The New York Knicks haven’t had a second-year player in the NBA All-Star Game in 28 years.

But they have a pretty strong candidate to break that streak this season in Kristaps Porzingis.

Whether Porzingis gets an invitation to play on Feb. 19 in New Orleans depends on several factors (more on that below).

The first round of All-Star voting was released Thursday, and Porzingis was seventh among Eastern Conference frontcourt players. The top three players at each spot who earn the most votes (from fans, media and players) will make the team.

Fellow Knick Carmelo Anthony ranks fifth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in the fan vote, and Derrick Rose is fifth among Eastern Conference guards.

Anthony has played in seven consecutive All-Star Games and nine overall, so his inclusion in the game certainly wouldn’t be a big surprise.

Knicks forwards Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony are top frontcourt candidates in Eastern Conference All-Star voting. Sergio Estrada/USA TODAY Sports

It would be historic, from a Knicks perspective, if Porzingis earned an All-Star spot. The 21-year-old would be the youngest Knick to play in the game. Both Bill Cartwright and Willis Reed made All-Star teams in their age-22 season. Porzingis is 21. And he has a strong résumé for an All-Star bid:

Porzingis' combination of shot-blocking and 3-point shooting is pretty much on a level of its own. Entering play Friday, he was the only player in the NBA with 60 or more blocks and 60 or more made 3s.

He’s made a further impact defensively at the rim. Only Utah’s Rudy Gobert allows a lower field goal percentage on shots at the rim than Porzingis (46.4 percent) among players who defend at least six such shots per game. The 7-foot-3 Porzingis will admit that he needs to work on defending perimeter shooters, but he’s helped the Knicks down low. The club’s defense generally has been unimpressive, but New York allows five more points per 100 possessions when Porzingis is off the court.

Porzingis is one of two NBA players (Kevin Love is the other) to rank in the top 25 in made 3s and second-chance points.

Porzingis ranks ninth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in points per game (20.1). Of the eight players who rank ahead of him in scoring, only Love and Giannis Antetokounmpo average more than Porzingis' 7.9 rebounds per game (though LeBron James is very close).

Porzingis has made 68 3-pointers. He’s on pace to break Dirk Nowitzki’s single-season record for made 3s by a 7-footer (151). Porzingis' shooting percentage dipped a bit recently before his Achilles injury, but his overall résumé is strong.

The formula for All-Star voting is weighted. Fan votes count for 50 percent of the total, while media and player voting counts for 25 percent each. Voting ends Jan. 16. Things could get awkward for the Knicks, depending on the results. If Porzingis makes the team and Anthony doesn’t, that might feed into the public debate over the pecking order on the current roster. Stay tuned. Also, the last second-year Knicks player to make an All-Star Game? Mark Jackson, in 1989.

ESPN Stats & Information's Micah Adams contributed to this report.