The Rising Stars Challenge is a fantastic part of the NLL All-Star weekend. This competition allows the league to showcase all of the young, up-and-coming talent that the league has to offer the masses of NLL fans. Not only is it a benefit for the league, it is too a benefit for each player fortunate enough to be chosen to participate. These are the best young players in the game, going at each other for pride and spoils, and to show the world that they are the one to watch going forward into the future.

 

Two of the longer tenured, most respected GMs in the NLL will be coaching these rising star squads. It will be Team VT versus Team Pennywise.


This article will be taking a look at Team VT, and in particular, the starting line up. We will discuss each player, their strengths and weaknesses, highlights from the season and thoughts moving forward.

 

Without further adieu, here is your starting lineup for Team VT:

C - Gorgei Dieng
PF - Mason Plumlee
SF - Tim Hardaway, Jr.
SG - Marcus Smart
PG - Dante Exum

 

 

 

We will start with the head of the snake - the PG position!

Dante Exum

The wonder from Down Under, Dante Exum, had enormous wraps on him heading into the most recent NLL rookie draft. With comparisons of Bryant and McGrady being thrown around by some scouts (rightly or wrongly), the bar was certainly set extremely high for the 19 year old. Plus, he hadn’t even played in college competition, choosing instead to work out at the AIS in Australia and develop his game (and build on the mystery and intrigue). He is blessed with incredible physical attributes and court awareness, but is considered quite raw.

He was drafted by the Memphis Grizzles with the third overall pick in the draft. The team already had an established point guard at the helm in Jeff Teague, so Exum was poised to start the season playing limited minutes backing Teague up.  However, even in the opening week of the season, his play was so great, the coach was forced to play him 24 minutes per game backing up both positions. The role has stuck with him, and he has averaged 14 points, 4 assists and 2.6 rebounds as the sixth man. Dante’s season high is 26 points, and he is right in the thick of it for Rookie of the Year. All the hype would have been Dante-ing (daunting) for most, but Exum has thrived.

 

 

Marcus Smart

 

Another player who was highly touted coming out of college, this rookie was possibly the most intense and physical intimidating player (in respects to their position) in the whole of the draft class. An absolute bulldog, Smart is 6-4 and built like an absolute tank. He broke all kinds of weight lifting records at the draft combine, and his play knows only one speed – go, go, go. His real talent lies in his defensive awareness and ability, and a tenacity towards the contest that cannot be taught.

He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the fifth pick in the 2014 NLL Rookie Draft. Smart found himself buried on the bench behind a team full of capable veterans, and languished in Atlanta for all of seven games. Luckily for Marcus, however, was that laddas of the Orlando Magic was very keen on the rookie, and made significant moves to get him to the state of Florida. With Orlando, he has been unleashed – averaging 22.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2.2 steals. Those numbers are very remarkable, and the only blight is that he is terribly inefficient. For a rookie though, that’s not a huge concern, and the fact that he gets all this burn as a rookie can only do wonders for him moving forward. He already scored 40 points in an NLL game, which is staggering for a rookie. He is a future all-star and league leader in steals per game. Exum and Smart will form a rookie challenge backcourt with tantalising future potential.

 

 

Tim Hardaway Jr.

One of the more unheralded rookies over the last couple of years that has come good and proven that a draft position is only a number, TH Jr comes out of Michigan with great size and great three point shooting ability. The sophomore was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans (formerly the artist known as Hornets) at pick 17, which now looks like a real nice value pick.

 

The man is a three-point bomber, with around 40% of his career fg attempts shots from behind the arc! That’s crazy. He must think the paint is lava or something… He now finds himself on a strong Indiana Pacers team bound for the playoffs. Hardaway is currently starting, and while his shooting percentages leave a little to be desired, he is pouring in around 20 points per game and around three threes per game. His peripheral statistics leave a little to be desired, but he is still learning his trade. This is a shooter’s league, so the fact that he’s been so effective with the long ball at such a young age should mean he has a fantastic career in the NLL. He will start at the small forward position in the challenge.

 

 

 

Mason Plumlee

Mason Plumlee was taken very late in the first round by the savvy greenmig in the 2013 Rookie Draft. Touted as not having a lot of upside and being a bit raw, scouts were apparently overlooking the attributes he did possess – size, strength and athleticism. Greenmig made the most of the opportunity and pounced on him with pick 26, and in the process, gained himself a very capable young NLL big man.

 

Mason is Miles ahead of his brother Plumlee in the potential department, with Mason possessing a keen instinct for rebounding and great hustle up and down the court. Also, the man can jump and finish! Dunking is one of his greatest strengths. He is a very capable rebounder and blocker, and whilst his offensive is limited, you cannot teach size, height and strength. He is also yet to miss an NLL game – and durable bigs are like hen’s teeth, hard to find. On an immensely deep Lakers squad he still manages to carve out a role behind Chandler and Hill, and is an effective cog in the Lakers’ machine, and will feature heavily in the playoffs one would think. This season he has a high of 16 rebounds in a game, with 8 of them being on the offensive end. Watch out for ‘Mase’ on the glass in the Rookie Challenge!

 

 

Gorgui Dieng

Out of all the players on this list, Dieng could have the most potential upside vs draft position. Dieng has shown an amazing ability to read the ball on the defensive end, piling up blocks, steals and rebounds like a wily vet. His athleticism is fantastic, and he’s a 7 footer with lonnnnng arms.

 

Originally draft at PICK 27(!!!) in the 2013 NLL Draft, Dieng almost fell to the second round! Wow. Touted as an athletic big who could play a little d and not much else, he’s really proved the scouts wrong with his fantastic defensive awareness and ability to impact a game. He was then traded to the Toronto Raptors in the Ty Lawson deal. While at the time, it looked poor for Toronto, Dieng’s surprising development has kind of saved some face for the Raptors organisation, and made them look a little savvy! As a starter he averages around 10 points, 10 rebounds and a steal and a block per game. Impactful! Look out for Gorgui ‘don’t call me Luol’ Dieng swatting shots for team VT!