The Nuggets have a pretty clear hierarchy on their team this season. Nikola Jokic is the clear-cut best player on the team - and in the world. He led the Western Conference in All-Star voting and was elected to start the game.
He’s back squarely in the MVP mix as well, trailing just Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in current odds for the award. But after Jokic, the Nuggets don’t have a clear second star. In years past it has been Jamal Murray, but he started the season slowly and poorly.
Aaron Gordon has played like a second star at times, but he has missed almost half the season due to injury. Michael Porter Jr. has stepped his game up and has been the team’s second-most consistent player, but he’s been nowhere near the caliber of an All-Star player.
Russell Westbrook has also been a revelation this year in Denver and he’s the only player on the team other than Jokic to actually make an All-Star game in his career (not counting DeAndre Jordan who rarely plays) but he hasn’t been since the 2019-2020 season.
Julian Strawther snubbed from Rising Stars Game
Even the biggest Nuggets homer would have a tough time making a legitimate case for any player other than Jokic to make the All-Star Game, but the Rising Stars Challenge is a different story. For the kickoff event of All-Star Weekend, the league’s best rookies and sophomores compete in a mini-tournament with G-League players.
The player pool was revealed on Tuesday night and the Nuggets’ Julian Strawther was notably absent. In his second season in the NBA, Strawther has taken a big leap and become a key player for the Nuggets off the bench.
The 2025 Castrol Rising Stars ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/X1zpomdES8
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 28, 2025
He’s playing over 21 minutes per game, averaging almost 10 points a night, and shooting 37% on over 4 attempts per game from three-point range. He’s contributing to winning on a team that needs his production and is vying for home-court advantage in the playoffs.
It’s not like Strawther is breaking out as a superstar or anything, but he has had a very solid year on a good team. That’s more than can be said about multiple players who made the game including Keyonte George, Scoot Henderson, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and others.
This is hardly the most egregious snub of all time, but Strawther has a very legitimate argument to be appearing in this event. Rather than be upset, hopefully Strawther can use this as motivation.
I’m sure he could use the week off to rest and recharge his battery and this omission from the game should only inspire him to go out and prove himself even further in the second half of the season. That’s exactly what the Nuggets need.