Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the pared-down nature of the NBA’s 2021 All-Star weekend, a Rising Stars Game showcasing the league’s top rookies and sophomores won’t be played this year.
However, the league has still announced the rosters for the event, via NBA Top Shot, naming the 20 players who would have been selected to participate if the game was taking place. Here are those rosters:
U.S. Team:
- LaMelo Ball (Hornets)
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
- Tyrese Haliburton (Kings)
- Tyler Herro (Heat)
- De’Andre Hunter (Hawks)
- Keldon Johnson (Spurs)
- Ja Morant (Grizzlies)
- Michael Porter Jr. (Nuggets)
- Zion Williamson (Pelicans)
- James Wiseman (Warriors)
World Team:
- Precious Achiuwa (Heat) 🇳🇬
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Pelicans) 🇨🇦
- Deni Avdija (Wizards) 🇮🇱
- RJ Barrett (Knicks) 🇨🇦
- Facundo Campazzo (Nuggets) 🇦🇷
- Brandon Clarke (Grizzlies) 🇨🇦
- Luguentz Dort (Thunder) 🇨🇦
- Rui Hachimura (Wizards) 🇯🇵
- Theo Maledon (Thunder) 🇫🇷
- Mychal Mulder (Warriors) 🇨🇦
The 20-man group includes eight rookies and 11 sophomores. The 20th player, Porter, made the cut as a sophomore since he missed his entire rookie season in 2018/19 due to an injury — this is technically his third year of NBA service.
Five Canadians. That’s what’s up. It’s likely that Lamelo will be the MVP.
Being MVP of a game that won’t be played might be Lamelo’s biggest accomplishment yet.
Too bad, I would be more interested in this game than the ASG
OK, I laughed a lot at that one.
@curtis
I laughed hard at that one, bravo sir
Daaamn, Canada has a lot of talent. Dort-Clark-RJ is an awesome trio of young guys
It’s 5 guys, a couple of which are end of the bench guys that wouldn’t even be in this game if they were from the US. In fact, most of the world roster are only on the team because they are not from the US. I think we should get back to just picking the best group of rookies vs the best group of sophomores without worrying about where they happened to be born.
That is an okay trio in theory, but hardlt awesome. A team built around them would likely looking at a pretty high lottery pick and probably not just one year of it.
They got 40 year old Campazzo on the roster. SMH…
Patrick Williams snubbed
I would have to agree with that. Williams was deserving to be on this list
IQ snubbed
So williams in and who out?
Team USA is pretty stacked so tbh I’d do the Malcolm Gladwell thing where I use some contrived reason to say that he’s actually Nigerian and then put him on team World cuz he’s definitely better than Mulder
I really don’t like this structure. The US vs the World concept prevents you from recognizing the best.
It’s a shame…
Then don’t watch. But the NBA marketing team along with world sponsors agreed that this would generate the most money,and I’m sure they value your input.
Don’t watch?!? LOL! There’s no game!
Also, I’m sorry, I thought the comment section was for our comments. My comment? I don’t like the structure.
How bout you take your own advise? If you don’t like my comment, don’t watch?
Can you please add some context to your statement? Who are some of the best who have not been recognised because of the current format of the rising stars challenge (it’s been USA v World since 2015)?
Cases could be made for Patrick Williams, Saddiq Bey, Immanuel Quickley, Desmond Bane, Darius Garland, Eric Paschall and Cam Johnson (for starters).
Certainly over guys like Mychal Mulder & Facundo Campazzo. NAW and Hunter (yes, US) are iffy, too.
It’s that stupid USA vs the world. All these mediocre foreign guys make it over guys who actually play and contribute. Go back to the Rookies vs. Sophomores.
Yep all the players you mentioned could easily be in the team. I personally like the current set-up, it seems to have meaning. The USA players wouldn’t want to lose to other countries, the World team want to knock off the big bad US. It has more meaning to it than the school yard pick by pick that’s in the ASG.
Another good list kayz, but Hunter has turned it around, at least. Trending well on a confusing team.
Bey snubbed.
This USA vs the world gimmick is goofy. 38 year old Cappuccino from Denver who averages 5ppg makes it just cuz he’s foreign while Coby White isn’t on this? Wack. Go back to rookies vs Sophomores. Tired of these mediocre foreign guys.
It’s laughable that Coby White is not on the team.
Nobody said it was awesome. Jamal Murray is very good (but inconsistent) , Wiggins is very good & improved on D, Luguenz Dort is decent, Dillon Brooks is good,Barrett is good but needs to grow, Boucher is very good,Alexander-Walker is being held back because of Bledsoe not yet traded, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is awesome but in OkC, Birch is average,Dwight Powell is decent but injury prone,Olynyx is okay,Corey Jo is average,Tristan Thompson is okay, Lyles is trash.
??? No, but people did say that it consists of players in their first & second year and includes a world team which helps market the team internationally.
That was a strange list! Most of those were unqualified.
It’s not an allstar team. Coby White & Patrick Williams, close.
Definitely an eyebrow raising list.
Peyton Pritchard snubbed big time.
Not really something to get worked up about. However, the World Team has some guys who haven’t done a thing. The format is really dumb in a year in which they won’t play.
It’s definitely pointless.
coby white… lolol smh lol
Years from now, I think the “top” disappointment will be Tyler Herro due to defense… he is hard to hide… as opposed to another scorer, MPorter, who is good for rebounding too and gets a huge push from fans.
Edwards, if given scoring responsibility, could do a lot of it too.
But good for more than a ppg, I doubt it.
Assuming good health, the rest look like future allstars.
Or Herro continues to improve and becomes a prolific scorer providing so-so defense while Porter continues to struggle to stay healthy never reaches his potential.
Herro has not improved from last year in any stat except assists, prob due to being moved to PG, which did not go well for the team. Indeed his on-off is minus6.
I agree on MPorter, and he should have to earn an AS berth. But rebounding keeps him not just a scorer, so he could get in a position to get pushed into the ASG.
What’s the rundown on the players on the……
FALLEN STARS ROSTER?
NEVER STARS ROSTER?
Marvin Bagley is a lock
How about take the rookies and sophomores from east and west and mixed them together have rookies and sophomores on the same team East vs West
.Let’s be real Sophomores will always beat rookies
Pritchard?