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NBA All-Star Weekend is here, and the NBA Rising Stars Challenge has long been one of the most exciting events of the weekend. It provides fans with a glimpse of the league’s future stars, featuring top young talents from both the United States and internationally. The event showcases the creativity, athleticism and skill these players will bring to the league for years. This year’s Rising Stars Challenge is split into four games, and we will break down each team while making our favorite picks.
Head coach Mitch Richmond leads Team M. This team has a ton of athleticism and is led by the Thompson twins, Amen and Ausar. Amen Thompson has broken out this season for the improving Houston Rockets. Both Thompson twins play with relentless energy, so to speak, and Amen has channeled that this season, averaging 13.8 points per game and 8.0 rebounds.
This team also features former second-overall pick Scoot Henderson, who has also broken out this season. Scoot has put up huge games at times and averages 12.4 points per game and 5.3 assists. The roster wraps up with two Wizards players—Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington—as well as Toumani Camara (Blazers) and Yves Missi (Pelicans).
Team T is led by head coach Tim Hardaway Sr. This is an intriguing roster, led by Gradey Dick of the Toronto Raptors. Dick has been much better in his second year in the league, given the injuries the Raptors have dealt with. He is averaging 15.3 points per game while shooting 34.8% from downtown.
This team also includes the first overall pick from this past draft, Zaccharie Risacher, who has had an up-and-down season. He is averaging just 32 minutes per game but is putting up 11.4 points per game on 43% shooting. We have seen flashes from Risacher this season, including two games with at least 30 points, but he has not been consistent.
The rest of the roster includes the second overall pick from this past draft, Alex Sarr, who averages 11.5 points per game for the Wizards. Additionally, they have Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Heat), Anthony Black (Magic), Tristan Da Silva (Magic) and Brandin Podziemski (Warriors).
Team C is another exciting squad led by coach Chris Mullin. This team is headlined by Keyonte George, who has been phenomenal this year, averaging 16.4 points and 5.8 assists per game for the Utah Jazz.
They also have Stephon Castle, an exciting rookie, paired with Victor Wembanyama. Castle has been ascending over his past five games, scoring at least 15 points in four of them, including a 33-point performance. This roster wraps up with two players from the Grizzlies—Jaylen Wells and big man Zach Edey. They are joined by shotmaker Dalton Knecht (Lakers), Trace Jackson-Davis (Warriors) and Suns forward Ryan Dunn.
The G League team is led by Linsanity himself, Jeremy Lin. This team is a bit more unknown, with the most popular player being Mac McClung. McClung has been a sensation since winning the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. The high-flyer is an exciting player, but unfortunately, he has not been able to crack the Magic’s rotation much this season.
The rest of the roster starts with Reed Shepard, who was the third overall pick in this past draft. He has been in and out of the rotation for the Rockets this year, but earlier this month, he scored 16 points in 28 minutes. The rest of the roster includes JD Davison (Celtics), Dink Pate (Capitanes), Bryce McGowens (Blazers), Pat Spencer (Warriors) and Leonard Miller (Timberwolves).
There is a ton of exciting talent throughout these four teams in this tournament. What’s new about the Rising Stars Challenge this year is that the winner of the tournament will compete against the NBA All-Stars on Sunday night.
The tournament starts with Team C taking on Team T and then Team G League facing off against Team M. The winners of those games will then play for the championship and the right to face the NBA All-Stars on Sunday. The team that we have our eyes on the most in this tournament is Team M.
With the Thompson twins leading the way, they will play with relentless effort on both ends of the court. On top of those two, they also have a shot maker in Scoot Henderson. The combination of these three players, along with the defensive prowess of Bilal Coulibaly, makes this team a tough out.
That said, we are picking Team M to win both their games and advance to Sunday to take on the NBA All-Stars. Our favorite player pick for the Rising Stars Challenge MVP is Amen Thompson from the Rockets. He is an exciting player who impacts the game on many levels and is an important part of any team he plays on.
Dylan has had a love for sports since he was a kid. Four years ago, he decided to dive into the sports content-creating industry specializing in Fantasy Football, NFL and NBA. He has since had his work published on sites that include Fantasy Alarm, Fansided, and Fantasy Six Pack.