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2024 NBA Rising Stars: Jabari Smith Jr. to represent Rockets at All-Star Weekend

Ben DuBose
·4 min read
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On Friday night, 28 players will compete in the NBA’s 2024 Panini Rising Stars challenge. The event takes place at Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse as part of the league’s 2024 All-Star Weekend.

The annual showcase of young talent, featuring a mini-tournament with four teams and three games, airs live at 8 p.m. Central on TNT.

For the Houston Rockets, Jabari Smith Jr. is the lone representative. Fellow second-year forward Tari Eason likely would have joined Smith, but he’s been out due to a leg injury for more than a month and has missed over half of Houston’s 2023-24 season to date.

Smith, 20, is averaging 13.2 points (45.9% FG, 35.9% on 3-pointers) and 8.4 rebounds in 31.6 minutes per game this season. The 6-foot-11 forward was drafted at No. 3 overall in the 2022 first round.

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Rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore have played increasingly well in recent weeks, but the Rising Stars vote took place at an earlier point in the season. Thus, their recent improvements didn’t come in enough time to be sufficiently factored in by voters.

Here’s a look at the key details entering Friday night.

When and how to watch

  • Date: Friday, Feb. 16

  • Time: 8 p.m. Central

  • TV Channel: TNT

  • Live Stream: TNTdrama.com (limited to 10 minutes if user does not subscribe to a TV provider with TNT)

How players were selected

In selecting players for the Rising Stars event, each NBA team submitted one ballot per coaching staff.  Each coaching staff selected four frontcourt players, four guards, and two additional players at either position, in order of preference, for rookies and sophomores. Coaches were not permitted to vote for any player on their team.

The NBA participants were determined by the total points each player received from the ballots. Points were awarded based on where a player was ranked on each ballot. The player pool includes one more rookie than sophomore based on total points received.

Rookies, 2024 Panini Rising Stars

Sophomores, 2024 Panini Rising Stars

*Injured and will not play

**Injury replacement

G League players, 2024 Panini Rising Stars

  • Izan Almansa (Frontcourt | G League Ignite)

  • Emoni Bates (Cleveland Charge)**

  • Matas Buzelis (Frontcourt | G League Ignite)

  • Ron Holland (Frontcourt | G League Ignite)*

  • Mac McClung (Guard | Osceola Magic)

  • Tyler Smith (Frontcourt | G League Ignite)

  • Oscar Tshiebwe (Frontcourt | Indiana Mad Ants)

  • Alondes Williams (Guard | Sioux Falls Skyforce)

*Injured and will not play

**Injury replacement

Drafting the four teams

From NBA.com:

The 21 NBA players, selected by NBA assistant coaches, were drafted onto three seven-player teams. The seven G League players, selected by the league office, comprise the fourth team.

Six-time NBA All-Star and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Pau Gasol returns as one of the four honorary head coaches after leading his team to the Rising Stars championship last year. Joining Gasol as honorary head coaches are Indiana Fever legend and 10-time WNBA All-Star Tamika Catchings, as well as former Indiana Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf.

Gasol (Team Pau), Catchings (Team Tamika), and Rose (Team Jalen) selected their teams through the Rising Stars draft. Schrempf (Team Detlef) is coaching the G League team.

Rising Stars draft results, teams

  • Vince Williams Jr. is the injury replacement for Dyson Daniels on Team Tamika.

  • Jeremy Sochan is the injury replacement for Shaedon Sharpe on Team Jalen.

  • Emoni Bates is the injury replacement for Ron Holland on Team Detlef.

Format of games

From NBA.com:

All three games in Panini Rising Stars will be played to a final target score, meaning each game will end with a made basket or a made free throw instead of with the clock running out. The semifinal games will be played to a final target score of 40, while the championship game will be played to 25.

Game schedule

  • Game 1: Team Jalen vs. Team Tamika

  • Game 2: Team Detlef vs. Team Pau (featuring Jabari Smith Jr.)

  • Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2

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Story originally appeared on Rockets Wire