NBA All-Star Weekend 2020: 5 Rising Stars who could be MVPs in the future
The Rising Stars Challenge encompasses NBA's top first- and second-year players (with ages ranging from 19 to 24). Ever since adopting the Team USA vs Team World format back in 2015, Team World has triumphed in three of the five clashes so far. However, looking at the stacked Team USA lineup this year, it looks like we might see an epic showdown between two young and uber-talented squads which are as follows.
Team USA: Miles Bridges, Wendell Carter Jr., Devonte' Graham, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ja Morant, Kendrick Nunn, Eric Paschall, Collin Sexton, PJ Washington, Zion Williamson, Trae Young
Team World: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Nicolo Melli, RJ Barrett, Brandon Clarke, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Rui Hachimura, Svi Mykhailiuk, Josh Okogie, Moritz Wagner
There are several talented prospects in the team pools for the Rising Stars Challenge who could be stars of the future. Let's take a look at some of the players appearing in this highly anticipated matchup who possess MVP potential for the near future.
#5 Kendrick Nunn
At 24 years old, this is Kendrick Nunn's rookie season playing for the Miami Heat. Saying that he has been an integral part of Miami Heat's 35-19 (0.648) run this season would be an understatement.
Nunn's legitimate start in Miami has resulted in him averaging 15.3 points while putting together 1.32 points per possession as a pick-and-roll passer (95th percentile). Emerging as a fairly versatile combo guard, Kendrick Nunn is shooting almost 44% from the field and would be the third-oldest participant in this year's Rising Star Challenge.
Moreover, his maturity on the court and shot-making versatility meant he ended up making 47.3 percent of his jumpers off screens this season. The fact that Miami has been such an exciting team to watch this year, makes Nunn's case stronger for a higher ceiling despite his age.