LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Evan Mobley Headline 2022 NBA Rising Stars Rosters
The Cleveland Cavaliers' Evan Mobley, Detroit Pistons' Cade Cunningham, Charlotte Hornets' LaMelo Ball and Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards are among the headliners for the NBA's 2022 Rising Stars competition.
The league announced the player pool for this year's iteration, which will look a lot different compared to previous years:
Rookies
- Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
- Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
- Ayo Dosunmu, Chicago Bulls
- Chris Duarte, Indiana Pacers
- Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Jalen Green, Houston Rockets
- Herbert Jones, New Orleans Pelicans
- Davion Mitchell, Sacramento Kings
- Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
- Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic
- Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
Sophomores
- Precious Achiuwa, Toronto Raptors
- Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic
- Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies
- LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
- Saddiq Bey, Detroit Pistons
- Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento Kings
- Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
- Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Isaac Okoro, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Isaiah Stewart, Detroit Pistons
- Jae'Sean Tate, Houston Rockets
NBA G League Ignite
- MarJon Beauchamp
- Dyson Daniels
- Jaden Hardy
- Scoot Henderson
Rather than one game between two teams, the 2022 edition will pit four teams against one another. The NBA also added four players from the G League Ignite to the event to help showcase some of the top talent in the 2023 draft class.
Much like the All-Star Game, the Rising Stars Challenge presented a fun spectacle under the old format but was ripe for some innovation.
When the NBA first rolled out the Final Target Score for the 2020 All-Star Game, a lot of fans were left scratching their heads at a concept that appeared to be complicated on paper. The change ultimately delivered a compelling game as Team LeBron and Team Giannis went at one another in the fourth quarter.
Change is likely to be for the better with the Rising Stars as well.
The depth of the 2021 draft class should make the games compelling.
Mobley has exceeded everybody's expectations, and his defensive contributions have been pivotal toward the Cavaliers' 31-20 record. The 7'0" forward is averaging 14.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.
Cunningham, on the other hand, has been unable to drag the Pistons out of the cellar as they sit 14th in the Eastern Conference. Still, the 20-year-old is showing why he's a franchise cornerstone with 16.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.
When the Toronto Raptors selected Scottie Barnes, some were surprised since Jalen Suggs was still on the board and could serve as the long-term successor to Kyle Lowry. So far, the decision is paying off in spades with Barnes scoring 14.7 points and hauling down 7.7 boards per game.
Looking back to the 2020 draft, LaMelo Ball was crowned the Rookie of the Year, but Edwards might be the best player to emerge from that group. The Timberwolves star is putting up 22.7 points per game and a nightly source of highlights.
"I don't think I got one," Edwards said recently when asked about his ceiling in the NBA, per The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears. "I think I can be as good as anyone."
The 6'4" guard added he expected to get a Rising Stars nod but that he has his eye on an All-Star spot.
Edwards will learn of his fate Thursday when the All-Star reserves from each conference are announced.
