NBA Rising Stars Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Team Pau | +160 |
| Team Deron | +195 |
| Team Joakim | +310 |
| Team Jason | +500 |
| Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NBA odds here. | |
The NBA Rising Stars will play a tournament style competition for the second year in a row. Four teams comprising 28 rookies, sophomores and NBA G League players will compete in a series of three games on TNT at 9 p.m. ET.
Our staff of NBA analysts have three bets they are making for the 2023 Rising Stars and they break down their best bets for Friday night below.
NBA Rising Stars Rosters
Click here for updated NBA Rising Stars rosters
Team Pau: Paolo Banchero (Magic), Benedict Mathurin (Pacers), Jaden Ivey (Pistons), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Jose Alvarado (Pelicans), Keegan Murray (Kings), Andrew Nembhard (Pacers)
Team Deron: Franz Wagner (Magic), Alperen Sengun (Rockets), Trey Murphy III (Pelicans), AJ Griffin (Hawks), Bones Hyland (Nuggets), Walker Kessler (Jazz), Ayo Dosunmu (Bulls)— Dosunmu will replace the injured Jalen Green
Team Joakim: Evan Mobley (Cavaliers), Josh Giddey (Thunder), Jalen Williams (Thunder), Jeremy Sochan (Spurs), Quentin Grimes (Knicks), Jabari Smith Jr. (Rockets), Tari Eason (Rockets) – Eason will replace the injured Jalen Duren
Team Jason: Sidy Cissoko, G League Ignite, Scoot Henderson, G League Ignite, Mojave King, G League Ignite, Kenneth Lofton Jr., Memphis Hustle, Mac McClung, Delaware Blue Coats, Leonard Miller, G League Ignite, Scotty Pippen Jr., South Bay Lakers
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Brandon Anderson
| Pick | Team Jason +500 |
| Book | BetMGM |
All Star Weekend is unpredictable, so it’s never a terrible idea to look at the longshots. The Rising Stars Challenge is in a mini four-team tournament playing in games to 40, so this is a pretty high-variance event. One guy that gets hot can carry the day, and one five-minute cold stretch is basically the end.
I can’t make anyone this long a number with that level of variance, and besides, these G League kids can play. You want guards who can handle, create, and shoot in events like this, and Scoot Henderson is the best on the board in this event. He has the sort of talent that could steal the whole night, and he and the rest of these guys are playing on a huge stage for pride and draft position or contracts, so they’re guaranteed to be motivated.
Team Jason and his G League squad could surprise. I think they can win at least one game, and if they do that, we’ll at least have a great chance to hedge or maybe just win the whole darn thing.
Gimme the longshot.
And while we’re here, sprinkle Scoot to win Rising Stars MVP at +1000 too. If Team Jason somehow wins, he will overwhelmingly be the reason why.
Andrew O’Connor-Watts
| Pick | Team Joakim +350 |
| Book | Caesars |
In the spirit of unpredictability that Brandon mentioned, I’ll take the team with the next longest odds, but with actual NBA players.
A good argument to take them has to do with their coach, Joakim Noah. During his NBA tenure, Noah acquired a number of accolades, mostly defensive, including DPOY and First-Team All-NBA in 2014, First Team All-Defense twice, and Second Team once.
It’s pretty obvious why he drafted the way he did as Team Joakim is definitely the most defensive of the squads. Quentin Grimes, Jalen Williams and Evan Mobley are two-way players that can guard multiple positions. Then we have Jalen Duren, a physical rebounder averaging 0.9 blocks and nine rebounds per game.
It’s a tough sell, betting on the gritty defensive team for a fun weekend of hooping, but why not take the squad that can stop the other teams from scoring.
Malik Smith
| Pick | Team Deron (+110) vs. Team Pau |
| Book | DraftKings |
I agree with both Brandon and Andrew that this event is unpredictable, which is why I’m avoiding a winner and looking at a matchup.
I really like the roster that Deron Williams drafted. (Technically Dosunmu is a replacement, but I like him too). Wagner is taking a leap in Year 2 for the Magic and he’s the best player in this matchup with respect to the 2022 Rookie of the Year (Scottie Barnes) and likely 2023 Rookie of the Year (Paolo Banchero).
Pau Gasol’s team has three rookies who are more enjoyable to watch with their athleticism, but Williams’ team seems like a squad that could fit together with two 39% 3-point shooters, AJ Griffin and Trey Murphy III, a do-it-all big, Alperen Sengun, and a wild card scorer, Bones Hyland. I’ll gladly bet them as slight dogs in this matchup with Team Pau.