NBA Rising Stars Challenge 2017: Rosters, Snubs, Predictions for USA vs. World

The NBA Rising Stars Challenge, an All-Star Weekend competition in which 10 rookies or second-year players from the United States will face 10 rookies or second-year players from the rest of the world, will take place on Friday, February 17 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.

It's one of the more fun (and underrated) competitions during a stacked NBA All-Star weekend. Last year's game was a fantastic, free-wheeling 157-154 win by the USA team.

Like the All-Star Game, defense is optional, but it's a fun event to watch during the dog days of the sports calendar.

Here's a look at each roster, some snubs that should have made the game and a prediction.

United States

Player	Position	Team
Devin Booker	Guard	Phoenix Suns
Malcolm Brogdon	Guard	Milwaukee Bucks
Marquese Chriss	Forward	Phoenix Suns
Brandon Ingram	Forward	Los Angeles Lakers
Frank Kaminsky	Forward	Charlotte Hornets
Jahlil Okafor	Center	Philadelphia 76ers
D'Angelo Russell	Guard	Los Angeles Lakers
Jonathan Simmons	Guard	San Antonio Spurs
Karl-Anthony Towns	Center/Forward	Minnesota Timberwolves
Myles Turner	Center/Forward	Indiana Pacers

World

Player	Position	Team
Joel Embiid *	Center/Forward	Philadelphia 76ers
Dante Exum	Guard	Utah Jazz
Buddy Hield	Guard	New Orleans Pelicans
Nikola Jokic	Center/Forward	Denver Nuggets
Trey Lyles	Forward	Utah Jazz
Emmanuel Mudiay #	Guard	Denver Nuggets
Jamal Murray	Guard	Denver Nuggets
Kristaps Porzingis	Forward	New York Knicks
Domantas Sabonis	Forward	Oklahoma City Thunder
Dario Saric	Forward	Philadelphia 76ers

-- Rosters via NBA.com.

* Embiid is recovering from a left knee injury and is unlikely to play, per NBA.com.

# Mudiay is recovering from a lower back injury, via Harrison Wind of BSN Denver. He is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against Minnesota. It is possible he may not play in Friday's Rising Stars Challenge.

Snubs

Although calling them snubs might be a bit of a stretch, considering their recent run of success occurred after the USA and World teams were picked on January 12, the Hernangomez brothers (Juancho of the Denver Nuggets and Willy of the New York Knicks) could easily find slots on the World team.

Pardon the recency bias, but Juancho's performance against the Golden State Warriors on Monday was simply sensational. In 43 minutes, Juancho registered a double-double (27 points and 10 rebounds) in 43 minutes to help lead Denver to a 132-110 win. The 6'9" forward caught fire from three-point land, making six of nine triples on the night.

Juancho has enjoyed a successful February. Not counting a February 3 game in which he played only three minutes, Juancho averaged six points and 5.3 rebounds in just 17 minutes per night.

Willy is averaging 6.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in just 15.3 minutes per game this season, and he is one of the few bright spots on a bad Knicks team with his recent play, as he's put up 11.5 points and 9.3 boards in 23.8 minutes a night in February.

He scored 16 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in just 25 minutes against the Brooklyn Nets on February 1, one of four double-doubles he's amassed since January 18.

Otherwise, Boston Celtics rookie forward Jaylen Brown could have found a spot on the USA roster. He's averaged 5.7 points per game this season, including 8.8 in February.

Brown showcased his talents on national television in a 128-122 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 3, posting 19 points, five rebounds and three steals.

That being said, Brown he would have missed the game with a right hip strain he suffered on February 11 against Utah.

Prediction

This game will come down to guard play.

Both frontcourts are stacked, with Towns and Turner leading the USA squad and Jokic and Porzingis manning the World side, but the USA team guards are better than the World team's.

D'Angelo Russell and Devin Booker, the presumptive starting point guard and shooting guard, respectively, for the USA team, have a massive edge over the World backcourt, which will be a combination of Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield and Dante Exum (assuming Emmanuel Mudiay can't go).

Booker scores almost as many points per night (21.1) as those three do combined (23.4).

Furthermore, losing Embiid, who has the 16th-best player efficiency rating in the NBA (per ESPN), hurts this team immensely. With him, the World team would have a massive advantage in the frontcourt, but without him, the USA can hang with the World down low.

Last year, a shooting guard for the American team (Zach Lavine) carried the torch with 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists. This year, expect another USA shooting guard to win the MVP and lead his team to the title. That should be Devin Booker, who will have a big night in a rout.

Score: USA 155, World 135