SAN FRANCISCO — The new All-Star weekend format gives the winning Rising Stars team a new responsibility: the opportunity to light a fire under an All-Star club.
With nothing to lose and everything to prove, the Rising Stars champion will square off in a game against Team Shaq, a squad that includes Steph Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant in Chase Center on Sunday night.
How do you get All-Stars to play hard in the All-Star Game? Make it so they’d be embarrassed if they lost.
“All of us, freshmen and sophomores, our goal is to be an All-Star one day,” Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski said.
“So to have this mini opportunity to play in the All-Star Game without being an All-Star, I think us just bringing that competitive spirit will make the guys who have been All-Stars 10, 15 times play harder. That’s what everyone wants to see.”
Podziemski, Pat Spencer and Trayce Jackson-Daivs are the three Warriors participating in the Rising Stars event — a miniature tournament between rookies, second-year players and select G Leaguers — that starts Friday night.
In recent years, the All-Star Game has devolved into a comedy of pickup basketball in the worst way. The best players in the world, with a stage of their own, haven’t treated the game with respect. Last year’s showcase was so unwatchable, commissioner Adam Silver presented the trophy to the winning Eastern Conference team almost with disgust.
“You scored the most points, well, congratulations,” Silver said.
The East won by crossing the 200-point barrier for the first time in All-Star history. The teams combined to take 168 3-pointers, and didn’t play a lick of defense.
Silver consulted Curry about possible changes to increase the level of competition. The league, for the first time ever, is dividing the All-Star selections into three teams for a two-game tournament. The Rising Stars are split up in the same way, and all games will be played to 40 points to improve the pace of play.
The idea of including the Rising Stars is clearly intended to pit hungry young players against the established future Hall of Famers who have been dogging the event.
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“100%,” Spencer said when asked if the new format gives the Rising Stars a chance to up the intensity. “I think that’s why they did it. Obviously, you hear about the ratings being down for the All-Star game year after year. They selected a guy like myself to come in and compete.”
The Rising Stars understand the assignment.
“I think it’s kind of cool to bring some competitiveness to the All-Star game,” Rockets guard Amen Thompson said.
It’d be too much to ask rookies and sophomores to single-handedly fix All-Star weekend’s signature event.
But any extra juice to the game would be more than welcome.
“I’ve also been watching All-Star Games for some years, haven’t been that intense necessarily,” Wizards guard Bub Carrington said. “But it’s a new format. I know we’re going to bring the intensity. Hopefully whatever team gets to play that older team, hopefully that older team brings the intensity, too.”
