Memphis’ Cedric Coward is one of several notable rookies participating in the Castrol Rising Stars showcase.

It’s something of a ritual that deepens into January, as Castrol Rising Stars inevitably brings the Rising Snub.

Like the All-Star Game itself, there are limited registration slots available for the Rising Stars Game at Showcase Weekend in Los Angeles next month. After player slots were announced on Monday, 10 rookies, 11 second-year players and seven NBA G League participants were invited to attend the All-Star Friday event on February 13th at the Intuit Dome.9ET, Peacock).

There’s always a chance that an injury will open up a spot for another valuable rookie prospect. For now, the Rising Stars format presents the same challenge as this season’s Kia Rookie Ladder: limiting the deep field to just 10 players.

By draft position, four of the 14 players selected in the June lottery did not receive the first pick. Ace Bailey of the Utah Jazz, who was selected fifth, is the highest pick among the so-called snub players and is the biggest contributor. He has a lot of company, but so far no Jazz teammates have been selected for that or any other All-Star event. (If it’s any consolation, Bailey is back on the ladder with some good points this week.)

The remaining three lottery picks who were not selected are Carman Maluha of the Phoenix Suns (10th pick), Noah Esseng of the Chicago Bulls (12th pick), and Carter Bryant of the San Antonio Spurs (14th pick). Of the players occasionally named to the ladder, Maxime Reynaud of the Sacramento Kings, Ryan Nembhard of the Dallas Mavericks and Ryan Kalkbrenner of the Charlotte Hornets were left off the list.

Otherwise, there will be nine rookies joining the latest ladder. competeis an important element in making the All-Star Weekend event a success.

The two leaders and former college teammates, Conn Knuppel of the University of Charlotte and Cooper Flagg of Dallas, will compete as Team T-Mac (Tracy McGrady) and Team Melo (Carmelo Anthony). These two Hall of Famers will coach a seven-man team that will compete against Team Vince (HOFer Vince Carter) and Team Austin (NBA player-turned-caster Austin Rivers) in a mini-tournament.

The first team to reach 40 points advances in each of the two semi-finals. In the title match, the first player to score 25 points or more is the winner.

On Tuesday night, 21 NBA rookies and “sophomores” were drafted by three teams, while seven G League players will compete for the entry coached by Rivers.

Upon hearing of the invitation, Flagg told reporters, “Well, it means a lot. I feel blessed. This is kind of the culmination of all the hard work I’ve put in. Obviously, there are times when I wish things could have gone better, like the way the season started and the way things went, but everything happens for a reason.”

Here are the latest rankings for this week’s ladder.

weekly summary

• Some people in Boston believe energy man Hugo Gonzalez was disrespected for not being invited to the Rising Stars event. 19 year old from Spain, 28th draft pickth Overall, it ranks lower than the rookie board in many traditional categories: 13th rebounds, 23rd in minutes, 28th Tied for 32nd in total pointsn.d. With an assist. But there is one area where the 6-foot-6 secondary excels. It’s a plus/minus rating. His +219 ranks second behind Celtics teammate Derrick White (+278), who has outscored opponents by 307 points thus far. González’s career performance stands out among rookies, with San Antonio’s Dylan Harper (+96), Philadelphia’s VJ Edgecomb (+58) and Golden State’s Will Richard (+47) tied for second through fourth.
• But wait, there’s more: González is on pace to have the third-best plus/minus impact of any rookie in NBA history. He averaged +5.0 points per game in his debut season, trailing only Spurs legend Tim Duncan (+5.2) and current OKC center Chet Holmgren (+5.1). Duncan and the players right behind Gonzalez in the rookie rankings, Ben Simmons (+4.8), Donovan Mitchell (+4.5) and Jayson Tatum (+4.3), were all named All-Stars.
• on the other side of the class On the plus/minus scale in 2025, New Orleans’ Jeremiah Fears played the most minutes while being rated -292. Heading into Tuesday night’s game, Utah’s Ace Bailey (-240), Sacramento’s Maxime Raynaud (-235) and Fiers teammate D’Eriq Queen (-195) lined up behind him.
• Spurs guard Dylan Harper He had a tough week as a scorer, averaging only 4.5 points on 33% shooting and taking 4.5 shots per game in 15.1 minutes. But coach Mitch Johnson moved the No. 2 overall draft pick around a bit to focus on other things in order to find a rhythm on offense. “Continue to play off the ball, get your teammates in the mix, force rebounds and things like that,” Johnson said. “Scoring comes very naturally to him, so if he continues to put his energy into all the other areas, the ball will find him.”

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Blue Devils reunion in Dallas. Knuppel and Flagg, teammates at Duke and the top two ladder rungs, will clash for the first time as young NBA stars when the Hornets take on the Mavericks at American Airlines Center on Thursday (8:30 ET, NBA League Pass). Flagg has been suffering from tenderness in his left ankle and was listed as critical on Tuesday ahead of Dallas’ back-to-back opener on Wednesday and Wednesday’s game against Minnesota. Flagg missed three of the 46 games, but led the team in total minutes, points, rebounds, assists and steals.

