5 biggest surprises from 2023 NBA Rising Stars roster

01/02/2023 20:11

The 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend is just around the corner. While many eyes are on the All-Star teams led by LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the future of basketball is also getting some recognition. The league announced the NBA Rising Stars roster on Tuesday, bringing up some interesting names to the table, while also leaving some young talent out of the mix. The NBA announced today the 28 players who have earned spots to compete in the 2023 Jordan Rising Stars. The player pool consists of 11 NBA rookies, 10 second-year NBA players and seven NBA G League players. pic.twitter.com/hxlHTYd0OT — NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 31, 2023 The Rising Stars challenge will feature a three-game mini-tournament on Feb. 17 among four teams comprised of NBA rookies, sophomores and NBA G League players. The 21 NBA players, selected by NBA assistant coaches, will be drafted onto three teams with seven players each. The seven G League players, selected by the NBA league office, will all play for the fourth team. The three teams with NBA players will have Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah and Deron Williams as head coaches. Jason Terry will lead the G League team. While names such as Paolo Banchero, Evan Mobley and G League Ignite’s Scoot Henderson were expected, others flew under the radar before their selection. Here are the five biggest surprises from the NBA Rising Stars roster. 5. No Herbert Jones One of the most pleasant surprises of the 2021 class was the emergence of Herbert Jones. He was only one of two second-round picks to be named to an All-Rookie Team in 2022. So far in the 2022-23 season, Jones is averaging 10 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Those numbers are very similar to the ones he put up as a rookie. Despite the return of Zion Williamson to the lineup, Jones still kept a big role in the rotation for the New Orleans Pelicans. Still, he did not make it to the Rising Stars roster as a sophomore. Something that might have played a role is that his team is currently on a nine-game losing streak. Because of that, NBA assistant coaches might have considered other names instead of Jones. 4. Sidy Cissoko, G League Ignite While many saw Scoot Henderson as a lock for the G League roster, the G League Ignite had other players making it to the festivities. One of them was guard Sidy Cissoko. The prospect out of France is the first European-born player to ever play for the team. He is averaging 11.1 points, 2.7 assists and 2.4 rebounds with 50-30-75 shooting splits. Although these numbers look promising for an 18-year-old player, he is just the sixth-leading scorer in the G League Ignite. Since the goal is to give these young players, especially from the G League, more visibility, it might have played a role in Cissoko’s selection. 3. Mojave King, G League Ignite Just like Cissoko, Mojave King also joins Henderson as a G League Ignite player in the NBA All-Star Weekend. The shooting guard out of New Zealand is a product of the NBA Global Academy, which likely helped him in this selection. King is averaging only 6.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists. At the age of 20, he still has time to grow and show his potential to teams before he enters his name in the NBA Draft, which could be a reason why he will play in the All-Star Weekend. Some G League players that did not make the cut were Sharife Cooper and Mason Jones, both of who lead the league in points per game and have NBA experience. Since Kenneth Lofton Jr., Mac McClung and Scottie Pippen Jr. are more well-known names among fans, the trio is not a surprise. However, both King and Cissoko were not expected to be on the list, but it shows how the NBA covets them as talents for the future. 2. No Shaedon Sharpe A five-star recruit out of high school, Shaedon Sharpe entered the league full of expectations. Due to his age and characteristics, he could eventually be a future starter in the Portland Trail Blazers’ backcourt once Damian Lillard retires. The No. 7 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft is averaging 7.7 points and 2.4 boards while shooting 47.2 percent from the field, one of the best among non-center rookies. Due to the Blazers’ disappointing first half of the season, currently out of the Play-in Tournament zone, Sharpe might have fallen out of the spotlight in the class. 1. No Tari Eason Similar to Sharpe, Tari Eason probably was not selected due to the Houston Rockets having a league-worst 12-38 record. While fellow rookie Jabari Smith Jr. also made the cut for the NBA Rising Stars roster, Eason’s lower selection (No. 17 as opposed to Smith’s No. 3) perhaps affected his chances. Eason is putting up 8.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and an assist a night. He is also hitting 44.6 percent of his field goals, 36 percent of his 3-pointers and 77.8 percent of his free throws. He is doing all that despite playing less than 20 minutes per contest. Although those numbers are not eye-catching, the power forward out of LSU has been a pleasant surprise in the rebuilding Rockets team. As Smith still struggles with his efficiency, Eason is showing that he can be a viable option off the bench while the former Auburn Tiger still adapts his game to the NBA. The post 5 biggest surprises from 2023 NBA Rising Stars roster appeared first on ClutchPoints.