Rookie Rankings, Week 11: New International Rookie Game Format is Good Idea

The glorious history of NBA All-Star Weekend is littered with bad ideas.

Remember 2-Ball? The Wheel of Fortune at the Slam Dunk Contest? The game uniforms that had different colors on the front and back, so you couldn’t tell which players were on which team?

This week, however, the NBA announced a change to one of the All-Star Weekend events that is a really good idea. The Rising Stars will pit American players against international players.

The Rising Stars has undergone several changes since its inception in 1994. It initially was confined to rookies. Then it adopted an East-West format. Then second-year players were added. Then TNT personalities started drafting players.

Now, capitalizing on the influence of the international game upon the NBA and the increasing exposure of global tournaments such as the Olympics and the World Cup, the league gives us an exhibition game that should be enhanced by some jingoistic pride.

On first blush, it appears the Americans have a huge advantage. Yes, the number of international players reached triple figures for the first time ever this season. However, that means nearly 80 percent of the league’s players were born in the United States.

But there is one country whose growing influence could level the playing field for the rest of the world: Canada, which has a league-leading six combined rookies and sophomores. (Australia is second with four.)

Current NBA players who hail from our neighbor to the north include Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, Andrew Nicholson, Anthony Bennett, Dwight Powell, Nik Stauskas, Tyler Ennis and Kelly Olynyk. Oh, yeah, and Andrew Wiggins, who is by far the best rookie this season.

If you thought Canada’s basketball pedigree began and ended with Steve Nash, it is time to get with the times.

This collection of young talent is the reason why many eyes will be on the 2015 FIBA Americas Tournament in Mexico, where Canada will be trying to secure its first Olympic berth since 2000 after coming up short in qualifications for the 2014 World Cup. It is also the reason why the Rising Stars will have considerable intrigue.

Ten players for each team will be chosen by NBA assistant coaches. Each team will have four guards, four frontcourt players and two more players. Each team also must have at least three rookies and at least three sophomores. The other four can be one or the other.

Here’s what the American team could look like:

BACKCOURT: Victor Oladipo, Orlando; Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia; Shabazz Muhammad, Minnesota; Ben McLemore, Sacramento.

FRONTCOURT: Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia; K.J. McDaniels, Philadelphia; Aaron Gordon, Orlando; Cody Zeller, Charlotte.

TWO MORE: Robert Covington, Philadelphia; Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit.

And here’s what the international team could look like:

BACKCOURT: Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota (Canada); Dennis Schroder, Atlanta (Germany); Dante Exum, Utah (Australia); Bojan Bogdanovic, Brooklyn (Croatia).

FRONTCOURT: Kelly Olynyk, Boston (Canada); Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota (Senegal); Nikola Mirotic, Chicago (Montenegro); Steven Adams, Oklahoma City (New Zealand).

TWO MORE: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee (Greece); Rudy Gobert, Utah (France).

Yes, you could argue that the international team could use another ballhandler, just like the American team could use another big man. And yes, you could argue for the inclusion of Americans such as Trey Burke and Marcus Smart and internationals such as Jusuf Nurkic and Kostas Papanikolaou. But you can’t argue that this game doesn’t pique your interest just a little bit.

Now if we could just get rid of the Celebrity Game.

On to the rankings.

1. ANDREW WIGGINS, F, MINNESOTA: He dropped 31 in Saturday’s win at Denver – most among rookies this season – and added nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks in an awesome all-around game. Wiggins has scored in double figures in 15 straight games and is averaging 20.7 points on 47 percent shooting in January. Someday, Ricky Rubio will return and make this kid even better. LAST WEEK: 1

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2. ELFRID PAYTON, G, ORLANDO: The young point guard is really coming on, averaging 16.3 points and 9.3 assists in three games last week, including 22 and 12 – both season highs – in a loss to defensive-minded Memphis. Payton also is getting better at understanding what shots he can make: In January, he is shooting 46 percent from the field and has attempted just two threes. LAST WEEK: 3

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3. NIKOLA MIROTIC, F, CHICAGO: He had his worst week in some time, with no double-digit games and diminishing minutes. In four games, he shot just 5-of-16 overall and 1-of-10 from the arc, averaging less than five points per game. It is possible Mirotic is hitting some sort of wall. Or it is also possible that he is one of the players that Derrick Rose said is “not on the same page.” LAST WEEK: 2

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4. NERLENS NOEL, F-C, PHILADELPHIA: He had his best game of the season with 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in a win over New Orleans. Afterward, he said, “I’m going to have to really start demanding it. It’s on me to really step it up vocally and call for the ball.” Maybe Noel has to do that because of a reported feud with shot-happy point guard Michael Carter-Williams. LAST WEEK: 6

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5. K.J. MCDANIELS, F, PHILADELPHIA: He’s slumping again. After scoring in double figures in five of six games, McDaniels had a three-game stretch where he averaged just 4.7 points on 6-of-26 shooting before snapping out of it with 12 points and five boards in the loss to New York. Regardless of his numbers, if you’ve seen him play, you know he should be in the Slam Dunk Contest. LAST WEEK: 4

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6. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC, F, BROOKLYN: Following his return to the rankings last week, he will remain after averaging 10 points and 4.3 rebounds in three games. However, he did have a 13-minute donut in Thursday’s blowout loss to the Clippers, the sort of disappearing act that got him removed from the rotation by Nets coach Lionel Hollins in the first place. LAST WEEK: 7

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7. JUSUF NURKIC, C, DENVER: He regressed this week, managing just eight points on 3-of-20 shooting over three games before going for 10 points and nine boards in a loss to San Antonio. It is very possible that Nurkic is being limited by a bad back, which forced him to cut short his practice availability on Thursday. If he is sidelined, the Nuggets will be without a true center. LAST WEEK: 5

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8. MARCUS SMART, G, BOSTON: He had 14 points – with four 3-pointers – and seven assists in a narrow loss to the Clippers but followed that with a 27-minute donut in a surprising win at Portland on Thursday. The Celtics need to stop wasting time with Evan Turner at point guard and giving minutes to Marcus Thornton and just let Smart learn both guard spots on the job with more minutes. LAST WEEK: 8

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9. LANGSTON GALLOWAY, G, NEW YORK: By average, Galloway is third among rookies in scoring at 11.8 points. He has played just six games, but he has yet to embarrass himself, which is hard to do when you play for the Knicks. During New York’s current season-high two-game winning streak, Gallaoway has 32 points on 13-of-25 shooting, with 12 rebounds and seven assists. Not bad at all. LAST WEEK: NR

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10. JERAMI GRANT, F, PHILADELPHIA: In Noel and McDaniels, the Sixers already have the top two rookies in blocks per game. Both are in the top 20 overall, but neither have had eight blocks in a game the way Grant did in Wednesday’s loss to New York. In January, the wing from Syracuse is averaging 6.3 points in 21.0 minutes while shooting 42 percent from the arc. LAST WEEK: NR

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DROPOUTS: P.J. Hairston, G, Charlotte (9), Tarik Black, C, LA Lakers (10).

FIVE TO WATCH: Dante Exum, G, Utah: Aaron Gordon, F, Orlando; Dwight Powell, F-C, Dallas; Shabazz Napier, G, Miami; Damjan Rudez, F, Indiana.

Chris Bernucca is the managing editor of SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Mondays, and his Rookie Rankings on Fridays. You can follow him on Twitter.