Target Center hosted the first-ever Rising Stars event in 1994 as a part of the NBA’s All-Star weekend. This week the NBA announced the players involved in this year’s Rising Stars event in Cleveland. Two Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, made the cut.
Beyond the joy of seeing two young Wolves be honored by the NBA, this year’s Rising Stars event will be exciting because the NBA has shaken up the format. Traditionally, the event was almost exactly like the All-star game: one game between two teams played with timed quarters. The game usually pitted the rookies against the sophomores. However, there were several years of East vs. West, Team USA vs. the World, and my personal favorite, Phenoms vs. Sensations.
New Format
Things will be dramatically different this year. There will be four teams that face off in a mini-tournament. The first-round games will be played to 50 points, and a made basket or free throw will end the game instead of time expiring. The two winning teams will face off in a championship match that is played to 25 points.
I’m a little confused by the logic of having the championship match be shorter than the first-round matches, given that the championship win is what gives you all the bragging rights, and teams can score 25 points extremely fast. The NBA’s official explanation for this decision is that the event is a “Race to 75 to celebrate the league’s 75th anniversary season.” Put more simply, because 50 + 25 = 75. Get it? That doesn’t exactly explain or justify why they would sacrifice the integrity of the competition for a numerology-based marketing ploy, but we live in strange times.
Regardless, a legendary basketball player will coach each of the four teams in the mini-tournament. All four were on the NBA’s Top 75 Players of All Time list released earlier this season. Are you starting to see the pattern? Isaiah Thomas, Gary Payton, James Worthy, and Rick Barry selected their teams from a pool of 28 players (12 sophomores, 12 rookies, and four G-League Ignite Players) in a short snake draft.
Ant’s Team
Thomas drafted first and selected Ant first overall, saying that the All-star Game “is about excitement…It’s about pleasing the crowd. He’s a high flyer.” Being called the most exciting player of this highly talented group is high praise from one of the best point guards of all time.
Ant isn’t the only exciting player on Thomas’s team. Desmond Bane, the shooting guard for the Memphis Grizzlies, has been having an incredible year and is developing into one of the NBA’s premier sharpshooters. Bane is currently averaging 17.8 points per game, shooting an incredibly efficient 41.4% from three-point range on almost 7 attempts per game.
Isaiah Thomas also picked two players from his former team, the Detroit Pistons: Saddiq Bey and Isaiah “Beef Stew” Stewart.
Bey will bring a lot of versatility to the team. He’s a 6’7” wing averaging 15.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game this season. Saddiq showed his ability to do a little bit of everything. He nearly put up a triple-double against the Wolves last Thursday, scoring 21 points, grabbing 13 boards, and dishing out 8 assists.
Stewart will bring some strength and toughness to the squad. Beef Stew is afraid of no man in the NBA and has already had altercations with LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Blake Griffin. He also averages 8.4 rebounds a game.
Tyrese Haliburton rounds out the starters on Isaiah Thomas’s team. Haliburton can also do a little bit of everything, averaging 7.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and 14.3 points per game this season. The team’s bench will consist of Precious Achiuwa of the Toronto Raptors and Jaden Hardy of the G-League Ignite.
Jaden’s Team
Jaden McDaniels was selected 11th overall by Gary Payton, a fitting pick for the man once nicknamed “The Glove,” Payton was one of the best defensive guards of all time. McDaniels is one of the best young defenders in the league, so Payton should love coaching him.
Defensive ability seemed to be a priority for Payton when creating his team. He also picked three other up-and-coming lockdown defenders: Scottie Barnes, Davion Mitchell, and Ayo Dosunmu. Chris Duarte will also add some nice spot-up shooting and perimeter defense for the team.
Of course, the star of Payton’s team is the “Golden Child” himself, LaMelo Ball. Ball is averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 assists, and 7.1 rebounds this year and will almost certainly make some flashy passes to impress the constituents of his fan club.
Ball will help Jaden and his team fight for the Rising Stars title. However, as an Ant superfan, I am obligated to root against LaMelo. Instead, I’ll root for their backup PG Scoot Henderson to steal LaMelo’s spotlight. Scoot is on the G League Ignite and is expected to be one of the top prospects when he enters the NBA draft in 2023.
The Other Teams
Three of the best rookies selected in this year’s draft will headline Rick Barry‘s team: Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, and Franz Wagner. Barry seems to be leaning into versatility and height, as Jae’Sean Tate is the smallest player on the team at 6’4” 230 pounds. Mobley has proved that he is an incredible rim protector in his Rookie season, ranking sixth in the NBA in blocks per game with 1.7. Mobley also grabs 8.1 rebounds a game and can score when he’s needed to, averaging 14.9 points. Cade has also shown himself to be an impressive two-way player, albeit on a much less successful team. He is averaging 1.3 steals, 5.2 assists, 15.8 points, and 5.5 rebounds a game this season.
James Worthy drafted five guards, so his team seems to be centered around ball movement and speed. The team lacks height, with their tallest player being Herb Jones at 6’8”. However, they have a few players that can score buckets in a hurry, including Cole Anthony and Jalen Green. He also got the steal of the draft, grabbing Tyrese Maxey in the second to last round at 21st overall. Maxey has played a big part in the Philadelphia 76ers’ success this season without Ben Simmons. Maxey has taken advantage of the minutes he’s been given, averaging 16.9 points and 4.8 assists per game while shooting over 40% from beyond the arc.
Who Will Win?
The results of the Rising Stars tournament may be irrelevant aside from bragging rights, but I firmly believe Team Isaiah will win the contest. The team is composed of all sophomore players, excluding Hardy from the G League. While one extra year of experience may not seem like a lot on the surface, it is crucial to remember how high the level of competition is in the NBA. The sophomore players in this contest were selected because they proved themselves throughout a season and cut out real playing time for themselves on their respective teams, even if they don’t have a winning record.
However, my wild card selection to win the tournament is Team Barry. The team has a lot of upside, with Cunningham and Mobley anchoring the 1 and 5. Cade Cunningham may not play because he is currently battling a right hip injury. However, if he does, their team has the potential to surprise. Mobley starts for the fourth-ranked team in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers, shouldn’t be discounted. Despite this being his first year in the NBA, Mobley has already contributed to winning at a high level.
Team Isiah and Team Payton don’t play each other in the first round, so it’s also possible that we will get to see Ant face Jaden in the championship round, given the strength of their teams. Regardless of who wins the competition, watching both young Wolves shine in front of a large audience will be fun.
