Let's face it, the Eastern Conference is the inferior conference. It is currently, and has been for quite some time. Thus, the conference's inferior talent comes with the territory. A season ago, the Eastern Conference featured five teams with 48-plus wins, while the West saw eight teams eclipse the 48-win plateau.
However, the East's All-Star squad saw the same number of first-time selections as the West's (three). Nevertheless, not one Eastern Conference All-Star from a season ago had 10 prior selections under their belt, as opposed to five Western Conference participants.
Yet despite the seemingly considerable number of young All-Stars in the Eastern Conference, at least two players who didn't make the exclusive squad a year ago will be featured on the 2026 iteration.