Trae Young

The field for the 2020 NBA 3-Point Contest features the last two winners of the All-Star weekend event and six players with impressive resumes from beyond the arc. 

Joe Harris will arrive at the United Center as the defending champion, and Devin Booker—the 2018 winner—was added to the eight-man competition after Damian Lillard pulled out with a groin injury. 

The list of challengers to the two previous champions is led by Buddy Hield, Duncan Robinson and Devonte' Graham, who rank third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in three-point shots made. 

Trae Young, Davis Bertans and Zach LaVine sit in the Top 10 of that category, and if their regular-season form translates to Saturday night's event, we could be in for one of the closest exhibitions in some time. 

As of Friday morning, Bertans is favored to win the competition at Caesars Sportsbook with +400 (bet $100 to win $400) odds, while Young and Harris are close behind at +425 and +450, respectively. 

The contest will air in the middle of Saturday's skills competition, which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET on TNT. 

             

3-Point Contest Participants

Davis Bertans, Washington

Devin Booker, Phoenix

Devonte' Graham, Charlotte

Joe Harris, Brooklyn

Buddy Hield, Sacramento

Zach LaVine, Chicago

Duncan Robinson, Miami

Trae Young, Atlanta 

           

Predicted Winner

Duncan Robinson

A case could be made for each of the participants to take home the three-point crown. 

Harris is the defending champion, Booker could come into Chicago with a point to prove after he was initially left off the All-Star roster, and Hield is the only one of the eight participants with over 200 three-pointers made this season. 

LaVine could benefit from shooting on his home court, Young may extend his terrific sophomore campaign into All-Star weekend, Graham might continue his breakout season, or Bertans could follow up on his favorite status. 

But Robinson could enter the United Center with an edge based off his recent form, after knocking down at least five three-point shots in each of his last four contests. In fact, the Michigan product has hit at least three three-point shots in every appearance dating back to January 12. 

Robinson ranks fourth in the NBA in three-point shots made with 191 and tied for sixth in attempts from beyond the arc with 436. He also carries the best three-point percentage of the eight participants at 43.8 percent, which is over 1.4 higher than Bertans. 

Some critics could point to his lack of three-point contest experience as a potential downfall, but only Booker, Harris and Hield have competed in the event over the last three seasons. 

Robinson has performed well away from the comforts of the American Airlines Arena, as he hit a minimum of three triples in all but one road game since December 14. 

The 25-year-old's consistency could be one of the most important factors Saturday, as contestants typically have to produce close to 20 points to advance to the final round. 

Robinson is familiar with attempting a high volume of three-point shots and comes into the contest with a decent amount of confidence that could help him settle into a rhythm. 

If everything comes together for the Miami Heat player, he could walk away from the United Center with the trophy.

                    

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Basketball Reference.

USA Basketball announced a 44-player list of finalists for its 2020 Summer Olympics team on Thursday, and Atlanta Hawks point guard and NBA All-Star Trae Young was noticeably absent. 

ESPN's Malika Andrews asked Young about his omission from the list in the midst of a wide-ranging interview that aired Thursday:

"Obviously I was kind of hurt that I didn't make the 44 players and felt like I deserved to be on that list," Young said. "But for me, it's not going to stop me from working hard and continuing to get better. ... I don't know what the final list will say if I end up getting added to the list, but we'll just see when the time comes."

Young is averaging 29.7 points on 44.3 percent shooting and 9.2 assists per game for the Hawks. He was named an All-Star starter this year.

This year's Summer Games will take place in Tokyo, where the United States will be looking to win its fourth straight gold medal.

Per the USA Basketball team release, nine members of the gold-medal winning team from 2016 are on the list, including four-time NBA MVP and Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward LeBron James.

Other notable names include Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry and Lakers big man Anthony Davis.

Young likely faced an uphill battle to make the team given a stacked finalist list, especially at the guard position. However, his omission from the final group of 44 is still surprising given his individual accolades and performances.

This year's team will be led by San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce and Villanova University head coach Jay Wright will be his assistants.

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young will have the opportunity to face some of the league's best players during Sunday's All-Star Game, but he pointed to three point guards in particular when asked who he gets fired up to play against during an appearance on Thursday's episode of ESPN's First Take: Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard.

