- The Rising Stars tournament is composed of players that are either rookies, sophomores, or are from the G-league.
- Former NBA players Pau Gasol, Deron Williams, and Joakim Noah drafted each of their teams while Jason Terry will lead the G League team.
- Pau’s team is the favorite to win the tournament at +150 odds.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Rising Stars tournament comprising players that are in their first or second year in the NBA as well as the G League is set for tip off Friday Night. The format for the tournament is up to 40 points for the semi-final games and up to 25 for the finals.
Each coach drafted their team on February 7, and some injury developments since then has helped team Pau in particular. Online gambling sites have published odds for each team ranging from +150 up to +500.
Rising Stars Tournament Winner Odds
- Team Pau +150
- Team Deron +200
- Team Joakim +300
- Team Jason +500
Who Drafted the Best Team and Which Team is a Fade?
Right off the bat, we notice that Team Jason is the longshot at +500 odds. This does not come as a particular surprise since Team Jason is the only one in the tournament that did not draft his team and instead will be using all of the G League representatives.
Despite the profitable odds, Team Jason appears to be the weakest of the tournament as the G League players simply do not play at the same level of competition as the rest of the NBA rookies and sophomores. While winning it all with a G League team would be an amazing story, this team is likely not at the level of the rest, making them a safe fade for the tournament.
Among the drafted teams, Team Pau definitely has the most star power, especially with the frontcourt duo of Paolo Banchero and Scottie Barnes to pair with backcourt talented scorers in Jaden Ivey and Bennedict Mathurin. A huge help to Team Pau is also the injuries to other players on the opposing teams that will significantly help the team’s ability to score at will, particularly in the paint.
Team Deron is no slouch either though, led by Franz Wagner and Alperen Sengun and anchored in the paint by rim protector Walker Kessler. However, an important injury development to Jalen Green leaves Team Deron without their second pick of their draft. Ayo Dosonmu is set to replace Green for Team Deron.
Team Joakim is considered the underdog among the drafted teams but does have some great talent on the team such as with Evan Mobley, Josh Giddey, and Jalen Williams. But, an injury to Jalen Duren and lack of center depth will definitely hurt the rebounding and rim-protecting for Team Joakim and may make them a fade candidate if they allow the talented big men on other teams like Banchero and Sengun to put up big numbers.
Overall, Team Pau seems like the way to go at the +150 odds given to them by online sportsbooks due to their combination of all-around talent as well as having arguably the best player in the competition with Scottie Barnes.
Team Deron may be a great underdog pick at +200 odds due to the ability of Walker Kessler to get blocks and defend against the other great big men that will be looking to score such as Mobley or Banchero. Though, Kessler has generally struggled against better big men throughout his rookie year despite the impressive block numbers. Past that, the relatively weak backcourt of Team Deron may prove to be their biggest weakness to winning it all.