Paolo Banchero’s rookie season will embody a visit to NBA All-Star Weekend.
The Orlando Magic ahead and the No. 1 choose in final 12 months’s draft was introduced Tuesday as a participant on this 12 months’s Rising Stars Sport, which will probably be held in Salt Lake Metropolis on Feb. 17, two nights earlier than the All-Star Sport.
Banchero – who leads all rookies with a median of 20.7 factors per sport – can nonetheless be chosen as an All-Star reserve. These gamers will probably be revealed on Thursday.
“Anytime you get a possibility to be part of All-Star weekend, you possibly can’t say no,” Banchero stated. “Particularly me being a rookie, my first 12 months, I’ve by no means skilled that earlier than, it is at all times been the dream to simply be part of that, whether or not it was Rising Stars or as a backup. I am undoubtedly excited to get there and simply see what it is like.”
Banchero is on tempo to change into the primary rookie to common 20 factors per sport since Luka Doncic in 2018-19. He’s additionally fourth amongst rookies in rebounds per sport coming into Tuesday and third amongst them in steals per sport.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley stated the All-Star expertise — whether or not it is only for the Rising Stars or not — will have an effect on Banchero.
“Simply being round different younger gamers which have discovered themselves in that place, it does a lot as a result of they’re your teammates,” Mosley stated. “You are round a bunch of younger guys who’re the league’s elite in that class. I feel it says one thing concerning the work you’ve got put in, the work he is put in. It will do wonders for the way he continues to consider in himself, what we do as a group and his continued progress.”
Additionally chosen for the sport from this 12 months’s rookie class: Detroit’s Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey, Atlanta’s AJ Griffin, Utah’s Walker Kessler, Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard, Sacramento’s Keegan Murray, Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. , So Antonio and Jerehoma Metropolis of San Antonio and Oklahoma Metropolis Jalen Williams.
Jose Alvarado and Trey Murphy III of New Orleans, Scottie Barnes of Toronto, Josh Giddey of Oklahoma Metropolis, Jalen Inexperienced and Alperen Sengun of Houston, Quentin Grimes of New York, Bones Hyland of Denver, Evan Mobley of Cleveland and Franz Wagner of Orlando.
There can even be a group of G League gamers within the Rising Stars occasion consisting of Sidy Cissoko, Mojave King, Scoot Henderson, Kenneth Lofton Jr., Mac McClung, Leonard Miller and Scotty Pippen Jr.
The 21 NBA gamers will probably be drafted into three groups of seven gamers. Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah and Deron Williams will function coaches for these groups, whereas Jason Terry will coach the G League group.
All 4 groups will play a semifinal sport with a goal rating of 40, and the 2 winners will then play the championship sport with a goal rating of 25.
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