It is no surprise Young included Curry on the list. In fact, he acknowledged the Golden State Warriors sharp-shooter helped "pave the way" for smaller players like him who can pull up from seemingly anywhere and drill three-pointers. Young drew plenty of comparisons to Curry during his collegiate career at Oklahoma and now has the chance to face him in the NBA.

Lillard is another player who can tilt the floor because of his shooting prowess.

Opposing defenses have to pick him up almost as soon as he crosses halfcourt, which opens up the rest of the floor for his teammates to create open looks. The formula has worked for years for Curry in Golden State as well, and Young is trying to implement it in Atlanta.

Young was also asked about Dallas Mavericks playmaker Luka Doncic, who he will forever be connected to because of a draft day trade in 2018.

He said he understands why they are linked but doesn't go into matchups or other games with the mindset of needing to outperform Doncic. Instead, he wants to be remembered as one of the best players in league history and doesn't focus on his counterpart's accolades.

If Young is going to be remembered so fondly, he will need to elevate himself to the level of Curry, Irving and Lillard.

He is off to an ideal start as an All-Star at just 21 years old who is averaging a head-turning 29.7 points, 9.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting 36.9 percent from three-point range.

As the NBA grows more three-point crazed by the minute, it's only fitting that the three-point contest has become one of the signature events at All-Star Weekend.

This year's version, slated for 9 p.m. ET on Saturday inside Chicago's United Center, will be no exception. In addition to having a loaded field, this contest will also feature a new addition of two shots from the "MTN DEW Zone," two locations positioned six feet beyond the three-point line, each of which is worth three points.

There will be a changing of the snipers, though. Damian Lillard was forced to pull out of the event after suffering a right groin strain on Wednesday night. So far, his replacement is unknown.

But the show must go on, as they say, so let's get to previewing the upcoming action with a look at the participants, the latest odds (from Caesars Palace, not yet reflecting Lillard's absence) and our prediction.

                   

3-Point Contest Information

Date: Saturday, Feb. 15

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: TNT 

              

Participants and Latest Odds

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks +450

Joe Harris, Brooklyn Nets +450

Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls +500

Davis Bertans, Washington Wizards +550

Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat +550

Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings +600

Devonte' Graham, Charlotte Hornets +1000

               

3-Point Contest Winner Prediction: Duncan Robinson

Can we start this section with a hearty round of applause for the event organizers? While there is no shortage of snipers to choose from, this field is packed with absolute net-shredders.

With Lillard sidelined, Buddy Hield (207) owns the highest makes among the participants, and Devonte' Graham isn't far behind (190). But their odds are the longest for a reason, as neither own a 39 percent success rate from distance.

For that matter, neither do Trae Young (36.9) or Zach LaVine (38.5). But each can go nuclear from range, and both are natural picks for an odds bump. Without Lillard, Young is by far the most recognizable face in this field as its only All-Star selection (and a starter, at that). LaVine enjoys the home-court advantage, so maybe he'll be inspired by the Chicago Bulls faithful (and an in-depth knowledge of the rims).

But if you're making a pre-contest selection, you have to go with one of the 40-plus percent fire-ballers, right? Reigning champion Joe Harris conquered this event just last season by outshooting, among others, the Curry brothers in their hometown of Charlotte, NC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poYgQiy_cI0

While Davis Bertans stayed with the Washington Wizards at the trade deadline, he was among the most coveted commodities during #TradeSZN for his red-hot shooting. The tallest player in this field at 6'10", he has both razzled and dazzled from distance to the tune of 156 splashes at a 42.4 percent clip.

Our money, though, is on Duncan Robinson, the latest odds-defying success story of the Miami Heat's player development program. He opened his college career at Division III's Williams College before transferring to Michigan and eventually inking a two-way pact with the Heat in July 2018.

Before this season, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra raised some eyebrows when he dubbed Robinson "one of the best shooters on this planet." Apparently, he knew something the rest of us didn't, as the 25-year-old has been scorching hot basically the entire season.

Just ask the Atlanta Hawks about Robinson's three ball. He torched his Southeast Division rivals for a ridiculous 10-of-14 three-point shooting performance in mid-December.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA57IkgeQfM

Maybe his lack of name recognition is the reason his odds are middle of the pack, but he's fearless. You can't hoop at Williams College and improbably jump to the NBA later with the slightest hint of self-doubt.

