The Rising Stars Game went through a revamp last year, as the NBA freshened up the competition to go away from a traditional two-team, full length game, to instead have a mini-tournament featuring four seven-player teams. The result was a more enjoyable Rising Stars experience, as the game no longer dragged on well beyond when the players on the court and fans watching had stopped caring.
This year, the same format is returning in Utah, but this year they have expanded the number of G League participants to six, headlined by the presumptive No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Scoot Henderson (who played in the game a year ago as well). The full roster for this year’s Rising Stars Game was unveiled on Tuesday afternoon, with the expected assortment of young stars headlined by Henderson, top rookies Paolo Banchero and Bennedict Mathurin, and sophomore stars Jalen Green, Scottie Barnes, and Evan Mobley.
ROOKIES
Paolo Banchero
Jabari Smith Jr.
Bennedict Mathurin
Walker Kessler
Jalen Duren
AJ Griffin
Jaden Ivey
Keegan Murray
Jeremy Sochan
Jalen Williams
Andrew Nembhard
SOPHOMORES
Scottie Barnes
Jalen Green
Josh Giddey
Evan Mobley
Bones Hyland
Jose Alvarado
Quentin Grimes
Trey Murphy III
Alperen Sengun
Franz Wagner
G LEAGUE
Scoot Henderson
Mac McClung
Sidy Cissoko
Mojave King
Kenneth Lofton Jr.
Scotty Pippen Jr.
Leonard Miller
I’m most excited for the world to get another chance to see Kenneth Lofton Jr. do Kenneth Lofton Jr. stuff on a big stage — and Scoot, because he’s leveled up from where he was a year ago. The Rockets will be well-represented with three players on the Rising Stars roster, while the Magic, Thunder, Pacers, and Pistons all have two players making the roster.