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Memphis\u2019 Cedric Coward is 1 of several rookie standouts who will take part in the Castrol Rising Stars showcase.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a rite of deep January now, with the Castrol Rising Stars<\/a> inevitably bringing some Rising Snubs.\u00a0<\/p>\n As with the All-Star Game itself<\/a>, there are only so many roster spots available for the Rising Stars game at the showcase weekend in Los Angeles next month. When the player pool was announced Monday, 10 rookies, 11 second-year players and seven NBA G League participants were invited for the event on All-Star Friday, Feb. 13, at the Intuit Dome (9 ET, Peacock<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s always possible that an injury could clear a spot for another worthy rookie candidate. For now, the Rising Stars format presents the same challenge as this season\u2019s Kia Rookie Ladder: Limiting a deep field to just 10. \u00a0<\/p>\n Going by draft position, four of the 14 lottery picks from June did not make the initial cut. The Utah Jazz\u2019s Ace Bailey, the fifth player selected, is the highest pick and biggest contributor among the so-called snubs. He\u2019s got plenty of company, with no Jazz teammates chosen for that or any other All-Star event so far. (If it\u2019s any consolation, Bailey is back on the Ladder this week after posting some strong scoring numbers.)\u00a0<\/p>\n The other three lottery picks who didn\u2019t get the call: the Phoenix Suns\u2019 Khaman Maluach (No. 10), the Chicago Bulls\u2019 Noa Essengue (No. 12) and the San Antonio Spurs\u2019 Carter Bryant (No. 14). Among occasional Ladder designees, the Sacramento Kings\u2019 Maxime Raynaud, Dallas Mavericks\u2019 Ryan Nembhard and Charlotte Hornets\u2019 Ryan Kalkbrenner were absent from the list. \u00a0<\/p>\n Otherwise, nine\u00a0rookies\u00a0on the latest Ladder are scheduled to\u00a0participate\u00a0\u2013 and hopefully\u00a0compete, an ingredient that matters to a successful All-Star Weekend event.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The two leaders and former college teammates, Charlotte\u2019s Kon Knueppel and Dallas\u2019 Cooper Flagg, will be facing off for Team T-Mac (Tracy McGrady) and Team Melo (Carmelo Anthony). Those two Hall of Famers will coach their seven-man squads against Team Vince (HOFer\u00a0Vince Carter) and Team Austin (Austin Rivers, NBA player turned broadcaster) in a mini-tournament.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Check out the full 2026 Castrol Rising Stars draft.<\/p>\n In each of the two semifinal games, the first team to reach 40 points will advance. In the title game, the winners will be the first to score 25 or more.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n While the 21 NBA rookies and \u201csophomores\u201d were drafted onto three squads Tuesday night, the seven G League players will compete as an entry overseen by Rivers.\u00a0<\/p>\n After getting word of his invitation, Flagg told reporters: \u201cYeah, it means a lot. I feel blessed.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0kind of an\u00a0outcome of all the work\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0put in. Obviously, the way the season started and how things have gone, we wish some things\u00a0would\u2019ve\u00a0gone better, but everything happens for a reason.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u00a0are the latest rankings on this week\u2019s\u00a0Ladder:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Weekly recap<\/p>\n Some folks in Boston consider it a snub that energy guy Hugo Gonz\u00e1lez wasn\u2019t invited to the Rising Stars event. The 19-year-old native of Spain, drafted 28th\u00a0overall, ranks down the\u00a0rookie\u00a0board in a lot of traditional categories: 13th\u00a0in rebounds, 23rd\u00a0in minutes, 28th\u00a0in total points and tied for 32nd in assists. But\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0one area in which the 6-foot-6 sub has excelled:\u00a0plus\/minus rating.\u00a0His +219 ranks second to teammate Derrick White (+278) on a Celtics team that has outscored its opponents by 307 points so far.\u00a0Gonz\u00e1lez\u2019s total is a runaway among the\u00a0rookies, with\u00a0San Antonio\u2019s Dylan Harper (+96), Philadelphia\u2019s VJ Edgecombe (+58) and Golden State\u2019s Will Richard (+47) lined up second through fourth. Storyline to watch\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n A Blue Devil reunion in Dallas.