A pair of Pistons youngsters — center Jalen Duren and guard Jaden Ivey — are headed to Indianapolis next month for NBA All-Star Weekend.
Duren, 20, and Ivey, 21, were selected Tuesday to play in the league’s 2024 Panini Rising Stars Game, a tournament-style event that will feature three teams of seven first- and second-year NBA players and one seven-man NBA G League squad.
The two semifinal games will be played to a final target score of 40 and the final game, featuring the winners, will be played to a final target score of 25 to determine the tournament champion.
Both players were also selected to last year’s Rising Stars Game, with Ivey’s team beating Duren’s in the final, though Duren didn’t play in the event.
While the Pistons have had a brutal 6-40 start to the season — including what was a record 28-game losing streak in November and December — Duren and Ivey have been two bright spots for the team.
The 6-foot-10 Duren — averaging career highs of 14.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game — leads all second-year NBA players in double-doubles (24), total rebounds (368) and offensive rebounds (103).
Ivey, meanwhile, is averaging 14.2 points, 3.7 assists and 3.8 rebounds a game through 42 games this season. His trip to the Rising Stars Game will be somewhat of a homecoming, as the South Bend, Ind. native played his college ball at Purdue.
The top talents in this year's Rising Stars event include the last two No. 1 picks, Victor Wembanyama and Paolo Banchero, as well as Chet Holmgren.
This year’s All-Star Game will return to the traditional East vs. West format after six years of a draft-style format. While starting rosters have been announced, the reserves will be revealed Thursday night.
The NBA also announced Tuesday all-time 3-point leader Stephen Curry will square off with WNBA star Sabrian Ionescu in “Stephen vs. Sabrina,” a first-ever NBA vs. WNBA 3-point contest following the weekend’s traditional shootout.