Robinson, who has the field's highest three-point percentage (43.8) and second-most makes (191), is built to thrive in this setting, too. He should feel right at home grabbing from the rack and firing, since 156 of his 191 threes have come without a single dribble before them.

On June 23, 2011, Iman Shumpert was drafted into the NBA. It was a special night for him, one he'd been dreaming about his entire life. But Shumpert wasn't the only one thrilled upon hearing then-NBA Commissioner David Stern announce that the New York Knicks had selected him with the No. 17 overall pick. There was his family. There were his friends. There were friends of the friends and friends of the family. Thousands of Twitter followers, too. Some, Shumpert knew. Most he hadn't met.

"Everyone was calling and messaging," Shumpert recalled earlier this season. "My phone just shut down. I couldn't use it."

Among those trying—and failing—to reach Shumpert was the team that had drafted him. The Knicks wished to welcome him to the organization. They also needed him to come by their training facility the following morning. But Shumpert's phone never recovered. The Knicks were forced to go through Shumpert's agents instead. The agents delivered the message to their client, along with a new cellphone. It was connected to a new number, one with a New York-based 917 area code.

"Don't give it to anyone," they told him. "This is your NBA phone."

That number is one of the few possessions that Shumpert, whom the Brooklyn Nets waived in December, has carried with him throughout his nine-year NBA career.

"It's my work number," he said. "If you work in the NBA or play in the NBA, you know it. If not, you don't."

That phone number survived in-season trades and cross-country moves. Perhaps more importantly, it's given Shumpert the freedom to address the issue at the heart of that draft-night snafu.

"When my other phone number gets out, I change it," Shumpert said.

Most Americans go through life with one cellphone number. They receive it in middle school or high school, keep it through college and bring it with them into the workforce. They use it to call their bosses. They use it to call their mothers. It never changes. Everyone—from their bosses to their mothers—knows how to reach them.

NBA players aren't like most Americans, and not just because they're graceful and tall. "Imagine walking down the street and knowing that every single person you see wants something from you," one National Basketball Players Association executive said. Selfies. Interviews. Seed money. A video for a nephew's bar mitzvah. And what better way to gain access to an NBA player than by seeking out his personal phone number?

Aware of this dynamic, players in recent years have devised a solution, one unheard of throughout most of the country.

"People find your number and just start calling you," Atlanta Hawks All-Star point guard Trae Young said of the ease with which players' numbers sometimes get passed after media interviews or via friends. "So I change mine all the time."

Young estimated that he changes his number every 5-6 months. Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner said he changes his number "a lot," which, he added, places him on the lower end of the spectrum. "Some guys, like Paul George, change it, like, every week." NBA veteran Taj Gibson said he's had "a bunch of teammates who change their numbers all the time." He recalled sitting around the Chicago Bulls locker room earlier this decade and hearing teammates shout, "Man, Derrick just changed his number again!" referring to then-Bulls teammate and 2010-11 NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose.

Changing a cellphone number can help a player maintain his privacy. But it can also create a new set of problems. For example: A few years ago, Kings forward Harrison Barnes changed his number for the first time since entering the NBA. "As you grow, some people go with you, some people don't," he said when asked why. Not long after, he ran into a friend. The friend mentioned a text exchange the two had shared—something about a pair of shoes.

"I didn't get any text," Barnes recalled saying. Only later did the two realize that the friend had been conversing with a stranger—the owner of Barnes' previous number.

Stories like that is why Rockets swingman P.J. Tucker has a rule for dealing with serial number changers. "I won't just text them blindly," he said. "Only calls. You have to make sure it's still their phone."

Some players are good about notifying friends and family, teammates and bosses after a number change. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he often receives texts from players over the summer notifying him of a digits switch. Young, meanwhile, keeps an old, disconnected phone so that he always has his contact list on him—the Generation Z version of a rolodex.

However, many NBA players prefer to operate under the assumption that anyone who needs to reach them will eventually figure out how to. Tucker, for example, has six listings for Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe. "I can never remember which one is right," he said. As a counter, one Western Conference team inserted a rule into its player handbook stating that any player who didn't notify the team of a number change was subject to a fine.

