
The Oklahoma City Thunder will start off the 2024 NBA All Star weekend with three players participating in the 2024 Panini Rising Stars mini tournament. This will be the third straight year of this format. Thirty of the best young players in the NBA and G League will be split into four teams; Team Pau, Team Tamika, Team Jalen, and Team Detlef. Team Jalen will square off against Team Tamika in game one where the winner will move on to face the winner of game two Team Detlef versus Team Pau. The first three rosters were selected snake draft style on Tuesday February 6th, while team Detlef will be made up of potential stars from the G League. These games will look a little different than a normal NBA game as they have target scores. Games one and two will be played until one team reaches 40 points. At that point they will be declared the winner and move on. The final game will have a target score of 25. First team to reach 25 points will be crowned your 2024 Panini Rising star champions.
2024 Panini Rising Stars Rosters
Team Pau was on the clock first, and to no ones surprise, Victor Wembanyama was first off the board. The 7’4” Frenchmen has had a strong start to his rookie campaign. The seven footers guard like play makes him an automatic highlight reel anytime he steps on the court. Paolo Banchero was next off the board going to Team Tamika. This left Jalen with back to back picks at three and four where he would select our first two Thunder players Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. It was not until pick 18 of the Rising Stars draft that Thunder rookie Cason Wallace would hear his name called as he joins Team Pau. No other team had 3 players selected which further proves that Oklahoma City’s young core has a bright future ahead of them with all the talent General Manager Sam Presti has been able to acquire. Here is a breakdown of each Team:
Pau, Tamika, Jalen, Detlef… Whose squad are you rocking with? 👀
Watch the next generation of young stars during #PaniniRisingStars, TONIGHT at 9pm/et on TNT!
All-access on the NBA App: https://t.co/p9f1cWPxS1 pic.twitter.com/ekjDSoz1aY
— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2024
Oklahoma City’s Young Stars
While it may not surprise most fans, Thunder fans would be the first to argue that Holmgren or J Dub should have been the first pick. Much of what I said earlier of Wembanyama can also be said for Chet Holmgren. After missing all of last season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, Holmgren is possibly having an even better season than Victor. The two seven footers have similar stats with the biggest difference being their roles and the competitiveness of their respective teams. Holmgren has solidified himself as the third option on a team that is fighting to lead the Western Conference, yet Wembanyama is looking like a number one option for his last place San Antonio Spurs. It will be interesting to see how the rookie of the year race ends. Jalen Williams is a player that has stepped up his game in a big way as of late, and has become a consistent scoring option for OKC. Earlier this week, Nick Crain brought to our attention just how well of a job Jalen and the Thunder have done in developing his game. Jalen Williams or other wise known as J Dub truly is a rising star in the NBA.
Jalen Williams’ career scoring averages by month:
Oct 2022: 9.0 PPG
Nov 2022: 10.9 PPG
Dec 2022: 12.3 PPG
Jan 2023: 13.6 PPG
Feb 2023: 14.9 PPG
March 2023: 19.8 PPG
April 2023: 13.3 PPG
Oct 2023: 15.5 PPG
Nov 2023: 17.9 PPG
Dec 2023: 18.8 PPG
Jan 2024: 19.9 PPG
Feb 2024: 25.0…— Nick Crain (@CrainNBA) February 16, 2024
Following an SEC All Freshman season at Kentucky, Cason Wallace declared for the 2023 NBA draft where he was selected 10th overall. Oklahoma City made a trade with the Dallas Mavericks to move up two spots to acquire the young guards talent. Wallace projected to be a good combo guard, drawing comparisons to Jrue Holiday, and he has been just that. At 6’3” and almost 200 lbs, Wallace plays tenacious defense and has a smooth jumper. Wallace is able to take advantage of all the playmakers around him and is shooting a magnificent 41% from three point range this season. Look for him to continue to develop his game and potentially play an even larger role in the future. The NBA Rising Stars game will take place later tonight, February 16th in Indianapolis, Indiana at 9:00 pm Eastern time on TNT.
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