ORLANDO, FLA- As stated by Senior Lead NBA Insider Shams Charania, Orlando’s Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner were named to the 2022-23 NBA Rising Stars Tournament at All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City. Banchero and Wagner will be joined by 19 other NBA Rookies, Sophomores, and G-League Standouts in the Tournament, which is set for Friday, February 17th, at 9 PM Eastern Time.
Instead of the traditional two-team setup of ‘Team USA’ and ‘Team World’, the NBA decided to switch to a three-game Tournament consisting of four teams that drafted their players in the 2021-2022 season. The 21 NBA Rookies and Sophomores will be divided into three teams, which will be coached by Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, and Deron Williams. Meanwhile, seven nominated players from the G-League will be coached by Jason Terry.
Furthermore, this format has replaced the traditional four twelve-minute quarters with a target score of 40 points for the semifinal games, and 25 points for the Championship Game. During the 2021-2022 Rising Stars Challenge, Team Barry beat Team Isiah in the Championship Game, 25-20, which saw Detroit’s Cade Cunningham win the Rising Stars Tournament MVP Award.
It’s worth noting that Orlando had Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Wagner all participate in the 2021-2022 Rising Stars Tournament, and each player had solid performance. With this said, Wagner’s play in the Championship Game helped seal the Tournament Win for Team Barry. For reference, Wagner was fouled after receiving a back-door cut pass from Cunningham, and went to the free-throw line with Team Barry leading Team Isiah 24-20, needing just one more point to hit the 25 point Target Score. With all eyes on him, Wagner sunk his first of two free-throw attempts to secure the Championship victory, and capped off a 13-2 scoring run for Team Barry after trailing 18-12.
“It’s just three hours, but obviously a lot of different experiences, talking to a lot of different guys, and playing was the most fun”, Wagner said after his game-winning free-throw. “Just feeling the energy of the arena and playing with guys that I don’t normally get a chance to play with. I thought it was really cool.”
In reference to their nominations to the NBA’s Rising Star Tournaments, both Banchero and Wagner have had sensational seasons in Orlando this year. After being drafted No. 1 by Orlando in the 2022 NBA Draft, Banchero has been undeniably stellar, averaging 33.7 MPG, 20.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.7 APG, and 1.0 SPG in 44 starts. In addition, Banchero is shooting 43.3% from the field, 31.6% from three-point range, and 76.3% from the free-throw line, and has been thriving as the No. 1 scoring option in Orlando.
“Anytime you can get a chance to be a part of All-Star Weekend, you can’t say no,” Banchero said of the selection. “Especially me, being a rookie, first year, never experienced it before, it’s always been the dream to just be a part of that whether it was Rising Stars or as a reserve. I’m definitely excited to get there and just see what it’s like.”