The Detroit Pistons had two players selected for the Rising Stars Challenge this year, but just one, Jaden Ivey, will actually play.
Jalen Duren was ruled out with an ankle injury, which is a shame, as it would have been a great chance for him to cement himself as the best big man in his draft class. Cade Cunningham has been out for all but 12 games this season, and he too likely would have been a part of this game otherwise.
But the Pistons will still have rookie Jaden Ivey in the Rising Stars Challenge, which will continue with the tournament format started last season.
Rookie Dyson Daniels of the New Orleans Pelicans remarked that the game was an important step in his development last season (he played as a G-leaguer), as he got a chance to test himself against the other top, young NBA talents and said it was real boost to his confidence moving forward.
Could the same happen for Jaden Ivey this season? For many, this tournament will be their first real exposure to the rookie on the national stage, and I was curious as to how much this game/exposure helped young players in the past.
Detroit Pistons: Stats post Rising Stars Challenge show improvement
Most young players get better as the season goes on, so just saying that their stats improved is not necessarily evidence that the game helps their confidence or skills. But many of these young players are toiling on bad teams who get little time on TV, so for many this is a chance to play on a big stage against elite competition.
It’s also a chance to hang out with NBA All-Stars, pick their brains and soak up some wisdom and to play against the best of their peers. Success in this game should boost a player’s confidence for the home stretch of the season.
There is some evidence that is has, as last season both Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart saw their numbers improve and gave us a preview of the future. Cunningham bumped his scoring average up to 21 points per game while adding 6.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists, all improvements and pretty much a preview of what we saw in limited action this season.
Stewart started shooting and making more 3-point shots, 54 percent of them in fact, which was a preview of his evolving role this season.
It wasn’t just the Pistons, as top rookies like Evan Mobley, Jalen Green and Scottie Barnes all improved after the All-Star break and participating in the Rising Stars Challenge.
Hopefully Jaden Ivey will dominate and use that momentum to finish strong for the Detroit Pistons and in the Rookie of the Year race.