In the NBA All-Star Weekend, where the game’s best are to be showcased, Detroit Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham will be a busy man.
The No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft will be on one of three teams in the revamped Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday Night in Cleveland, beginning at 8 p.m. Feb. 19.
Cunningham will be joined by fellow rookies Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors and Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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They will compete against Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and his brothers, Thanasis, also of the Bucks, and Alex of the G League’s Raptors 905, and a team comprised of three Cleveland Cavaliers: Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and rookie Evan Mobley.
Each team will compete in three different rounds of shooting, passing and a team relay. The two teams with the highest point totals will square off in a halfcourt-shot competition to determine the winner.
Cunningham, along with teammates Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, were picked to play in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, which has also undergone a rehaul and will feature four teams made up of rookies, second-year players and four G League players, playing three games.
Cunningham has missed each of the last four games, including Tuesday night’s 116-86 loss in Dallas, with a hip pointer.
Contact Kirkland Crawford: kcrawford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @HiKirkHere.