The NBA announced the rosters for the 2017 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, and the league will follow the United States vs. the World format it introduced in 2015. The rookie-sophomore showcase will headline an All-Star Friday night that also features the All-Star Celebrity Game.
NBA Rising Stars Challenge 2017 rosters: Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns headline U.S. vs. World showdown
Embiid and Kristaps Porzingis headline a World team set to take on the the United States’ best and brightest.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
It will tip off at 9 p.m. ET on TNT and can be live streamed on TNT Drama.
On the U.S. team, Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns shines in a group that also includes Suns standout Devin Booker, Indiana’s Myles Turner, and Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell. Rookies Malcolm Brogdon, Brandon Ingram, and Marquese Chriss will also see some floor time during All-Star weekend.
The World team is led by Rookie of the Year front-runner Joel Embiid, who has guided his Philadelphia 76ers (16-27) to seven wins in their last 10 games. The international squad also features last year’s ROY runner-up Kristaps Porzingis, as well as rookies Buddy Hield, Domantas Sabonis, and Jamal Murray.
U.S. TEAM
Devin Booker, Suns
Booker has taken the next step from an impressive rookie season to average 20.6 points per game for his Phoenix Suns team. He is shooting 37.3 percent from downtown and is showing the potential to become one of the NBA’s more dangerous perimeter scorers in the near future.
Malcolm Brogdon, Bucks
On a Bucks team headlined by All-Star starter Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brogdon has emerged as a complementary piece to Milwaukee’s lengthy core. Brogdon is averaging 9.6 points per game and shooting the triple at a 42.5 percent clip. But it’s his 4.1 assists per game as a ball-handler that landed him onto the court for All-Star weekend.
Marquese Chriss, Suns
Phoenix (15-30) is at the bottom of the Western Conference, but the team has a few things to look forward to, one being rookie Marquese Chriss. He’s averaging 7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, having carved out a decent role off the bench in his first year for his Suns squad.
Brandon Ingram, Lakers
Rookie Ingram may not have posted the first-year numbers his pre-draft comparisons to Kevin Durant may have warranted, but he’s show the potential to be a more than capable NBA player in the near future. Ingram is averaging 8.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, but as he gets more experience under his belt, the Lakers forward could emerge as one of the league’s premier talents.
Frank “The Tank” has made a living in the league pelting teams from downtown off the pick-and-pop with Kemba Walker in Charlotte. With more attempts, his three-point shooting has regressed to a 31.7 percent clip, but he’s averaging 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds for a Hornets team firmly in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.
Jahlil Okafor, 76ers
Between Joel Embiid’s emergence and Nerlens Noel’s injury return, Jahlil Okafor could easily be the forgotten big man in Philadelphia. Okafor’s averaging just 11.2 points per game after posting 17.5 a season ago, but he’s still the talented back-to-the-basket big man the 76ers drafted third overall a season ago.
D’Angelo Russell, Lakers
Russell has rebounded well after his off-court fiasco with teammate Nick Young and has emerged as the leader of his Los Angeles Lakers team. The second-year point guard is averaging 14.4 points and 4.3 assists for Luke Walton’s Lakers and the future is bright for the young team.
Simmons exploded onto the scene with Gregg Popovich’s Spurs last season and has built on an impressive rookie campaign. His shooting percentages are down from last year, but his bullish, attack dog style of play has earned him a slot in All-Star weekend.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves
Easily the captain of the United States team, Karl-Anthony Towns would likely be an All-Star for Minnesota if his team was in the playoff hunt. Towns added onto his Rookie of the Year season, now averaging 22.5 points, 12 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks for a young, struggling T’Wolves team.
Myles Turner, Pacers
Turner has built on a promising rookie year to become the forgotten man among the NBA’s future big man unicorns. Turner is averaging nearly 16 points and eight rebounds per game while supplying strong defense and excellent perimeter shooting. At just 20 years old, he’s already the second-best player on an East playoff team.
WORLD TEAM
Joel Embiid, 76ers
Embiid has stolen the hearts of basketball fans clamoring for a fresh, new face to reinvigorate the Philadelphia franchise. In his delayed rookie season, the Cameroonian big man has taken the league by storm to average 19.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game, all on a 25-minute restriction. Embiid is even knocking down the three ball at a 35 percent clip, and he’s given Sixers fans something real to cheer about for the near future.
Exum has not been particularly impressive in his first year following a torn ACL, languishing mostly behind George Hill and even losing minutes to Shelvin Mack at point guard. Nevertheless, Exum has shown enough flashes to earn a selection to the Rising Stars Challenge, even though he is technically a third-year player.
Buddy Hield, Pelicans
The Bahamian native and No. 6 overall pick did not get his career off to the best start in New Orleans, but has been coming on recently. Hield has averaged 10.2 points per game on nearly 46 percent shooting from three-point range since being moved into the starting lineup on Dec. 5.
One of the NBA’s most overlooked delights, Jokic has built on a sparking rookie season since permanently returning as the starting center on Dec. 15. Since then, Jokic is averaging more than 20 points, nearly 10 rebounds, and more than five assists per contest. You may not know him now, but you will soon.
Trey Lyles, Jazz
The second-year Canadian forward continues to develop on a deep Jazz roster. With Derrick Favors battling injuries throughout the year, Lyles has siphoned off more minutes and kept up his production, though his three-point shooting has been streaky.
Emmanuel Mudiay, Nuggets
Mudiay finished his rookie year strong after a rough start to his career, but he’s failed to build on that success. He’s averaging 12 points and 4.6 assists per game, both down from his rookie year, and is shooting just 37.4 percent from the floor. He’s begun losing minutes to veteran Jameer Nelson and the next guy on this list.
Jamal Murray, Nuggets
Kentucky coach John Calipari said before the season that Jamal Murray would lead all rookies in scoring. While there are five first-year players who have had something to say about that, Murray has shown his ability to explode for buckets at a moment’s notice in Denver.
Kristaps Porzingis, Knicks
Porzingis has modestly built on top of a season where he earned Rookie of the Year runner-up honors. The 7’3 big man from Latvia is averaging 18.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, but his Knicks haven’t been able to string the wins together. Whether New York rights its ship is one thing, but Porzingis’ bright future in the years to come cannot be questioned.
The Thunder acquired Sabonis from Orlando as part of the trade that sent Serge Ibaka to the Magic, and the Lithuanian stretch four has worked his way into Oklahoma City’s starting lineup. He’s averaging 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, but it’s his 35.6 percent shooting from downtown that’s proved valuable in spacing the floor for Russell Westbrook.
Dario Saric, 76ers
The Croatian international star finally arrived stateside this year and has slowly adjusted to the NBA game. A starter earlier in the year, Saric is now coming off the bench, where he’s showing flashes of the all-around game he sported overseas.
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