Victor Wembanyama is the top name revealed from the Rising Stars rosters by the NBA on Tuesday.
Among those joining the San Antonio Spurs superstar for the sophomores are Amen Thompson, Scoot Henderson and Derrick Lively II, though Lively will miss out because of a stress fracture in his right ankle. The most notable rookies on the list are top pick Alex Sarr, as well as Memphis Grizzlies standouts Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey.
The most significant players to make the cut as G League picks are Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard and dunking sensation Mac McClung, who is on a two-way contract with the Orlando Magic.
This game tips of All-Star festivities and will be played on Friday, Feb. 14 at 9 p.m. EST.
Rookies: Bub Carrington, Stephon Castle, Tristan da Silva, Zach Edey, Dalton Knecht, Jared McCain, Yves Missi, Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Jaylen Wells
Sophomores: Bilal Coulibaly, Gradey Dick, Keyonte George, Scoot Henderson, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Dereck Lively II, Brandon Miller, Amen Thompson, Cason Wallace, Victor Wembanyama
2025 NBA Rising Stars rosters released: pic.twitter.com/0e7Bb7CbW4
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 28, 2025
G League: JD Davison, Mac McClung, Bryce McGowens, Leonard Miller, Dink Pate, Reed Sheppard, Pat Spencer
Battle For Rising Stars MVP
It’s always interesting to see which players come out gunning for the MVP award in this game. Bennedict Mathurin made a clear statement of intent early on in last year’s game. That competitive spirit drove him home in carrying the award at the end of the night.
Wembanyama may want to show he is a class above the rest, but the word “rest” could be a factor in a different way. He looks all but set to be announced as a reserve for the All-Star Game. He is averaging 24.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.9 blocks per game. He is also making 3.2 threes per game on 35.3 percent shooting.
Scoot Henderson will surely get plenty of touches to put up the raw numbers, but this may indeed be Amen Thompson’s moment in the spotlight.
The Houston Rockets forward has made a leap since entering the starting lineup in place of Jabari Smith Jr., averaging 19.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks in 10 January games.
On Monday night, he hit a game-winner in Boston against the Celtics, which had him “feeling like Kobe.”
AMEN THOMPSON’S LAST 10 GAMES:
🚀 19.2 ppg
🚀 11.5 rpg
🚀 4.4 apg
🚀 2.2 spg
🚀 1.2 bpg
🚀 8-2 recordBREAKOUT. STAR.pic.twitter.com/qcbnEyMhsx
— NBA (@NBA) January 28, 2025
Rising Stars Flying Under The Radar
While there are the obviously headlining names listed above, this game will feature a slew of players who may not have received as much publicity but are having very good seasons in their own right. Rookies such as San Antonio’s Stephon Castle, Magic forward Tristan da Silva and New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi are all off to promising starts in their NBA career.
Castle received a boost in playing time while replacing Jeremy Sochan as a starter due to injury. During 25 starts this season, Castle has averaged 14.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and just under a steal in 30 minutes per game. Castle will also be participating in this year’s dunk contest.
As the Magic suffered one injury after another, they were forced to take a by-committee approach and seek out contributions from anyone and everyone. Across a three-week span in the second half of December and the first week of January, Da Silva came through with six games of at least 15 points in a nine-game stretch. He topped the 20-point mark three times.
The Pelicans look resigned to the deep end of the standings but Missi has been a bright spot at center. In 38 starts this season, the talented 20-year-old has put up 9.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 57.4 percent from the floor. Guards and forwards usually dominate the ball in this game, but Missi has thoroughly earned his selection.
Injury Absences
Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain was named to the rookie roster but will miss the game as he has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Charlotte Hornets wing Brandon Miller recently underwent wrist surgery and has also been ruled out for the season.
