NBA Rising Stars 2024: Top Contenders, Predictions for MVP Award

The top young players in the country will take the court Friday for the 2024 NBA Rising Stars event, an annual showcase for the best first- and second-year names in the game.

High-profile figures such as Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, Paolo Banchero and others will highlight why the NBA is in good hands now and into the future.

Ahead of the event, find out how to watch, which players will make up the four teams involved and who may earn MVP honors with this preview.

Info and How to Watch

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ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 13: Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic looks on during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 13, 2024 at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)

When: Friday, 16 February (9 p.m. ET)

Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

TV: TNT

Streaming: NBA.com

How It Works

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 10: 2024 NBA Panini Rising Stars game signage displayed outside of Gainbridge Fieldhouse prior to the 2024 NBA All-Star game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on February 10, 2024 in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Coaches Pau Gasol, Tamika Catchings and Jalen Rose selected the players in their teams during a Rising Stars draft on February 6, while Detlef Schrempf will coach a roster of G League players.

Per NBA.com: "All three games in the mini-tournament will be played to a Final Target Score, which means each game will end on a made basket or free throw rather than time expiring. The two semifinal games—Game 1 and Game 2—will be played to a Final Target Score of 40. The final game, featuring the winners, will be played to a Final Target Score of 25 to determine the tournament champion."

The game lineup will see the following matchups:

1. Team Jalen vs. Team Tamika
2. Team Detlef vs. Team Pau
3. Winner 1 vs. Winner 2
   

Teams

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Keegan Murray

Team Pau

• Victor Wembanyama (rookie, San Antonio Spurs)
• Brandon Miller (rookie, Charlotte Hornets)
• Brandin Podziemski (rookie, Golden State Warriors)
• Jaime Jaquez, Jr. (rookie, Miami Heat)
• Cason Wallace (rookie, Oklahoma City Thunder)
• Bilal Coulibaly (rookie, Washington Wizards)

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Team Tamika

• Paolo Banchero (sophomore, Orlando Magic)
• Jaden Ivey (sophomore, Detroit Pistons)
• Jalen Duren (sophomore, Detroit Pistons)
• Keegan Murray (sophomore, Sacramento Kings)
• Scoot Henderson (rookie, Portland Trailblazers)
• Keyonte George (rookie, Utah Jazz)
• Vince Williams Jr. (sophomore, Memphis Grizzlies)
  

Williams replaces Dyson Daniels (sophomore, New Orleans Pelicans) due to injury

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Team Jalen

• Chet Holmgren (rookie, Oklahoma City Thunder)
• Jalen Williams (sophomore, Oklahoma City Thunder)
• Bennedict Mathurin (sophomore, Indiana Pacers)
• Dereck Lively II (rookie, Dallas Mavericks)
  
• Jordan Hawkins (rookie, New Orleans Pelicans)
• Walker Kessler (sophomore, Utah Jazz)
• Jeremy Sochan (sophomore, San Antonio Spurs)

Sochan replaces Shaedon Sharpe (sophomore, Portland Trailblazers)

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Team Detlef

• Izan Almansa (G League Ignite)
• Emoni Bates (Cleveland Charge)
• Matas Buzelis (G League Ignite)
• Mac McClung (Osceola Magic)
• Tyler Smith (G League Ignite)
• Oscar Tshiebwe (Indiana Mad Ants)
• Alondes Williams (Sioux Falls Skyforce)

Bates replaces Ron Holland (G League Ignite) due to injury

Top Contenders and MVP Prediction

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DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 14: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs looks on before the game against the Dallas Mavericks on February 14, 2024 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs and Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder have been the two best rookies in the NBA this season and should be the leading candidates to win the Rising Stars MVP award.

Wembanyama is averaging 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 3.2 blocks in his first season in the NBA. He has lived up to the considerable hype that accompanied him as the No. 1 overall pick last June.

Holmgren has exceeded expectations, scoring 16.7 per game, with 7.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 53.5 from the paint and 39.3 from beyond the arc.

Both have enhanced their teams, with Holmgren being a key contributor in the Thunder's rise to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Neither would be particularly surprising as the MVP of Friday's event.

Second-year player Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings is a potential surprise candidate.

He is shooting 45.9 from the floor and 38.8 from downtown while averaging 14.8 points a game and 5.3 rebounds. Per NBA.com, "Among first or second-year players, he ranks sixth in points, second in steals and first in 3s per game (2.3)."

He has the experience of playing with a Kings team that finished the 2022-23 season third in the Western Conference and is one of the young players in the league with even more room for growth and evolution.

There are other, higher-profile players who will take the court Friday, but keep an eye on Murray as someone who can steal the spotlight.

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Prediction: Murray wins the MVP