Indiana Pacers rookies Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard named to NBA Rising Stars team
On Tuesday, the NBA named the 28 players who will participate in the rising stars game at All-Star weekend. The 2023 Jordan Rising Stars events are designed to showcase, "the NBA's most exciting first and second-year players."
The event features a three-game tournament in which the four teams created from the 28 invited players battle. The quartet of squads will be coached by NBA legends Pau Gasol, Jason Terry, Deron Williams, and Joakim Noah. Each game will be played to a final target score instead of being a timed game.
Seven of the 28 players in the pool come from the G League. The other 21 are first and second-year NBA players who were selected by NBA assistant coaches.
Of those 21 rookies and sophomores, two of them come from the Indiana Pacers. Rookies Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard, drafted with the sixth and 31st overall pick in 2022, respectively, were named to the event earlier today. Last year, Tyrese Haliburton and Chris Duarte represented the Pacers in the rising stars festivities.
"It'd be great. Obviously it's a start, my first year in the league. My goal is to be an All-Star one day," Mathurin said of being invited to be in the rising stars' events. "[This] gives me the opportunity to see how it is out there, and hopefully I'm an All-Star in the future."
Nembhard is the only second-round pick of either the first-year or second-year players. He is averaging 8.5 points and 4.0 assists per game this season and has started 34 games for the blue and gold.
"He's just been real impressive straight across the board," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Nembhard last week.
Mathurin is in the running for Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year. He is averaging 17.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game this season and has scored 20+ points in five straight games.
The Jordan Rising Stars tournament will take place on February 17.
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