The Rising Stars Challenge seems to like the Denver Nuggets. Four years ago, Kenneth Faried, aka “The Manimal,” took home the MVP with a 40-point game – his first game ever with more than 30 points. Three years later, the event welcomed rookies Nikola Jokic and Emmanuel Mudiay, and they didn’t disappoint. Mudiay had 30 points and 10 assists and had the World team won, there would have been a case for Mudiay to get MVP.
This season, for the second time in four years, a Denver Nugget walked away with the MVP honor. And no, it wasn’t Jokic, who’s been taking the league by storm with his brilliant play the last few months. It was actually the struggling rookie, who has had bouts of inconsistency this season. Still, nobody has doubted his ability to light it up from downtown, especially when he’s feeling it. He proved that last night, scoring 36 points on 9 threes. The Manimal had this to say after the game:
This tweet is gold – Faried is congratulating his young teammate on a great achievement, all the while reminding him that he did it better not too long ago. If there’s one thing that’s clear based on the recent presence of Nuggets in the Rising Stars Challenge it’s this: the future is bright in the Mile High. Let’s hope this is a huge confidence boost for the rook going into the playoff push.
