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If there's any justice in this world, Andre Drummond will be named an All-Star reserve for the Eastern Conference when rosters are revealed Thursday night. But even if he's not, he'll still be headed to New Orleans next month after being invited to participate in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, played Friday, Feb. 14 at 9 p.m. ET.
Here's the complete list of 18 rookies and sophomores invited, as voted upon by NBA assistant coaches, courtesy of the Pistons' press release:
Joining Drummond among sophomores selected to participate are the Golden State Warriors’ Harrison Barnes, the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard, the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal, the Houston Rockets’ Terrence Jones, the Boston Celtics’ Jared Sullinger, the Toronto Raptors’ Jonas Valanciunas and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Dion Waiters.
Philadelphia’s Michael Carter-Williams is joined in the player pool by fellow rookies Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Atlanta Hawks’ Pero Antic, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Utah Jazz’s Trey Burke, the New York Knicks’ Tim Hardaway, Jr., the Orlando Magic’s Victor Oladipo, the Boston Celtics’ Kelly Olynyk, and the Brooklyn Nets’ Mason Plumlee.
For the third straight year, teams will be selected in a live draft held a week before the game, conducted by yet-to-be-determined "general managers" on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. ET and televised on TNT. After each team is selected, starting lineups will be selected by an online fan vote and revealed the night of the game. The teams will be coached by the lead assistants from the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
