Here are grades for every event during All-Star Weekend, including all of the Rising Stars players on Friday.
It’s NBA All-Star Weekend, but not all the stars will shine equally. To highlight the best and worst performances all weekend long in Indianapolis, we’re grading the participants in every event from the Rising Stars on Friday through Sunday’s All-Star Game.
Friday’s star-studded Rising Stars tournament at All-Star Weekend featured the leading two contenders for Rookie of the Year — the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren and San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama — as well as 2023 award winner and first-time All-Star Paolo Banchero.
For the third consecutive year, the NBA’s best rookies and sophomores were split into three teams drafted by honorary coaches, with a team representing the NBA G League filling out the four-team bracket. These teams played to a target score of 40 points in the semifinals and 25 points in the final.
Team Jalen, coached by former NBA player Jalen Rose, ended up beating a team of players from the G League (coached by three-time All-Star Detlef Schrempf) in the final. Those teams had earlier defeated teams coached by Hall of Famers Tamika Catchings and Pau Gasol in the semifinals.
Bennedict Mathurin of weekend host Indiana Pacers was named MVP after scoring 18 points in the semis.
Which of the NBA’s stars of tomorrow showed the most potential with their play? Let’s grade the performance of all 28 players in action.
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Grade: B
Game 1: 5 PTS | 2-4 FG | 3 REB | 1 AST
Final: 2 PTS | 0-0 FG | 2 REB | 1 BLK
Analysis
The top pick for Team Jalen didn’t end up playing the biggest role in his team’s victory. Holmgren had five turnovers in the semifinals, when he matched up with 2022 No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero and scored only at the free throw line in the final. On the plus side, Holmgren twice drove past Banchero on the perimeter, once for a running layup and the other drawing a foul.
Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
Grade: A-
Game 1: 2 PTS | 1-1 FG | 3 REB | 3 AST
Final: 5 PTS | 2-3 FG | 1-2 3PT | 3 AST
Analysis
Williams capably handled the role of point guard for the aptly named Team Jalen, handing out a game-high three assists in both the semifinals and the final. His only score in the semifinals was the team’s opening basket, starting a comeback from a 10-0 deficit. Williams also capped the night’s scoring with a pull-up 3 to reach — and actually surpass — the target score and win the tournament.
Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers
Grade: A
Game 1: 18 PTS | 7-13 FG | 2-4 3PT | 2 REB
Final: 4 PTS | 1-3 FG | 2 AST | 1 STL
Analysis
Mathurin redeemed himself for missing what could have been a pair of game-winning free throws by making a pull-up jumper to reach the target score in the tightly contested semifinal win. Of course, Team Jalen was in that position only because of Mathurin’s takeover, which earned him MVP honors.
Mathurin scored nearly half of his team’s points in the semifinals, repeatedly getting to the rim and making a pair of 3-pointers. Mathurin made less noise in the final, where his best play was a nifty flip pass to Kessler for a layup.
Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs
Grade: C+
Game 1: 0 PTS | 0-0 FG | 2 REB
Final: 0 PTS | 0-2 FG
Analysis
Playing on the perimeter as part of a supersized Team Jalen starting five, Sochan was the team’s only player not to score, missing both of his shot attempts.
Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks
Grade: A
Game 1: 6 PTS | 3-3 FG | 2 REB
Final: 6 PTS | 3-3 FG | 1 AST
Analysis
Lively’s above-the-rim finishing and willingness to run the court were difference-makers for Team Jalen, which rallied from an early deficit soon after he checked into the semifinals. Lively quickly finished an alley-oop and was 6-of-6 from the field overall, all around the rim.
Jordan Hawkins, New Orleans Pelicans
Grade: A
Game 1: 7 PTS | 3-5 FG | 5 REB | 2 AST
Final: 5 PTS | 2-2 FG | 1-1 3PT | 2 AST
Analysis
Arguably the best shooter in this year’s rookie class, Hawkins showcased his skill with a pair of pull-up 3-pointers in transition — he finished 5-of-7 during the competition. More impressive, however, was Hawkins’ playmaking. He found teammates Walker Kessler and Dereck Lively II for alley-oop finishes.
Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz
Grade: B
Game 1: 2 PTS | 1-1 FG | 2 REB | 1 AST
Final: 4 PTS | 2-2 FG | 1 REB
Analysis
It was a slow start for Kessler, who was actually called for an illegal screen in the semifinals — maybe the first in All-Star weekend history. Kessler did have a powerful block in that game and a pair of finishes around the rim in the finals.