(All statistics up to Tuesday, January 27th)

1. Con Knuppel, Charlotte Hornets

Season statistics: 18.7 rpg, 5.5 rpg, 3.6 apg
Last ladder: No.1 ↔️
Draft pick: No.4

The Hornets and Knuppel trend is getting more and more crowded, with Charlotte’s ferocious offense and ball-moving starting lineup drawing new attention from Jan. 8-5. ESPN Insider Brian Windhorst talks about Knuppel. said recently: “He looks like Steph.” [Curry] In that you can’t catch him. One of the great things about him is that he moves without the ball. Pass and move. He sets up a lot of screens. … [Watch] It’s about how he influences the game. ”

2. Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

Season statistics: 18.8ppg, 6.4rpg, 4.1apg
Last ladder: no. 2 ↔️
Draft pick: No.1

The Dallas rookie is the only player in the NBA to rank in the top 10 in clutch points (9th), rebounds (1st) and assists (9th). Only Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have faster times than Flagg’s 119.1 clutch time.

3. VJ Edgecomb, Philadelphia 76ers

Season statistics: 15.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.2 apg
Last ladder: No.3 ↔️
Draft pick: No.3

While none of the other players selected for the Castrol Rising Stars received a blessing from the White House, Edgecombe did receive a blessing from the leadership of his homeland in the Bahamas. “VJ Edgecombe’s selection as an NBA Rising Star is a reminder of the extraordinary talent coming out of the Bahamas,” said Prime Minister Philip Davis, right-hand man of King Charles III. Posted in X. “You are setting the standard, inspiring a new generation, and proving that our youth can compete and excel anywhere in the world. We are so proud of you, VJ!”

4. Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies

Season statistics: 13.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.8 apg
Last ladder: No.5 ⬆️
Draft pick: No.11

Coward will be joined on Castrol Rising Stars night by Grizzlies teammate Jalen Wells, also from Washington State, and guard Cam Spencer, who was among the 11 second-year selections. Coward made 6-of-14 3-pointers last week but was just 9-of-25 from the field. internal arc.

5. Derrick Queen, New Orleans Pelicans

Season statistics: 12.1ppg, 7.4rpg, 4.3apg
Last ladder: No.4 ⬇️
Draft pick: No.13

What does NBA legend Dominique Wilkins think of Queen’s rare set of skills and on-court demeanor? “He’s got the size, he’s got the skill, he’s very fast for a big guy, and he shows no fear,” said Wilkins, a Hall of Famer and Hawks television analyst. Here’s what he said about the Pelicans Center:. “It’s a rare quality for a guy his age to have that kind of attitude. I like him.” But Queen had a strong week this week as he combined for 4-of-15 in Memphis and San Antonio.

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6. Caleb Love, Portland Trail Blazers

Season statistics: 11.2ppg, 2.7rpg, 2.6apg
Last ladder: no. 8 ⬆️
Draft pick: undrafted

Any inferiority complex Love may have felt going undrafted was erased early this season by veteran Blazers guard Damian Lillard. gave him a nickname “Top 10 pick.” The Arizona State guard has played similarly in recent weeks, averaging 15.4 points on 36.2 percent shooting from 3-point range in January before Tuesday’s game against Portland in Washington.

7. Maxime Reynaud, Sacramento Kings

Season statistics: 9.5ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.1apg
Last ladder: No.6 ⬇️
Draft pick: No.42

The Kings’ second-round picks have been squeezed by playing time lately, with the return of center Domantas Sabonis and coach Doug Christie’s hiring of two-way big Dylan Cardwell. He averaged just 3.3 points, five shots, and 17.8 minutes last week before heading to New York on Tuesday.

8. Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans Pelicans

Season statistics: 13.7 games, 3.6 RPGs, 3 apps
Last ladder: No.9 ⬆️
Draft pick: No.7

Fiers has the worst plus/minus (-292) in the 2025 class, but ranks second in steals, third in total points, fourth in free throws made and minutes played, and sixth in assists.

9. Egor Demin, Brooklyn Nets

Season statistics: 10.4 ppg, 3 rpg, 3.4 apg
Last ladder: No.7 ⬇️
Draft pick: No.8

Demin has made at least one 3-point shot in 33 consecutive games (88-of-216, 40.7% in that span). This 3-point shooting streak was the longest by a rookie, matching Rudy Fernandez and Landry Shamet.

T-10. Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards

Season statistics: 13.1 Games, 2.8 RPGs, 2.2 Apps
Last ladder: Not ranked ⬆️
Draft pick: No.6

Johnson led rookies last week with 18 shots per game (11 from the arc) and 22.5 RBI. He will be attending the Rising Stars game along with Wizards teammates Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George.

T-10. Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz

Season statistics: 11.1rpg, 3.4rpg, 1.6apg
Last ladder: Not ranked ⬆️
Draft pick: No.5

Bailey returned to the starting lineup. This is good for him and the Jazz. In 28 games as a starter, he averaged 13.1 points on 47.2 percent shooting (36.4 percent from 3-point range), while in 11 games off the bench he averaged 5.4 points on 34.8 percent shooting (18.2 percent).

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Steve Aschburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. Email him here or find his archives here, Follow him on X.