Michael Porter Jr.’s red-hot season comes to a head on Sunday.
The Nets star will find out if he will earn his first All-Star nomination and his childhood dream will come down to the NBA coaches’ 14 selections that include seven reserves from each conference.
On paper, the veteran forward has a lot going for him.
He is the top scorer among the young team by nine points, and he is the only player in the East — and one of just two in the league — averaging 25 points and seven boards per game.
In three of his last four games, he pulled off 30-plus point nights which included two season-highs in points and his best game of the season against Denver when he recorded a double-double of 38 points and 10 rebounds along with three assists.
The game also saw him score 13 points in his first 10 minutes on the court.
Defensively, he is among the Nets’ top two lineups used across at least 10 games this season in defensive rating.
Michael Porter Jr. reacts during the Nets’ road loss to the Nuggets on Jan. 29, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
He, among Terance Mann, Noah Clowney, Nic Claxton, and Egor Dëmin hold a 114.3 across 18 games and 306 minutes.
The Nets were also winless without Porter on the court.
They went 0-8 until Friday night when Dëmin powered the team to a 109-99 win over the Jazz.
They’re 12-26 with him active.
“It definitely would be a dream come true. It was in my mind as a kid to make the NBA, but not only be in the NBA but be one of the best players in the NBA. And an All-Star selection shows that progress,” Porter said in December. “But it’s definitely not what I’m thinking of. I’ve always tried to be more process-oriented and do the right things day to day, game to game, and let the results take care of itself.”
Those inside Barclays Center will be rooting for Porter as he went from a title-winning Nuggets team to leading a rebuilding Nets squad.
A reserve spot could be reachable.
However, for that same reason, it could be a no for Porter.
The cast of characters who could be East reserves is stacked.
Jalen Duren and Brandon Ingram seem to be locks.
Michael Porter Jr. dribbles the ball during the Nets’ road loss to the Suns on Jan. 27, 2026. Getty Images
Others in the mix include Donovan Mitchell, Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo, Pascal Siakam, Norman Powell, Derrick White and Knicks’ struggling star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Additionally, Porter is not only on a losing team, but a tanking one.
The Nets’ draft-focused agenda that has led them to the No. 5 spot in the tank race may be the thing that keeps the 27-year-old one-time NBA champ from his goal.
In December, the odds didn’t look hot for Porter either.
The first fan vote yielded him 10th in the Eastern Conference with 150,370 votes, with five starters getting votes from each conference.
“Mike is a leader by example,” coach Jordi Fernández said at the time of the first fan vote in December. “He shows up, always been very professional since I got to know him at 19 years old. He’s worked on his body, came in and did his work. Obviously, that shot is pure, but he puts a lot of time into it.
“He makes open shots, contested shots and impossible shots. That’s the work that not a lot of people see and his teammates see it … He shows them what a true pro is, who’s been in the league and has won a championship. He’s in a different context here, and he’s making it work.”
Porter, who remains a decision piece for the Nets as to whether to build around him or cash him in for assets, is eligible for an extension in July for a max of four years and $243 million.