Which stars will shine brightest at All-Star weekend in Cleveland? We make our picks!
Who will win the Rising Stars Challenge?
Michael Pina: I don't want to overthink this extremely serious exercise and pick against Team Barry (which has Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley and Franz Wagner on it), but Team Payton is stocked with able, selfless defenders (Ayo Dosunmu, Jonathan Kuminga and future DPOY Jaden McDaniels) who can all accentuate LaMelo Ball's ingenious playmaking. Plus, Scottie Barnes is here. Team Payton all the way.
Jarrel Harris: Team Isiah is stacked. Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Saddiq Bey, Jaden Hardy, Isaiah Stewart, Precious Achiuwa and Desmond Bane! Give me this team.
Rohan Nadkarni: I’m going to go with Team Barry. (We’ve gone a little too far with naming teams after one guy.) Cunningham and Mobley teaming up together is too fun to pass up on. Plus, we have a chance to see the Tim Duncan & Shaquille O'Neal of the next era take the floor together if Mobley plays alongside Alperen Sengun. I’m not going to pretend like I understand the new format for this game, but I am still willing to say that Team Barry is built perfectly for it.
Robin Lundberg: I'll go with Team Payton simply based on Ball's inclusion. His game is built for these sorts of exhibitions, and this will be his chance to put on a show as the clear biggest star on the floor.
Michael Shapiro: The Mobley-Sengun pairing is the frontcourt of my dreams on Team Barry, but their overall roster does lack some shooting. Let’s go with Team Isiah, which should be favored here, even if Edwards shows up in his pajamas.
