NBA All-Star Weekend: Previewing the Rising Stars Challenge

Since 1994, the concept of pinning young players against each other has taken place during NBA All-Star Weekend, and the 2017 Rising Stars is another installment.

The Rising Stars Challenge is one of the best aspects of the NBA All-Star Weekend because it shows the entire league the young players ready to take over, including Milwaukee’s own Malcolm Brogdon.

Before getting into the rosters for each team, here is how you can watch:

Who: Team USA vs. Team World

When: 9:00 p.m. ET on Friday, February 17th

Where: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana

Channel: TNT

Since the release of these rosters, Joel Embiid has suffered an injury, which is forcing him to sit out this game. To make up for his absence, Oklahoma City’s Alex Abrines has been called upon by the World team. Along with Embiid, Emmanuel Mudiay has also been ruled out of the game due to injury, leading Willy Hernangomez to join the team in his place.

It is obviously disappointing to miss out on Embiid in this game, but at least there is the dynamic duo of Wisconsin men. On Team USA, Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon and former Wisconsin Badger Frank Kaminsky will be taking the floor together.

In his rookie season, Malcolm Brogdon is averaging just under 10 points per game while dishing out over four assists per game. He has proven to be an absolute steal from this past draft class after being selected in the second round and is shooting a blistering 41.7 percent from three in his first year.

And as we reach the midpoint in this awesome year for the Bucks’ rookie, let’s take a look at arguably his best game of the season, in which he registered a triple-double.

For Kaminsky, he is now in his second season in the NBA. While playing 25 minutes per game, Frank the Tank is averaging a touch over 10 points per game and just under five rebounds. His field goal percentage has not been very good (39.4 percent), but he has shown his flashes.

In fact, in Charlotte’s last game before the All-Star Break, Kaminsky exploded for 27 points in the loss to Toronto. This was his third 20-point game in his last seven games, giving him a 17.0 point per game average in February.

With Brogdon at guard and Kaminsky running in the front court, it could be very fun for Wisconsin sports fans to watch Team USA on Friday night. This is, however, without mentioning Karl-Anthony Towns and Myles Turner, two players already nearing star status in the NBA.

On Team World, fans will get to see a lot of young talent, headlined by three players nearing star level already. Kristaps Porzingis, Dario Saric, and Nikola Jokic are all outstanding players. In fact, Jokic might be the most underrated star in the entire league, thanks to his ability to not only work on the offensive end for points, but he is a great (and I mean that with every meaning of the word) passer from the post.

Porzingis is a truly exceptional player that is soon to become the face of the franchise for the New York Knicks with his ability to basically do-it-all at 7’3″. And then there is Dario Saric, who, along with teammate Joel Embiid and the aforementioned Malcolm Brogdon, is a leading candidate to win the Rookie of the Year Award this season.

Next: Previewing the Celebrity All-Star Game

The main focus in this one for Bucks’ fans will be the play of Malcolm Brogdon, but this game is an exceptional showcase for some of the best young players across the Association.