NBA Rising Stars Challenge 2015 Rosters and Format Info for USA vs. World
The real NBA all-stars take the floor Sunday during the All-Star Game, but the future of the league will be on full display Friday during the Rising Stars Challenge.
In fact, 10 of the top 15 picks from the 2013 NBA draft made the rosters for this game (as well as the four participants in the slam dunk contest), which means there will be plenty of promising talent on the floor at any given time.
Here is a look at the essential information for the Rising Stars Challenge, including the format and a prediction for the final score.
2015 NBA Rising Stars Challenge
Date: Friday, Feb. 13
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY
TV: TNT
Rosters
NBA.com provided a look at all the rosters, including the number of players who will not participate because of injuries.
| Nerlens Noel | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Zach LaVine | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Victor Oladipo | Orlando Magic |
| Cody Zeller | Charlotte Hornets |
| Mason Plumlee | Brooklyn Nets |
| Michael Carter-Williams (injured, will not play) | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Trey Burke | Utah Jazz |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Detroit Pistons |
| Shabazz Muhammad | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Elfrid Payton | Orlando Magic |
| Robert Covington | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 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 (injured, will not play) | Boston Celtics |
| Dante Exum | Utah Jazz |
| Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz |
| Nikola Mirotic | Chicago Bulls |
| Jusuf Nurkic (injured, will not play) | Denver Nuggets |
| Dennis Schroder | Atlanta Hawks |
| Matthew Dellavedova | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Kostas Papanikolaou | Houston Rockets |
Format
NBA.com also broke down the new format for this event.
Rather than the traditional rookie team playing against the sophomore team like in years past, the 2015 version of the Rising Stars Challenge will feature rookies and second-year players from the United States squaring off against rookies and second-year players from around the world.
The rosters were selected by assistant coaches from around the league, and at least three rookies and three second-year players had to be selected for each team.
Prediction
It is all about the crunch-time lineups in all-star games, because the first three quarters are often dunk exhibitions and three-point shooting displays with little defense. The world team can simply put a better finishing five on the floor in the final minutes, which will make the ultimate difference in this one.
Andrew Wiggins is the headliner on the roster, and he leads all rookies in scoring at 15.2 points per night. What’s more, he is a versatile defender who will lock down his man in the fourth quarter when defense actually becomes a thing people do in this game.
Rob Mahoney of Sports Illustrated noted that Wiggins has added an extra dimension to his attack as he continues to turn in effective performances and hit his stride in the NBA:
"It’s promising to see the long, lean Andrew Wiggins—listed at just 200 pounds—working inside against smaller guards. High efficiency from the post isn’t even required at this point; just by being there he’ll make defenses nervous. Wiggins has been using that to his advantage throughout his productive streak to draw fouls and work angles.
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Down low, Rudy Gobert is a shot-blocking force who ranks fourth in the league at 2.17 swats a night. He will control the paint for the world roster and dominate on the boards.
Nikola Mirotic, who was the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in December and was hitting 34.9 percent of his three-pointers entering Thursday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, will stretch the floor for the world team and contribute on the boards.
Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau discussed his stretch forward, via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: "The one thing that Niko does do at [small forward] is his size helps our rebounding. It’s still a work in progress. He has a lot of work to do defensively, but most rookies do. As I said at the beginning [of the year], I love his approach. He’s going to get better and better."
Elsewhere, Giannis Antetokounmpo is an athletic freak and has been a double-double machine of late, notching four double-doubles in his last seven games and missing a fifth by a single rebound. He also had two games in that stretch where he scored 25 and 27 points in back-to-back performances.
The bottom line is Antetokounmpo is hitting his stride, which is a scary proposition for the United States team (and the Eastern Conference at large).
Finally, point guard Dennis Schroder will run the show with pinpoint passes and game-changing speed and will utilize his ability to get out in transition late in the game. There will be tired players on the floor in crunch time, and Schroder will be able to blow past defenders in the open floor and set up easy opportunities for himself and his teammates.
It also doesn’t help the United States’ chances that Michael Carter-Williams won’t be on the floor because of injury, considering his ability to stuff the stat sheet with points, assists and rebounds.
Ultimately, the world team will have a better group on the floor in crunch time of the Rising Stars Challenge, and the result will be an impressive victory in a high-scoring showdown.
Prediction: World 137, United States 130
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