NBA Rising Stars Challenge 2015: Full Rosters and Predictions for USA vs. World
The NBA has the right idea—inject a dash of patriotism to make an event a must-see affair.
Such is the case Feb. 13 at the NBA Rising Stars Challenge, as a United States roster will take on a World roster as one of the highlights of All-Star weekend.
In the past, legends such as Penny Hardaway, Allen Iverson and plenty more have won the MVP award at the spectacle, which served as something of a launching pad for the rest of their careers. This time, the best rookies and second-year players on a global scale will put everything they have into the suddenly meaningful event.
The future of the sport takes center stage Friday. As younger players with something to prove take the court, fans may not want to miss out.
BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge
Matchup: USA vs. World
Date: Friday, Feb. 13
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, New York
TV: TNT
Rising Stars Rosters
| Nerlens Noel | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Zach LaVine | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Victor Oladipo | Orlando Magic |
| Cody Zeller | Charlotte Hornets |
| Mason Plumlee | Brooklyn Nets |
| Michael Carter-Williams | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Trey Burke | Utah Jazz |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Detroit Pistons |
| Shabazz Muhammad | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Elfrid Payton | Orlando Magic |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Steven Adams (injured, will not play) | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Gorgui Dieng | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Andrew Wiggins | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Bojan Bogdanovic | Brooklyn Nets |
| Kelly Olynyk | Boston Celtics |
| Dante Exum | Utah Jazz |
| Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz |
| Nikola Mirotic | Chicago Bulls |
| Jusuf Nurkic (injury replacement for Adams) | Denver Nuggets |
| Dennis Schroder | Atlanta Hawks |
Preview and Prediction
Of all the new rules and such surrounding the big game, most interesting is that both the United States and World rosters must contain rookies, second-year players and at least three of each category.
This makes for some outstanding showdowns for fans of the sport. Think about Giannis Antetokounmpo on the World roster, the 6'11", 217-pound freak of nature who at just 20 years old averages a slash line of 12.0/2.5/6.6 and shoots 51 percent from the floor.
As NBC's Michael Gallagher illustrates, the man who hails from Greece has been on fire as of late:
Antetokounmpo may very well be a top-tier player in a few years—he's only 20 years old—but Friday he will have to prove his worth in quite a crowded space underneath the rim.
Thank Nerlens Noel for that, the 6'11", 228-pound enforcer who averages 8.2/7.2/1.7. As Max Rappaport of Sixers.com points out, the Kentucky product ranks well above his peers on the defensive end of the court:
Noel should be the centerpiece of Friday's game for most fans.
While he did miss last year with an injury, the central focus in the Philadelphia 76eers' rebuild follows a path traveled by major names such as Blake Griffin. Noel says this experience is a major reason he is the player who takes the court each night, as captured by Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com:
"It does in some ways. Just being able to see it first-hand and understand the NBA lifestyle of being on the road. Like I've said many times, there's no better teacher than experience. That's what I'm going through right now, realizing really what it takes to be a good player in this league. I'm definitely putting the work in. I just need to stay patient.
"
When this particular game comes down to crunch time, a superstar can and will rise to the occasion.
Predictably, that man would be Andrew Wiggins. The 19-year-old star can take games over on his own and averages 15.4/1.9/4.3 with a 12.93 PER, according to ESPN.com.
The runaway favorite to take home individual hardware at the end of the season is also a proven commodity when it a matters most. In a Jan. 31 showdown against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he scored some semblance of revenge against the team that traded him away with 33 points.
Understand that Wiggins still has plenty to prove. While Victor Oladipo, Zach LaVine, Michael Carter-Williams and others offer plenty of scoring potential, the one-two punch that is Antetokounmpo and Wiggins will be too much for the United States to handle in what should be an offensive shootout.
In crunch time, Wiggins will seal the deal.
Prediction: World 122, United States 105
All stats and info via ESPN .com unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
