Rising Stars Challenge 2015: Start Time, TV Info, Live Stream for USA vs. World
Times are changing, and one of the NBA All-Star Weekend's biggest events is changing with it as the 2015 NBA Rising Stars Challenge is ringing in a new and improved format.
The league broke from the longtime rookies vs. sophomores setup back in 2012, opting instead to include former greats like Shaquille O'Neal or Chris Webber to selectively draft teams a la the NFL Pro Bowl.
That format lasted just two short years, as commissioner Adam Silver is shaking it up with a new United States vs. World format that should be around for years to come, per NBA.com:
If you're starting your Friday evening off catching the theatrics and dramatics of the Celebrity All-Star Game, let it be just the appetizer to the main course that is the Rising Stars Challenge. With so many promising young stars, it's practically a miniature All-Star Game in itself.
Here's everything you need to know about the game.
When: Friday, February 13, 2015
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Start Time (ET): 9 p.m.
TV: TNT
Live Stream: TNT Overtime
Rosters
| Trey Burke (Jazz) | Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Pistons) | Bojan Bogdanovic (Nets) |
| Robert Covington (76ers) | Matthew Dellavedova (Cavaliers) |
| Zach LaVine (Timberwolves) | Gorgui Dieng (Timberwolves) |
| Shabazz Muhammad (Timberwolves) | Dante Exum (Jazz) |
| Nerlens Noel (76ers) | Rudy Gobert (Jazz) |
| Victor Oladipo (Magic) | Nikola Mirotic (Bulls) |
| Elfrid Payton (Magic) | Kostas Papanikolaou (Rockets) |
| Mason Plumlee (Nets) | Dennis Schroder (Hawks) |
| Cody Zeller (Hornets) | Andrew Wiggins (Timberwolves) |
Just like Sunday's main event, the Rising Stars Challenge has seen plenty of shake-up in terms of key injury replacements as Friday's game draws near.
A trio of big men from the World roster are being held out, as Thunder center Steven Adams, Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic and Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk are missing the action due to injury. That paved the way for late additions of Robert Covington, Matthew Dellavedova and Kostas Papanikolaou on the World team.
But let's get this straight—it's all about a select few players who have been in the mix from the get-go.
The main player to watch on the World team doesn't dwell in the post—where they have a massive advantage—but rather on the wing, with rookie Andrew Wiggins. The Minnesota Timberwolves' first-year stud has taken over the Rookie of the Year argument and looks ready to drain plenty of buckets, as NBA Canada showed:
Wiggins is just one of four Timberwolves youngsters to make the cut, with two on each roster. But while he takes the cake as the rookie to watch, there's a second-year phenom on the radar intent on shutting him down.
That would be Victor Oladipo, the Orlando Magic sophomore who is crashing the All-Star party both Friday and Saturday night at the Rising Stars Challenge and Slam Dunk Contest.
It doesn't feel like long until he'll be a part of the All-Star Game itself, but he should first set fire to the Rising Stars Challenge for a second straight year. He scored 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting in last year's event.
But whether it's Oladipo vs. Wiggins or one of any other enticing matchups set to unfold, the action on Friday evening in the Barclays Center should be of the must-watch variety with many of the league's best young players involved.
Format Changes
The Rising Stars Challenge has never had a problem pegging two evenly matched teams against one another, but finding a competitive edge among the teams has been as elusive as any All-Star event in recent seasons.
That should be a distant memory when the ball tips on Friday night.
For the first time ever, the players have national ties to play for with the unveiling of a U.S. vs. World team selection format. Each team must have at least three rookies and three sophomores, but other than that, each side must simply select four guards, four forwards and two swingmen as either first- or second-year players.
The move proved to be popular for most around the NBA, including Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin:
The positives of such a switch go without saying, but let's say them anyway.
First and most striking is the obvious increase in the level of competition between the two teams. While players always have their own successes to play for, the simple fact of playing for more than oneself should bring out some unselfish basketball.
Most importantly, it should bring an uptick in defense. While it's still all but guaranteed to be a 100-plus-point affair between both teams, each unit should put at least a bit more effort into the defensive side with bragging rights on the line.
Either way, there is much more to play for in 2015 than in years past when it comes to the Rising Stars Challenge—and that is something everyone can welcome.
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