Get ready, basketball fans, NBA All-Star Weekend is right around the corner.
While it’ll certainly be tough for New Orleans to top the show Toronto put on in 2016, this year’s instalment promises to entertain with plenty of storylines in each event.
The Rising Stars Game is loaded with exciting young talent, the popular ‘Bigs and Smalls’ format returns for the Skills Challenge, and Klay Thompson looks to go back-to-back in the Three-Point Contest.
Here’s a closer look at each of the three competitions:
Rising Stars Game
Friday night’s Rising Stars Game marks the third consecutive year where 10 rookie and sophomore United States-born players will take on 10 international youngsters. The series is tied at one, so this year’s edition serves as a rubber match of sorts.
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The U.S. team is led by 2016 Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves and explosive Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, who is enjoying a breakout season.
On the other side, Team World boasts an impressive monster frontcourt duo in Nikola Jokic and Kristaps Porzingis. There will also be some Canadian talent on display at Smoothie King Center with rookie Jamal Murray and second-year man Trey Lyles suiting up for the game.
Skills Challenge
The Skills Challenge underwent a successful revolution one season ago, with the format changing to a bracket-style contest between four big men and four smaller players. What looked like a novelty at first actually yielded a surprising result with Towns upsetting Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas to win the title.
While Towns won’t participate this year, Thomas returns for a shot at redemption. Will the Bigs keep the trophy for another year, or will the Smalls restore order to the event?
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Winner Prediction: Isaiah Thomas
With his blend of speed and long-range shooting ability (38 per cent from three-point range), it’s easy to see the all-star walking off the court a champion on Saturday night. He has experience in the competition, and should be hungry for a victory after losing in the finals at the Air Canada Centre last year. We already know the man is clutch, as evidenced by the fact that he leads the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring, so if he can avoid an upset in the first round, he’s a good pick to go all the way.
Potential Spoiler: Anthony Davis
Poll basketball lovers and most will likely tell you they’d rather see one of the Bigs win this event. Playing on his home floor, Davis could be the people’s champion in 2017. He’ll have the fans cheering him on and it’s not hard to fathom him coming out of the crapshoot side of the bracket.
Three-Point Competition
Last year’s three-point shootout was easily the most hyped in the history of this showcase weekend. It fittingly came down to a duel between Golden State Warriors teammates Thompson and Steph Curry.
With the NBA becoming more and more perimeter oriented, this tournament has started to give the Slam Dunk Contest a run for its money as All-Star Saturday’s marquee. If not for an epic dunk battle between Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine last season that revived a stale event, the three-point contest could have easily become the night’s headliner.
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Kyle Lowry | Raptors |
| Klay Thompson | Warriors |
| Kyrie Irving | Cavaliers |
| Kemba Walker | Hornets |
| Nick Young | Lakers |
| Wes Matthews | Mavericks |
| C.J. McCollum | Trail Blazers |
| Eric Gordon | Rockets |
With a strong field assembled once again, Thompson will face some stiff competition even without Curry participating. That being said…
Winner Prediction: Klay Thompson
This event was tailormade for a player with Thompson’s skill set. The Warriors sharpshooter is deadly from anywhere on the court and thrives on catch-and-shoot three-point looks, which is what this competition replicates.
Potential Spoiler: Kyle Lowry
Lowry got his feet wet in this contest one year ago but was eliminated in the first round. He is more of an off-the-dribble three-point shooter, but his shooting percentage from long range this season is a career-best 42 per cent. He also ranks second among the field of competitors in total triples made on the season.
