On Wednesday, it was announced that Denver Nuggets rookies Nikola Jokic and Emmanuel Mudiay would be playing in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star weekend, a game in which rookies and sophomores compete in a Team World vs. Team USA format. Assistant coaches vote in the players they think are worthy of the honor, and fortunately for the Nuggets, two of their young stars will represent the team on February 12. However, as Will Barton pointed out on Twitter, there’s one Nugget that should be traveling with his teammates to Toronto but did not get selected.
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Gary Harris is having a phenomenal sophomore season, especially when you compare it to his rookie season. He’s averaging 11.1 points and 1.2 steals a game while continuing to be a force on the defensive end for the Nuggets. He’s been efficient on offense, too, shooting 45.9% from the field. He appears infinitely more confident on the court than he did a season ago, and it’s been pretty evident from watching him play that he’s going to be a great two-way player in the league for years to come.
Still, if we're focusing on the positive here, it's at least great to see the Nuggets being represented by two of the league's rising stars. Hopefully Harris will get his recognition in another form somewhere down the line.
