5 top rookies to watch in the 2025 NBA Rising Stars Challenge

The NBA Rising Stars Challenge will take place on Friday, Feb. 14 and feature 28 of the league's best young players, split into four teams of seven. There are three NBA teams, coached by Chris Mullins, Tim Hardaway Sr., and Mitch Richmond, as well as a G League team, coached by Jeremy Lin.

Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller, and Jared McCain all made the cut, but will not participate. Wembanyama, the reigning Rookie of the Year, will focus his efforts on the All-Star Game. Miller, the reigning ROY runner-up, and McCain, the once-favorite to win the award this season, are both hurt.

Despite the absence of a few noteworthy names, this tournament is loaded with quality players looking to make an impression on the national stage. The Rising Stars Challenge can get lost in the shuffle of All-Star Weekend sometimes, but this is the next generation — 28 future stars and high-impact role players who will eventually stake their claim in the annals of NBA history.

The 2024 NBA Draft class was famously "weak" and uninspiring, but don't let that reputation fool you. There's plenty to get excited about with this crop of rookies. Here are the best first-years participating in Friday's event.

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5. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks

In eight games since returning from injury, Zaccharie Risacher has averaged 16.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.3 turnovers on .593/.485/.727 splits. That is an unsustainable pace, of course, but after a rocky start to the campaign, the reigning No. 1 pick is starting to settle into a groove for the Atlanta Hawks.

It has been a strange season all around for Atlanta. The Hawks are caught in an awkward limbo between contention and, well, not contention. Atlanta's new few drafts belong to San Antonio due to the Dejounte Murray trade, so tanking does them no good. Still, this is a young, patchwork roster around Trae Young, and it's clear the team isn't postseason bound.

Risacher should continue to see his role and minutes expand as the season progresses. The recent De'Andre Hunter trade, in theory, opens up more shot attempts and top defensive assignments for Risacher, whose efficient shooting and steady-handed approach have been a major boon for the Hawks of late. He shows all the hallmarks of an impact role player on the wing.

4. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies

The absolute surprise of the 2024 draft class so far is Jaylen Wells, a second-round pick turned everyday rotation cog for the third-seeded Memphis Grizzlies. Wells has started in 49 of 54 games, hitting 37.7 percent of his 3s and averaging 11.2 points for a team with genuine NBA Finals aspirations.

That just does not happen very often, even in "good" drafts. It's hard for rookies to emerge in contending rotations. Wells did not even need to ramp up; he was integral to Memphis' game plan from the jump. Few teams are better at pinpointing talent on the margins and taking advantage of their second-round picks than the Grizzlies.

Wells' skill set was always well-tailored to the NBA. He's a 6-foot-7 wing with an automatic jumper, comfortable curling around screens and hitting shots on the move. His penchant for off-ball relocation is incredible to behold at 21 years old. The dude just knows how to play. More than a shooter, Wells has shown that he can get downhill, fire some nice passes in the flow of the offense, and operate as a legitimate connector for this up-tempo Grizzlies offense.

3. Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans

Yves Missi has been a rare bright spot during an otherwise abysmal campaign for the New Orleans Pelicans. We knew this Pels team needed a center to replace Jonas Valanciunas, and much was made about David Griffin's inability to land a 7-footer in free agency. "Are the Pelicans really comfortable with starting Missi as a rookie?" Well, yes. The 20-year-old has started 45 of 51 appearances to date.

The springy 6-foot-11 big man is averaging 8.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 27.4 minutes, shooting 54.3 percent. More than an acrobatic lob threat, Missi has displayed legitimate face-up scoring chops in New Orleans. He's comfortable attacking defenders on an island, putting the rock on the hardwood, and pirouetting to the rim for finesse finishes. He's passing better than your average rookie big, too.

Defense has been the most impressive aspect of Missi's repertoire to date, however. He's so versatile at the five spot. Missi can switch screens on the perimeter, inhale space in drop coverage, or hover for weak-side rim protection. He's a one-percent athlete and the defensive impact will only increase with time. As he cuts out on fouls and gets his footing in the NBA, Missi has All-Defense upside.

2. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs

We are approaching the "why isn't he starting?" portion of Stephon Castle's rookie season. The No. 4 pick has become an electric sixth man for the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 18.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on .474/.395/.783 splits over his last 10 games — all in just 27.4 minutes. Castle will need to prove that this 3-point leap is real, which can only happen with time, but the production is becoming hard to refute.

Castle's point guard billing out of UConn always felt a bit suspect, but he's taking advantage of the space afforded him in San Antonio's offense. Victor Wembanyama averages 8.8 attempts per game from deep. A lot of the second-unit groups Castle runs feature small, stretchy fives. He is getting downhill at will and earning frequent trips to the charity stripe, a telltale sign of future stardom.

All that, and Castle's best trait as a prospect was defense. He was all over the place in college, a hellacious perimeter defender with uncommon strength and versatility for a so-called guard. Castle gets after it on both ends and seems like he learned all the right lessons from Dan Hurley's program at UConn. The Spurs got a good one.

1. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies

Zach Edey continues to dominate when the Grizzlies let him. The 22-year-old's role has fluctuated all season, but he's averaging 10.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on 59.4 percent shooting over his last 10 games, all starts. Edey is slowly expanding his repertoire behind the 3-point line, which should diversify his offensive impact in important ways.

He has not quite been the foul-drawing machine optimists expected coming out of the draft, but Edey is still a walking mismatch in Memphis' favor. He cleans up on simple finishes around the rim and has proven to be quite the defensive enforcer, despite all that pre-draft concern over his "slow feet." The Grizzlies are +3.0 points per 100 possessions better with Edey on the floor. He and Castle (+1.4) are the only players on this list whose teams have performed better with them on the floor.

Edey is superbly efficient on offense and probably the most consistently impactful defender from this rookie class, at least among those receiving meaningful playing time. Folks wondered how his game might scale down from a heliocentric role at Purdue, but as it turns out, the 7-foot-4 titan with soft touch, excellent coordination, and a competitive mean streak will find ways to influence winning on the margins.