All of which is why finding other workarounds can be advantageous. Some players elect to follow in the footsteps of their forefathers. Enes Kanter, who's played for five teams since being drafted in 2011, said veterans occasionally hand their younger teammates a separate phone along with a set of instructions: "They'll tell a rookie, 'Keep it at home, don't show it to my wife or girlfriend and bring it to our next road game,'" Kanter said.

Other players hope deceiving unwanted callers can buy them more time. Sometimes, upon seeing an unknown number flash across his phone screen, Turner will hand the device to Pacers massage therapist Andrei Mikhailau. "They hear his Russian accent and say, "Oh, it's probably not Myles,'" Turner said. Other times, for incoming FaceTime calls, he'll ask a team video assistant to remove his Pacers gear and answer.

"They'll pretend they have no idea who I am," Turner said. "It's much easier than having to change my number."

   

Yaron Weitzman covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. His new book, TANKING TO THE TOP: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports, will be released in March and is available for preorder here. Follow Yaron on Twitter, @YaronWeitzman.

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Former Laker Derek Fisher joins Howard Beck on The Full 48 to discuss longtime teammate Kobe Bryant, from his leadership style to how he handled his critics to his tragic death.

Before the NBA's established elites take control of Windy City at the upcoming All-Star Weekend, the stars of tomorrow get the first crack at wowing the Chicago faithful in Friday's Rising Stars Challenge.

Or, in the case of Luka Doncic and Trae Young, sometimes the stars of tomorrow also double as established elites. Each will double-dip in the weekend exhibitions suiting up in both Friday's tilt and Sunday's headliner.

But we're here to talk about the Rising Stars Challenge, and we'll preview the game with a look at the rosters, snubs and predictions for the 2020 edition.

               

2020 NBA Rising Stars

When: Friday, Feb. 14 at 9 p.m. ET

Where: United Center, Chicago

TV: TNT

                

Team USA

Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets

Wendell Carter Jr., Chicago Bulls

Devonte' Graham, Charlotte Hornets

Tyler Herro, Miami Heat (injured, will not play)

Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies

Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies

Kendrick Nunn, Miami Heat

Eric Paschall, Golden State Warriors

Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers (injury replacement)

PJ Washington, Charlote Hornets

Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

              

Team World

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, New Orleans Pelicans

Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns

RJ Barrett, New York Knicks

Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies

Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards

Svi Mykhailiuk, Detroit Pistons

Josh Okogie, Minnesota Timberwolves

Moritz Wagner, Washington Wizards

           

Snubs

Any time subjective distinctions are thrown on players, there will always be gripes about which ones weren't selected. By and large, though, the assistant coaches who assembled these groups got a lot more right than wrong.

Matisse Thybulle thinks he belongs. Jaxson Hayes is less than thrilled by his omission. Terence Davis has people talking about his absence from the list.

Like we said, gripes are unavoidable with this kind of thing, but were any players egregiously wronged by being excluded? It would be a stretch for anyone other than these players and their immediate family members and agents to characterize it as such, but they all had arguments for consideration.

Hayes ranks second among rookies in win shares. Thybulle is tied for fourth on that list. The undrafted Davis could have been a fun story given his unexpected emergence as a rotation regular for the Toronto Raptors.

Of all the players under consideration, Mitchell Robinson trails only Doncic in win shares. But the 21-year-old didn't get any assistance from the Knicks. It would be tough to label any second-year player as a rising star when he's seeing fewer than 23 minutes per night for a team with a .315 winning percentage.

Landry Shamet (Los Angeles Clippers), Donte DiVincenzo (Milwaukee Bucks), Grant Williams (Boston Celtics) and Jalen Brunson (Dallas Mavericks) all contribute to winning teams, which might matter to some.

Among all the exclusions, though, a couple of net-shredders stand out as the top snubs. Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter could have been show-stoppers if either caught fire from distance. The former is even going to be at All-Star Weekend already, since he's participating in the three-point contest.

The field could have included both, but even then, they won't go down as glaring omissions.

                

Predictions

Upon adopting the Team USA vs. Team World format in 2015, the latter has claimed victory in three of the five matchups. But this is a tremendous opportunity for the former to even the score.