\u00a0Knueppel and Flagg, Duke teammates and the top two Ladder\u00a0rung-holders, are scheduled to clash for the first time as young NBA stars when the Hornets face the Mavericks Thursday at American Airlines Center (8:30 ET, NBA League Pass<\/a>). Flagg has been coping with a tender left ankle and was listed as questionable on Tuesday in advance of Dallas\u2019 back-to-back opener Wednesday vs. Minnesota. Flagg has missed three of 46 games, while leading his team in total minutes, points, rebounds, assists and steals.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n (All stats through\u00a0Tuesday,\u00a0Jan.\u00a027)\u00a0<\/p>\n 1. Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets<\/p>\n Season stats:<\/a> 18.7\u00a0ppg, 5.5\u00a0rpg, 3.6\u00a0apg The Hornets\/Knueppel bandwagon is getting crowded, with Charlotte\u2019s 8-5 January, torrid offense and ball-moving starting lineup attracting newfound attention. Of Knueppel, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst recently said<\/a>: \u201cHe\u2019s like Steph [Curry] in that you can\u2019t catch him. One of his great things that he does is move without the ball. Pass and relocate. He\u2019ll set a ton of screens. \u2026 [Watch] the way he impacts the game.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n 2. Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks<\/p>\n Season stats:<\/a> 18.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 4.1 apg\u00a0 The Dallas rookie is the NBA\u2019s only player who\u00a0rank\u00a0in the Top 10 in clutch points (ninth<\/a>), rebounds (first<\/a>) and assists (ninth<\/a>). Only Philadelphia\u2019s Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have logged more than Flagg\u2019s 119.1 clutch minutes.<\/a>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n 3. VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers<\/p>\n Season stats:<\/a> 15.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.2 apg\u00a0 While none of the other players chosen as Castrol Rising Stars got a congratulatory shout-out from the White House, Edgecombe got exactly that from leadership in his native Bahamas. \u201cVJ Edgecombe being named an NBA Rising Star is a reminder of the extraordinary talent coming out of The Bahamas,\u201d Prime Minister Philip Davis, King Charles III\u2019s right-hand man, posted on X<\/a>. \u201cYou\u2019re setting the standard, inspiring a new generation, and proving that our young people can compete and excel anywhere in the world. Proud of you, VJ!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n 4. Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies<\/p>\n Season stats:<\/a> 13.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.8 apg\u00a0 Coward will have company on Castrol Rising Stars night with Grizzlies teammate and fellow Washington State product Jaylen Wells and guard Cam Spencer among the 11 second-year selections. Coward hit six of 14 3-pointers last week but just nine of 25 shots inside\u00a0the arc.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n 5. Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans<\/p>\n Season stats:<\/a> 12.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 4.3 apg What does NBA legend Dominique Wilkins think of Queen\u2019s rare bundle of skills and on-court demeanor? \u201cHe has size, he has skill, he\u2019s very fast for a big guy, and he shows no fear,\u201d Wilkins, the Hall of Famer and Hawks TV analyst, said of the Pelicans center<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cThose are rare qualities for a guy his age, to come in with that type of attitude. I like him.\u201d\u00a0Down week, though, as Queen shot a combined 4-of-15 at Memphis and San Antonio.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The next 5<\/p>\n 6. Caleb Love, Portland Trail Blazers\u00a0<\/p>\n Season stats:<\/a> 11.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.6 apg Any inferiority\u00a0Love might have\u00a0felt going undrafted\u00a0was put to rest early this season when veteran Blazers guard Damian Lillard\u00a0gave him the nickname<\/a> \u201cTop 10 pick.\u201d The Arizona guard has played like it in recent weeks, averaging 15.4 points on 36.2% 3-point shooting in January prior to Portland\u2019s game at Washington on Tuesday. \u00a0<\/p>\n 7. Maxime Raynaud, Sacramento Kings\u00a0<\/p>\n Season stats:<\/a> 9.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.1 apg\u00a0 The Kings\u2019 second-round prize has gotten squeezed for playing time lately with the return of center Domantas Sabonis and coach Doug Christie\u2019s use of two-way big Dylan Cardwell. He averaged just 3.3 points, five shots and 17.8 minutes last week heading into New York Tuesday. \u00a0<\/p>\n 8. Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans Pelicans\u00a0<\/p>\n Season stats:<\/a> 13.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3 apg Fears\u00a0is\u00a0lugging the Class of 2025\u2019s worst plus\/minus (-292), but he ranks second in steals, third in total points,\u00a0fourth in free throws made and minutes, and sixth in assists.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n 9. Egor D\u00ebmin, Brooklyn Nets \u00a0<\/p>\n Season stats:<\/a> 10.4 ppg, 3 rpg, 3.4 apg D\u00ebmin has a streak of 33 consecutive games in which he\u2019d made at least one 3-pointer (88-for-216, 40.7% in that span). This run of 3-pointers made matches Rudy Fernandez and Landry Shamet for the longest such streak by any rookie. \u00a0<\/p>\n T-10. Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards\u00a0<\/p>\n Season stats:<\/a> 13.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.2 apg\u00a0 Johnson got up 18\u00a0shots\u00a0a game (11 from the\u00a0arc) on his way to leading the\u00a0rookies\u00a0with 22.5 ppg last week.\u00a0He\u2019ll\u00a0be joined in the Rising Stars Game by Wizards teammates Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n T-10. Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz\u00a0<\/p>\n Season stats:<\/a> 11.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.6 apg\u00a0 Bailey is back to starting, which suits him and the Jazz: He averages 13.1 points on 47.2% shooting (36.4% on 3-pointers) in 28 starts compared to 5.4 on 34.8% (18.2%) in 11 off the bench. \u00a0<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him\u00a0here<\/a>, find\u00a0his archive here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0follow him on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nBut wait, there\u2019s more: Gonz\u00e1lez is on pace for the third-best plus\/minus impact of any rookie in NBA history. He\u2019s averaging +5.0 points per game, trailing only Spurs legend Tim Duncan (+5.2) and current OKC center Chet Holmgren (+5.1) in their debut seasons. Duncan and the players immediately behind Gonz\u00e1lez in the rookie ranking \u2013 Ben Simmons (+4.8), Donovan Mitchell (+4.5) and Jayson Tatum (+4.3) \u2013 all have been All-Stars.
\nAt the other end of the Class of 2025\u2019s plus\/minus scale, New Orleans\u2019 Jeremiah Fears has logged the most minutes while getting outscored at -292. Heading into Tuesday night\u2019s action, Utah\u2019s Ace Bailey (-240), Sacramento\u2019s Maxime Raynaud (-235) and Fears\u2019 teammate Derik Queen (-195) were lined up behind him.
\nSpurs guard Dylan Harper had a rough week as a scorer, averaging just 45 points on 33% shooting, getting up 4.5 shots per game while averaging 15.1 minutes. But coach Mitch Johnson has nudged the Draft\u2019s No. 2 pick overall to attend to other things as he finds his offensive rhythm. \u201cContinue to make plays off the ball. Force teammates get into the mix, rebounding, and some of those things,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThe scoring is very natural for him, and so to continue to put the energy into all the other areas, the ball will find him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last Ladder:<\/a> No. 1 \u2194\ufe0f
Draft pick:<\/a>\u00a0No. 4\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last Ladder: <\/a>No. 2 \u2194\ufe0f
Draft pick:<\/a>\u00a0No. 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last Ladder:<\/a> No. 3 \u2194\ufe0f
Draft pick:<\/a>\u00a0No. 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/a>Last Ladder:<\/a> No. 5 \u2b06\ufe0f
Draft pick:<\/a>\u00a0No. 11\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last Ladder:<\/a> No. 4 \u2b07\ufe0f
Draft pick:<\/a>\u00a0No. 13\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last Ladder:<\/a> No. 8 \u2b06\ufe0f
Draft pick:\u00a0<\/a>Undrafted\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last Ladder:<\/a> No. 6 \u2b07\ufe0f
Draft pick:<\/a>\u00a0No. 42\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last Ladder:<\/a> No. 9 \u2b06\ufe0f
Draft pick:<\/a>\u00a0No. 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last Ladder:<\/a>\u00a0No. 7 \u2b07\ufe0f
Draft pick:<\/a>\u00a0No. 8\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last Ladder:<\/a> Not ranked \u2b06\ufe0f
Draft pick:<\/a>\u00a0No. 6\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last Ladder:<\/a> Not ranked \u2b06\ufe0f
Draft pick:<\/a>\u00a0No. 5\u00a0<\/p>\n