A Royal Pain
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Willie Cauley-Stein Left Out of Rising Stars Challenge

By Rafe Wong

Nov 4, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Kings 118-97. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 4, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Kings 118-97. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Every year during All-Star Weekend, one of the first events to kick off the festivities is the Rising Stars Challenge.

The Rising Stars Challenge is a game that consists of the league’s top talents that are currently playing either in their first or second seasons in the NBA.

For the Kings, only one player has a legitimate shot to play in this game, and his name is Willie Cauley-Stein. Throughout his rookie season, Cauley-Stein has been nothing short of solid for the Kings.

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So far through 31 games, Cauley-Stein is averaging 5.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. He is also posting a Player Efficiency Rating of 15.80, which is ranked 8th among all rookies.

Recently, the NBA released the list of players that would be invited to play in the game of potential young stars, and Cauley-Stein was left out.

For the Rising Stars Game, there are two teams. One of the teams is Team USA, that consists of players born in the United Stated. The other team, named Team International, is consisted of players that were born in countries outside the USA.

Jan 23, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00) dunks the ball against the Indiana Pacers in the first quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00) dunks the ball against the Indiana Pacers in the first quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

The players that were selected for Team USA, the team that Cauley-Stein can only be eligible for, were Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood, Zach LaVine, Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Jabari Parker, Elfrid Payton, D’Angelo Russell, Marcus Smart, and Karl Anthony-Towns.

Players that were selected for the International team were Bojan Bogdanovic, Clint Capela, Mario Hezonja, Nikola Jokic, Emmanuel Mudiay, Raul Neto, Kristaps Porzingis, Dwight Powell, and Andrew Wiggins.

There is a debate that Cauley-Stein could have made the roster for Team USA, but the bottom line is that Cauley-Stein was a victim of the Rising Stars Game’s format.

If the selection process consisted of picking the top 20 players currently playing their rookie or sophomore years, Cauley-Stein would have been a strong candidate to participate in the game.

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This isn’t the first time a Sacramento Kings player has been snubbed out of the Rising Stars Game due to its format. Last season, there could be a case that two-guard Ben McLemore should taken part of last year’s game only to be left out.

Overall, as a result of the current format of the NBA’s Rising Stars Game, it left Willie Cauley-Stein out of the roster. It’s a shame too because not only is he having himself a great season, but he probably would have made the Rising Stars game more exciting.

Considering that Cauley-Stein has freakish length and athleticism, it would have been close to inevitable for him to display jawdropping highlights on both ends of the floor for the whole nation to see.

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