If you drafted from the combined player pools, Team World might have the top pick with Doncic, but Team USA could go on a long run from there. Morant, Young and Williamson could all fight for No. 2, and Jackson probably rounds out the first five when the dust settles.

Between Young, Graham and Nunn, Team USA boasts at least three shot-creators with dangerous long-distance strokes. Morant is a wizard with the basketball, and both he and Young will connect on some memorable lobs with Williamson, Jackson and Bridges.

Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander should keep Team World's offense under control, but it doesn't have as many self-sufficient scorers. Ayton's post game could be tricky to use in this setting, Clarke's glue-game skills work better in real games and this team has too many supporting actors for a star-driven contest.

Unless the game is close enough late enough for Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander to work their half-court mastery, this should be an opportunity for Team USA to run and gun its way to victory.

Final Score: Team USA 157, Team World 143

NBA All-Star Weekend is much more than just one game featuring many of the league's top stars.

There's a whole weekend of festivities on the way, which begins Friday at the United Center in Chicago. That night, the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and NBA Rising Stars will take place to get the All-Star celebration underway.

Saturday night will feature the Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest, while the All-Star Game will wrap things up on Sunday night.

Here's a look at the full schedule for the weekend, along with a breakdown of the events.

      

2020 NBA All-Star Weekend

Friday, Feb. 14

Hall of Fame announcement, 5 p.m. ET on NBA TV

NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN

NBA Rising Stars Game, 9 p.m. ET on TNT

     

Saturday, Feb. 15

State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, 8 p.m. ET on TNT

        

Sunday, Feb. 16

69th NBA All-Star Game, 8 p.m. ET on TNT (coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET)

            

Celebrity Game

Both teams in this year's All-Star Celebrity Game will be coached by an ESPN analyst and captained by a Chicago-born rapper. And while there will be "home" and "away" squads, both teams will have Chicago representation.

The home team will be coached by Michael Wilbon, a Chicago native, and captained by Common. The away squad will be led by coach Stephen A. Smith and captain Chance the Rapper. The away team also has Chance the Rapper's brother, Taylor Bennett, who is also a Chicago-born rapper.

This year's contest also features the last two winners of the game's MVP award. Migos' Quavo, who won the MVP in 2018, is playing for the away team, while comedian Famous Los is on the home squad after winning last year's award.

Full rosters for this year's celebrity game can be found on NBA.com.

        

NBA Rising Stars Game

This is the annual game that sees the top rookies and sophomores in the league facing off. Since 2015, it has featured a World vs. USA format and that will be the case again this year.

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Hawks guard Trae Young are both second-year players who will be playing in this game and as starters in Sunday night's All-Star Game.

Pelicans rookie forward Zion Williamson will also participate in the contest, despite playing in only eight games in his NBA career so far. However, he was selected as an injury replacement for Bulls forward Wendell Carter Jr., and it should be exciting to see the electrifying former Duke star in action against other young players.

Full rosters for this game can be found on NBA.com.

        

All-Star Saturday Night

One of the most exciting parts of the All-Star Weekend festivities comes Saturday night when the Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest take place.

The biggest storyline heading into this year's slate of events is the return of Dwight Howard to the dunk contest. He participated three straight years from 2007-09, which included a win in 2008. That was the year he dazzled the judges and viewers with his Superman-themed slam.

But this will be the first time Howard is competing in the dunk contest since that three-year stretch. After an 11-year hiatus, can he defeat a trio of talented dunkers? He'll be facing Pat Connaughton of the Bucks, Aaron Gordon of the Magic and Derrick Jones Jr. of the Heat.

The full list of participants for each of these events can be found on NBA.com.

                 

All-Star Game

For the second straight year, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the captains for the All-Star Game.

In 2018, the NBA opted to change the traditional Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format to one that features a playground-style draft. The two leading vote-getters for each conference are the captains, who then get to select their respective team's starters and reserves from the pool of players who earn All-Star nods.

James has been a captain all three years since this format was implemented, and he led his team to victory each of the first two. So, he'll be looking to keep up his recent All-Star success while also trying to earn the game's MVP Award for the fourth time. The only two players to earn the honor four times are Bob Pettit and Kobe Bryant.

The full All-Star Game rosters can be found on NBA.com.