DENVER — The NBA announced today that second-year Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. and Nuggets rookie guard Facundo Campazzo (Argentina) have been selected to the NBA’s Rising Stars Challenge.
Porter Jr. was selected to the U.S roster, while Campazzo will represent the Nuggets and Argentina on the World roster.
The announcement is more of an honor being that the annual showcase game among first- and second-year players will not be played due to COVID concerns and the scaled-back schedule of the 2021 All-Star weekend.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was named an All-Star Game starter last month and will be the only Denver player to participate.
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Porter Jr. and Campazzo are making their first appearance at the event. They become the 13th and 14th Nuggets players in franchise history to represent Denver at the Rising Stars Challenge and it is the sixth time Denver has had two or more players selected in the same year.
Porter Jr., 22, has appeared in 25 games (18 starts) for Denver this season, averaging 14.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.08 blocks in 28.2 minutes per game. He has a .494 FG% and is shooting .407 from deep. Among second year players with 25+ games, Porter Jr. ranks third in rebounds per game (6.9), fourth in blocks per game (1.08), fifth in made three-pointers (57) and seventh in scoring per game (14.2).
The second-year forward has posted 20+ points five times, 30+ points twice and has registered six double-doubles, the fourth most double-doubles this season by any second-year player. Over his last five games, Porter Jr. has recorded four double-doubles and has averaged 15.6 points and 10.4 rebounds, while shooting .553 from the field and .511 from three-point range.
Campazzo, 29, has appeared in 30 games (one start) for Denver in his rookie season. He is averaging 5.5 points, 2.1 assists and 1.00 steals in 16.3 minutes per game. Campazzo has scored 10+ points in eight games, doing so in five straight games from 2/14-2/21. Among rookies, Campazzo ranks seventh in steals (29), eighth in assists (65) and ninth in three-pointers made (33). The 29-year-old is a two-time Euroleague Champion (2015, 2018) and a three-time Liga ACB winner (2015, 2018, 2019) while also winning the Liga ACB finals MVP in 2019.
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