Top rookies Chet Holmgren (left) and Victor Wembanyama will compete in the 2024 Panini Rising Stars.
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Periodically, NBA.com editors will offer their thoughts on key storylines or hot topics around the league.
The league’s talented young stars will face off Friday night (9 ET, TNT) in a mini-tournament after being divided into four different teams — Team Pau, Team Tamika, Team Jalen and Team Detlef. Who wins?
Steve Aschburner
The Pau team. Given my role as curator of the weekly Kia rookie ladder ranking, I am influenced here by Pau Gasol who is going all-in on the first year players. There’s also their 1-0 record and their chance to repeat last year. Triumph of rising stars. And of course, it doesn’t hurt that he had the No. 1 pick in the team’s draft and wisely snatched Victor Wembanyama.
Brian Martin
The Pau team. In the semifinals, Pau’s team is loaded with too much talent for Team Detlef’s G League squad to defeat, while Team Jalen could get a boost if Team Tamika were to limit Paolo Banchero for Sunday’s All-Star Game. In the final, I appreciate the core of Team Pau rookies. It has four of the top five players in the latest Rookie Ladder, led by Victor Wembanyama, who can achieve his latest stunning feat on the All-Star stage.
Shaun Powell
The Pau team. My heart goes out to Team Tamika because Tamika Catchings played here for so many years with the Indiana Fever. But the Pau team has the advantage because Pau Gasol coached his team to victory last year, so he brings the goods (and he should consider a coaching career one day). But the main reason is Victor Wembanyama. The French recruit will once again demonstrate that it is foreign-born players who run this league.
John Schumann
The Tamika team. I’m going to pick the best in this matchup, and Team Tamika has the best combination of guys who can score off the dribble (Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, and Keyonte George) and guys who can shoot from deep (Keegan Murray and Vince). . Williams Jr).
Michael C. Wright
The Pau team. It’s simple. Pick the team featuring Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama. The 20-year-old has already demonstrated monstrous impact in NBA games against seasoned veterans. He will pose a significant problem for less experienced opponents who will be impressed by the big man’s abilities. Add to that the fact that Wembanyama will join former Metropolitans 92 teammate Bilal Coulibaly in the Pau squad. It is better to believe that these French people together will try to put on a show.
