Nuggets guard Julian Strawther named to the Rising Stars event in San Francisco as an injury replacement

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 replaces Portland guard Scoot Henderson, who recently injured his ankle. The league announced the change on Wednesday, just before Denver’s game against Portland.

The 22-year-old Strawther has played in 54 games this season, averaging 9.6 points per 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).

Recently, he’s been moved into the starting lineup with Russell Westbrook out due to a hamstring injury. Strawther becomes the 17th Nuggets player to be selected for the Rising Stars game. The last player from Denver to be chosen 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.”

Strawther, from Las Vegas, was a first-round pick by Indiana in 2023 after a strong 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 3-0 when he starts.

“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 held on Friday at Chase Center in San Francisco. The event will feature a tournament with four teams of seven players. Teams will play semifinal games where the first to 40 points wins, and the winners will then compete in a championship game, with the first team to 25 points winning.

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

Strawther will be on “Team M,” 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, Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly.