Indianapolis is about to become the center of the basketball world, with the Indiana Pacers set to host 2024's NBA All-Star Weekend. While the Cleveland Cavaliers may feel underrepresented with Jarrett Allen being snubbed as an Eastern Conference reserve, it won't be Donovan Mitchell representing the Cavs during most All-Star festivities.
Instead, rookie forward Emoni Bates will be the opening act to represent the Cavs in the annual Rising Stars Competition. Rising Stars is the annual showcase of premier young talent at NBA All-Star. It will take place this year on Friday, February 16 and air live at 9 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States.
Bates was selected from a group of young, up-and-coming talent grinding away in the NBA G League after G League Ignite forward Ron Holland was sidelined due to injury.
Bates begins the All-Star break
The 6-8 rookie will play in Panini Rising Stars for the first time. Overall Bates has appeared in 10 games with the Cavs, who selected him with the 49th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The sweet-shooting swingman is averaging 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 33.7 minutes in 10 games with the Cleveland Charge, the NBA G League affiliate of the Cavs.
During NBA All-Star 2024, Bates will also compete in the NBA G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T on Sunday, February 18, moments before teammate Donovan Mitchell takes the stage for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.
But, during Rising Stars, Bates will participate in a three-game mini-tournament among four teams of NBA rookies, sophomores and NBA G League Players. A player draft by honorary coaches Pau Gasol, Tamika Catchings, and Jalen Rose was held, with Victor Wembanyama going first overall to Team Pau.
Former Pacers big man Detlef Schrempf will coach Bates and the team of NBA G League players, with the players selected internally by the NBA. Bates and Team Schrempf will open up the tournament against Wembanyama and Team Pau, with both teams aiming to match or break the final target score of 40.
If Bates and Team Schrempf win, they will face the winner between Team Jalen vs. Team Tamika and will play one last game to a final target score of 25 to determine the tournament champion. While Bates will have to go through Wembanyama to possibly face Chet Holmgren, Brandon Miller or Brandin Podziemski, it's a great opportunity to showcase his talents.
Ever since the Cavs took Bates in the second round, they've kept him relatively under the radar. In his ten appearances with Cleveland, Bates has averaged 1.8 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 7.6 minutes per game, soaking up the limited opportunities during garbage time.
The plan has always been for the Cavs to let Bates play with the Charge and fine-tune his game to become a legitimate threat in the main club's rotation when he fits the mold of what Cleveland is trying to construct.
That's why you see such flashy numbers for Bates while playing for the Charge versus the Cavs. They want him to find his love for basketball after being in a pressure cooker throughout his young career, and clearly, the NBA feels like it's time to showcase the work Bates, the Charge, and the Cavs have all put in to help him develop into the player he can be.
If all works out, Bates could join Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Daniel Gibson and Kyrie Irving as the next Rising Stars MVP. But, let's see how things go in his first outing against Wembanyama and Team Pau first.
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