rising stars

Jim Eichenhofer

Exhibition games aren’t ideal stages for Herbert Jones to display what he does best on a basketball floor, especially since defense tends to be frowned upon in them. The New Orleans rookie forward was initially credited with a steal in Friday’s Rising Stars tournament opener, but that theft was later removed in the official statistics.

Jones came off the bench for Team Worthy in its first-round matchup against Team Isiah, a game ultimately won by the latter when Memphis second-year guard Desmond Bane sank two free throws to pull out a 50-49 victory. Under the event’s new format, the first team to 50 points is the winner in a non-timed semifinal game.

The 23-year-old Jones was barely involved in the Team Worthy offense, but after a rare touch the Alabama product knocked down a three-point shot from the left wing, his only attempt of the night. Jalen Green and Jalen Suggs paced Team Worthy with 20 and 16 points, respectively.

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Herbert Jones sinks three-pointer off bench in Rising Stars appearance

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Highlights: Herbert Jones drains triple during Rising Stars game | 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend

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Herbert Jones announced with Team Worthy | 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend

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Pelicans.com

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Photos: Herbert Jones at 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend

Herbert Jones on participating in Rising Stars game | 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend

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NEW ORLEANS – The NBA announced today that Pelicans rookie Herbert Jones has been selected to participate in the 2022 All-Star Clorox Rising Stars, which will be held on Feb. 18th at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland as part of NBA All-Star 2022. The event will be televised on TNT at 8 p.m. CT.

Jones, 6, 205, who was selected 35th overall by New Orleans in the 2021 NBA Draft, is averaging 9.3 points while shooting .352 from three-point range, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 steals. Among all rookies, Jones ranks in the top five in total steals (1st, 70), steals per game (1st, 1.5), blocks (2nd, 44), blocks per game (2nd, 0.9), field goal percentage (5th, .484), and three-point percentage (5th, .352).

Among all NBA players, Jones ranks fourth with 147 deflections and ninth with 70 steals. Jones is one of only three players to lead his team in both total steals and blocks this season.

The 2022 All-Star Clorox Rising Stars will feature an updated, mini-tournament format including three games between four teams of rookies, sophomores, and — for the first time — players from NBA G League Ignite in the league’s annual showcase of premier young talent during NBA All-Star weekend.

The pool of 28 players — consisting of 12 NBA rookies and 12 NBA sophomores, plus four NBA G League Ignite players — will be broken down into four teams.

Each game will be played to a Final Target Score, meaning that a game will end with a made basket or a made free throw instead of with the clock running out. It will be a “Race to 75” to celebrate the league’s 75th anniversary season — Games 1 and 2 will be played until a team reaches 50 points; Game 3 will be played until a team reaches 25 points.

Jones becomes the seventh player in New Orleans franchise history to participate in the Rookie Challenge/Rising Stars Game, joining Chris Paul, Anthony Davis, Buddy Hield, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Nicolò Melli, and Zion Williamson.

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Herbert Jones selected to participate in 2022 All-Star Clorox Rising Stars

The NBA announced earlier today that Pelicans second year forward Zion Williamson and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker have been named to the U.S. and World Rising Stars teams, respectively. The distinction marks the second time the two teammates have been named Rising Stars, having both earned the honor during their rookie seasons in 2019-20.

A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Williamson, is averaging 25.5 points on .614 shooting from the field, 7.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists, ranking first among all second-year players in points per game while holding the highest field goal percentage among the top 22 sophomore scorers, second in rebounds per game, and seventh in assists per game. Williamson has recorded nine of the 21 30-point performances among second-year players, the most of any sophomore. The Duke University product has been selected to play in the 2021 NBA All-Star game, the first of his career.

Williamson is joined on the U.S. Team with Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards; Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro; Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter; San Antonio Spurs guard/forward Keldon Johnson; Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.; and Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman.

Alexander-Walker, a native of Toronto, Ontario, has appeared in 27 games this season, averaging 8.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals, ranking fifth in scoring among second-year international players. On January 13, Alexander-Walker scored a career-high 37 points in his second career start during a road games against the LA Clippers, becoming just the ninth player since 1970 to score at least 35 points in one of their first two career games in the starting lineup.

Alexander-Walker is joined on the World Team with four fellow Canadians; New York Knicks guard/forward RJ Barrett, Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke (Canada); Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (Canada) and Warriors guard Mychal Mulder (Canada), as well as Heat forward Precious Achiuwa (Nigeria); Washington Wizards forwards Deni Avdija (Israel) and Rui Hachimura (Japan); Nuggets guard Facundo Campazzo (Argentina); and Oklahoma City guard Théo Maledon (France).

NBA Rising Stars, the league’s annual showcase of premier young talent during NBA All-Star, will not be played this year due to the limitation of having All-Star events all on one night.  To recognize deserving players, the NBA kept the custom of having the league’s assistant coaches vote for Rising Stars rosters, which comprise 10 first- and second-year NBA players from the United States (U.S. Team) and 10 first- and second-year NBA players from outside the United States (World Team).

In voting for the Rising Stars rosters, assistant coaches selected four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players at any position for each team.  Voters selected a minimum of three first-year NBA players and three second-year NBA players for each team.  The assistant coaches were not permitted to vote for any player on their team.  Each of the league’s 30 teams submitted one ballot per coaching staff.

Williamson and Alexander-Walker join Chris Paul and Anthony Davis as the only players in franchise history to participate in the Rookie Challenge/Rising Stars Game two times.

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Zion Williamson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker named to NBA Rising Stars teams

Day 2: Pelicans at NBA All Star Weekend 2020

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