By Matthew Paras - The Washington Times - Wednesday, March 3, 2021
There won’t be a Rising Stars Challenge game this year due to the pandemic, but a pair of Washington Wizards forwards were still on the roster when the teams were unveiled Wednesday.
Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija the team’s first-round picks from 2019 and 2020 made the World Team roster, which would normally compete against Team USA. This is Hachimura’s second straight year earning the honor, while it is the first for Avdija, a rookie.
This season, Hachimura is averaging 12.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. The 22-year-old Japanese native has notably improved on the defensive end and has become a reliable starter for the Wizards.
Israeli Rookie Deni Avdija Selected to NBA Rising Stars World Team Squad algemeiner.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from algemeiner.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Washington, DC – The NBA announced today that Wizards forwards Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija have been selected to the 2020-21 NBA Rising Stars World Team roster.
Hachimura is averaging 12.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, while shooting .456 percent from the field. He currently ranks second among World Team Sophomores in points and third in rebounds per game and has posted two of games of 20+ points, including a season-high 24 points on 10-of-12 from the field against Portland (2/2). Hachimura posted a career-high stretch of 10 games with 10+ points from 2/8-2/25.
The second-year pro becomes the first player Wizards player to be selected to the Rising Stars roster in consecutive years since Bradley Beal in 2013 and 2014. Hachimura tallied 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the World Team in the Rising Stars game last season in Chicago. He was also named to the 2019-20 All-Rookie Second Team.