Although the Nuggets aren't likely to have any representation in the all star game, their young stars will be represented in the Rising Stars game. Both Mudiay and Jokic have played shown that they can be stars in a couple of years and they will demonstrate their abilities in front of a national audience against other first and second year players.
Mudiay has had his ups and downs this season, but he is on the upswing as of now. He was turning the ball over a lot and shooting at a low percentage, but slowly, he seems to be turning those things around. He is scoring 11 points per game and dishing out 5.7 assists per game. Once he is able to shot consistently he should be one of the best point guards in the league.
Nikola Jokic is probably more impressive. He only gets around 19 minutes per game, but he does the most that he can with limited minutes. His per 36 stats are 17 ppg, 10 rpg. This is on 55% shooting from the field and 35.7% from deep. He can score inside and out, which causes problems for any matchup. He still needs to work on his defense, but once that rounds into form, he will be one of the top big men in the league.
It should be remembered that this game is still an exhibition game and success in this single game only means so much. Many Nuggets fans will remember when Faried dropped 40 in the Rising Stars game a few years ago, but he did not continue that scoring success.
All in all it is a good experience for Mudiay and Jokic. They should be happy that they are being recognized as two of the best young players in the league. Especially Jokic who was the 46th overall pick two years ago and only started playing in the NBA this season.
Mudiay being from the Congo and Jokic being from Serbia means that both players will suit up for the "World" team. This is the second year of this new format for what used to be the Rookie-Sophomore game. I'm not sure when the starting lineup will be set for the game, but it will be interesting to see if either earn the nod.
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