Grading each event from the NBA’s 2020 All-Star weekend in Chicago

Rising Stars Game

Up next on our All-Star weekend agenda, is the Rising Stars Game. This match saw Team USA vs Team World in a fun, highlight-filled event. This is when most NBA fans tune in, because the Celebrity Game is often boring, so it had to be a great match.

The roster for both Team USA and Team World was expected, although the decision to not include New Orleans Pelicans’ big man, Jaxson Hayes, caused a stir of controversy from both the fans and Hayes himself, who criticized the decision not to include him. But it was a stacked lineup for both teams, who were looking to give the fans a good time:

Unfortunately, Tyler Herro and Deandre Ayton could not play due to injury. Tyler Herro was replaced by Cleveland Cavaliers point guard, Collin Sexton, while Ayton was replaced by Pelicans power forward, Nicolo Melli. Welcome inclusions for sure, although I would’ve loved to see Terence Davis replace Herro, but Sexton was fine. Prior to the match, the odds were in Team USA’s favor, but Luka Doncic is a walking bucket so it was a close affair to decide.

How did it go?

This year’s Rising Stars Game was fun to watch, even if it went down-hill during the fourth. Watching the league’s young stars, show off and putting some highlights in my Twitter feed, was a great sight. But there were some outlying issues that bugged fans a bit.

There weren’t any adjustments or changes to the match at all, no rule change or implementation, nothing. Unlike its big brother, the All-Star game, which made an abundance of rule changes. This meant that 100 percent of the game had no defense whatsoever, agonizing fans who just want some change. This match felt a bit uninspired, even though we were given some cool highlights.

Speaking of which, the highlights were marvelous. The main selling point of the match, Zion Williamson, gave fans some awesome moments and rim-shaking dunks. Brandon Clarke was also fun to watch, showing off his athleticism with ease.

In the end, Team USA beat Team World, 151-131. RJ Barrett‘s 27 points and five assists weren’t enough to give Team World the win. The MVP of the whole event was Miles Bridges, who gave us the tweet of the year at half-time:

Bridges finished the game with 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and chipped in three steals on the defensive end.

To conclude, the Rising Stars game did a good job of impressing the fans, even though it had its ups and downs. It was entertaining, but not to the point where fans were totally drawn in. The overall inconsistency was a letdown, but those entertaining moments kept the fans begging for more. The issue with the game was that it is need of a makeover, throw in some new rules or adjustments, make fans want to watch the full game, rather than just the highlights on YouTube.

Overall, the match was a good way to cap off an eventful All-Star Friday night.

Grade: B