, so we’ll focus on the remaining pair of squads in Cleveland and Chicago.

Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls

Starting with the most obvious player makes sense, right? It’s even timely considering the conversation he just had with Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. LaVine’s climb up the NBA ranks is a remarkable one. Perceived as a pure athlete with a streaky shot, his path took a bad turn midway through his third season when he tore his left ACL. Though many believed he wouldn’t be the same, he’s come back as strong as he ever has been.

The initial return in his first season with the Bulls took time but, over the last two years, LaVine is showing just exactly how much of a leap his game has taken. He’s expanded his range and become a true perimeter threat consistently, nailing 38 percent of the 8.1 triples he attempts per game. On the other end, his defensive win shares have doubled, per Basketball-Reference. He’s still got plenty of explosiveness when he takes it to the bucket, including those highlight-reel dunks we saw in his pre-injury seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

You could have argued for LaVine’s case to be an All-Star in either of the last two campaigns. They always say the third time’s the charm, though, and with a new front office primed to change the direction of Chicago’s franchise, that certainly could be the case come 2021.

Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers

Judging by the team record and the advanced individual statistics, Sexton isn’t loved by the efficiency crowd. Flip that around to the more traditional numbers and that analytical opposition side of the fence adores him. At least in the Cleveland social media landscape, there’s a large divide on his career outlook. But Young Bull has a little bit of both old and new school in his game, and he’s only going to get better with J.B. Bickerstaff at the helm — just check out the post-All-Star break figures.

The bottom line: Sexton is already one of the most exciting young players in the NBA. There might not be anybody faster with a full head of steam. He has gotten a better sense of where his teammates are going to be in sets. Opponents are now going over on screens because of his three-point success, leaving him to beat his man to the basket or find the next man either on the outside or in the paint. Since the break, he’s starting to draw more fouls as defenders trail him when he puts the ball on the floor.

For Sexton, it’s all been about reading and reacting in the proper ways. Getting blocked is going to happen, but it can’t continue happening at the rate it has been — and he’ll adjust to that, as he’s shown his capability with drop-offs underneath and a nice floater. He still has a ways to go on the defensive end with staying attached to his man off the ball. His general awareness offensively, albeit much improved, still needs work. However, taking matters into your own hands can be good in the right situations.

The fact that Sexton’s played for four different coaches already to this point and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down is extremely admirable. That’s because nobody’s going to outwork him, and one day that’ll lead to an All-Star appearance.

Lauri Markkanen, Chicago Bulls

Let’s not forget that Markkanen is 22 years old! He hasn’t quite had the season that we might’ve expected, but — when healthy — the seven-foot Finnish big man brimmed with the potential as we saw in his first two seasons. It all comes down to what situation somebody is put in and what role comes with it. His shot attempts have plummeted with the emergence of a few of his teammates, his rebounding numbers are on the downturn (mostly with Wendell Carter Jr. snatching all of them up before his injury) and he just doesn’t seem like himself.

Markkanen requires having the ball in his hands to be as productive as he’s able to be. Chicago has wanted him to spot up more and take more perimeter shots, which he’s done adequately. But that’s not his comfort zone. His wheelhouse is in the mid-range area. When the Bulls — or another team — utilizes that instead of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, The Finnisher will benefit. He was on the right track before his sophomore season ended and the strategy changed. This year should only prove to be a bump in the road for a talented young man.

Kevin Porter Jr., Cleveland Cavaliers

What an outstanding and fun player Kevin Porter Jr. is to watch. There are 29 other teams that decided to pass up on the Seattle native in last summer’s NBA Draft. The majority of those organizations are likely going to regret it.

Aside from a few moments where he lost his cool with the officiating, Porter has displayed the characteristics of everything you want in a franchise player on the floor. He has versatility as a playmaker with the ball in his hands and a cutter, can catch fire in an instant and oozes immense promise as a lockdown defender with length for days.

Throughout the year, Porter has given us moments that scream superstar. Look no further than a December showdown with James Harden in the fourth quarter and a career night in a huge comeback win against the Miami HEAT in late February. It’ll be well worth your time.

Coby White, Chicago Bulls

Before the NBA shut down, White was the talk of the town. Why? Because the North Carolina rookie was simply unconscious from deep, like breaking team and league records. He became the first rookie in history to post back-to-back 30 point games coming off the bench (why was he there in the first place again?) in magnificent performances. All it takes is an opportunity to shine, and White did not take it for granted. He’s made one start this season and it was a 20-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist statline in a win against the Cavaliers in the team’s last game.

The 9 turnovers were self-inflicted wounds, an area he needs to get smarter with, but the sheer explosion of scoring and gumption to take all of the shots he has is certainly something. White doesn’t fear failure. He’s gone out and proven it. With the Bulls shifting their course, it’ll be exciting to see how White is coveted.

As you can tell, there’s a lot of backcourt talent on this list. The Central has plenty of proven frontcourt players that have already put a stamp on their careers with All-Star appearances.

Their guards and wings might be the next in line to do so.