Nuggets guard Julian Strawther selected to Rising Stars event as an injury replacement

DENVER (AP) — Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther will be part of All-Star weekend after being selected to the Rising Stars event as an injury replacement.

Strawther takes the place of Portland guard Scoot Henderson, who suffered an ankle injury recently. The league announced the replacement Wednesday ahead of Denver’s game against Portland.

The 22-year-Strawther has played in 54 games this season, averaging 9.6 points a game. He leads all second-year bench players in total points (479), minutes played (1,112), field goals made (170) and 3-pointers made (79).

Lately, he’s been moved into the starting lineup with Russell Westbrook sidelined by a hamstring injury. Strawther becomes the 17th Nuggets player to represent the team in the Rising Stars game. The last Denver player to be picked was Bones Hyland in 2023.

“He fully deserves to be there. The guy is asked to do a ton for a team that is third place in the Western Conference as a second-year player,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said about Strawther. “He’ll have a chance to enjoy it and go out there and show the world what he’s capable of doing. Really excited for Julian, a well-deserved honor.”

A product of Las Vegas, Strawther was a first-round pick by Indiana in 2023 after a stellar career at Gonzaga. The Nuggets acquired him in a draft-night trade.

Denver is 26-8 when Strawther plays more than 20 minutes. He’s also got another impressive stat in progress, too — 3-0 when he’s in the starting lineup.

“To be around some of the best young players in the NBA, in the world, you look at yourself a little bit differently,” Malone said. “Hopefully he can take some confidence. As I told him when I found out, I said, ‘Hard work pays off.’ That kid works his butt off.”

The Rising Stars game will be played on Friday at Chase Center in San Francisco. It’s a tournament featuring four rosters of seven players each. Teams will play semifinal games where the first to 40 points wins; those semifinal winners will then play in a championship game, with the winning team being the first one to 25 points.

The winning team in the Rising Stars tournament will be the fourth team in the All-Star Game, alongside three teams of NBA players.

Strawther joins “Team M,” which will be coached by Mitch Richmond. His teammates include Houston’s Amen Thompson, Detroit’s Ausar Thompson, Portland’s Toumani Camara, New Orleans’ Yves Missi and two players from Washington in Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly.

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