featured-image

All-Star: Rising Stars Challenge Preview

The Basics

What: Rising Stars Challenge

When: Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. MT

Where: Smoothie King Center

TV: TNT

U.S. Team Roster

  • Devin Booker (Suns)
  • Malcolm Brogdon (Bucks)
  • Marquese Chriss (Suns)
  • Brandon Ingram (Lakers)
  • Frank Kaminsky (Hornets)
  • Jahlil Okafor (76ers)
  • D’Angelo Russell (Lakers)
  • Jonathon Simmons (Spurs)
  • Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves)
  • Myles Turner (Pacers)

World Team Roster

  • Alex Abrines* (Thunder)
  • Danté Exum (Jazz)
  • Buddy Hield (Pelicans)
  • Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
  • Trey Lyles (Jazz)
  • Willy Hernangomez** (Knicks)
  • Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
  • Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks)
  • Domantas Sabonis (Thunder)
  • Dario Saric (76ers)

* injury replacement for Joel Embiid
** injury replacement for Emmanuel Mudiay

The Rising Stars Challenge is the first official event of All-Star Weekend and marks the beginning of a host of exciting proceedings. It’s something of a microcosm of the actual All-Star game happening on Sunday night, especially created to showcase up-and-coming first and second year players.

Let's be honest, it’s just plain fun to see some of the league’s brightest young players play against each other.

Originally, the Denver Nuggets had three selections to the game: Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokić, and Emmanuel Mudiay. All three were slated to take the court for the World Team roster. Unfortunately, Mudiay was recently scratched with a nagging back injury and will not play in the game. Although he's been replaced by Willy Hernangomez (Nuggets' forward Juancho Hernangomez’s brother), Mudiay did travel to New Orleans to participate in other All-Star Weekend events.

Last year’s game featured a high scoring affair with the US Team ultimately prevailing over the World Team 157-154. Mudiay stood out, picking up 30 points and 10 assists, while Jokić contributed 12 points and 8 rebounds.

There’s a chance Murray and Jokić will be in some lineup combinations together and we can certainly expect to see some nifty action between the two players if that is the case. Murray’s scoring and shooting chops should serve him well and Jokić’s ability to throw dazzling dimes will be a treat to watch on a World Team complete with finishers and shooters.

Among some of the other notables on the World Team include Kristaps Porzingis, who at 7’3” is a prototype of a new breed of hyper-athletic but extremely skilled big men, capable of playing inside and outside. Dario Saric and Domantas Sabonis are both solid players who can shoot from the outside and will give Murray and Jokić some good passing options. Additionally, Buddy Hield is a player who can get hot at any time.

As usual, the US Team is no slouch. Murray will face up against Malcolm Brogdon, D’Angelo Russell, and Devin Booker at times, depending on whether he splits time at the point and shooting guard positions.

Brogdon is leading all rookies in assists per game at 4.2 and has even picked up his first triple-double this season in December. Russell is coming into his own as well, averaging 14.2 points and 4.7 assists for a very young Lakers team. Booker is a prototypical shooting guard with a deft touch from the outside and ability to score in a variety of ways. He’s averaging 21.1 points per game in just his second season in the league.

Jokić will take on a platoon of bigs including Marquese Chriss, Jahlil Okafor, Myles Turner, and a player he’s very familiar with, Karl-Anthony Towns. While Okafor is an old-school big man, the rest of the frontcourt on the US Team is made up of new-era of pivots.

Other players to watch include the second overall pick in the 2016 draft, Brandon Ingram and Jonathon Simmons. Simmons is, at 27, is one of the older players in tonight’s game. He has carved out a nice role with the San Antonio Spurs after an impressive 2015 NBA Summer League performance.

If nothing else, this game will feature a lot of scoring and a chance for Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić to represent the Nuggets while the spotlight is shining brightly for the world to see.