The All-Star break is creeping up fast, and with it comes the annual side quests that orbit the main event. You know the ones. The stuff the league uses to spotlight young talent, sell hope, and remind us that the future is always coming, whether your team is ready for it or not.
One of those showcases is the Rising Stars game. Or games. Or tournament. Honestly, who even knows anymore, because Adam Silver cannot resist turning anything that breathes into a bracket. What used to be a simple exhibition is now a mini tournament featuring rookies, sophomores, and G League players, all mashed together in the name of “innovation.”
Still, it matters. For young guys, this is validation. A nod that the league sees them. That their work means something. And today, we got the next piece of that puzzle, as the sophomores selected for this year’s Rising Stars festivities were officially announced.
How does it work? Per NBA dot com:
> In the Castrol Rising Stars mini-tournament, Team A will face Team B in the first semifinal (Game 1), and Team C will play Team D in the second semifinal (Game 2). The winner of Game 1 will meet the winner of Game 2 in the championship (Game 3).
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> For each semifinal game, the winner will be the first team to reach or surpass 40 points. For the championship game, the winner will be the first team to reach or surpass 25 points.
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> NBA assistant coaches determined the pool of 21 NBA players, with each team submitting one ballot. Voters ranked 10 rookies and 10 sophomores, with more points assigned to higher placements. The top 10 rookies and top 10 sophomores by point total earned spots. The final spot was awarded to the higher-scoring player among the 11th\-ranked finishers in each class. The pool includes one more sophomore than rookie based on total points received.
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> An assistant coach from one of the NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs will be named head coach of each of the four Castrol Rising Stars teams, working alongside the honorary coaches.
I’m not going to lie, I thought Oso Ighodaro had a real case to be there. Not as a headliner. Not as a box score darling. But as the guy every one of those Rising Stars would secretly love playing next to.
Oso is a connector in the purest sense of the word. He keeps things moving. He fills gaps. He makes other players better without ever asking for credit. And yeah, that kind of player rarely gets the invite when the league is handing out shine. In his draft class, he ranks 28th in total points, 12th in rebounds, 19th in assists, and 12th in VORP. Those are solid numbers, but they do not jump off the page or scream highlight package.
What does jump out is his impact. Drafted 40th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Suns found themselves a rotation player. A real one. He gives meaningful minutes. He defends on the perimeter. He finishes around the rim. He understands spacing and timing in a way that feels years ahead of where he should be.
Is he flawed? Absolutely. He is not a great rebounder. The free-throw line is an adventure. Anything outside six feet might as well be a foreign country. But none of that erases what he brings to this team every night.
So no, I am not surprised he did not get the Rising Stars nod. That is how this works. But he should not go without recognition either. This is me giving him some flowers, because the Suns found something real here, even if the league has not caught up to it yet.
I will note one thing here, because I know someone is already typing it into the comments. You will notice I am not making a case for Ryan Dunn. That is intentional.
There has been some regression there, both in confidence and consistency, and the minutes have started to reflect it. That does not mean he is done. It does not mean the story is written. It means development is not always linear, especially for rookies asked to do very specific, very hard things.
It is worth talking about. It deserves its own space. That is another article for another day.