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The NBA's PR / Communications feed just announced that they have replaced the Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic with Utah Jazz forward Trey Lyles in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge game. Mirotic has had a setback with his surgery and was scheduled to miss the game anyway, I am glad that they picked Lyles. If for no other reason than the chance to a) have him play in his home and native land, and b) for more courtside celebrations!
Trey Lyles Added to 2016 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 3, 2016
Details: https://t.co/2KtliyUPOh pic.twitter.com/iYcgoQXm6k
I think he has earned a spot on this team. As a fill-in starter he really got better as the season progressed. And yes, he could have gotten worse but did not. Lyles is a prototypical stretch big and is shooting 43% from deep to go along with his 4.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.3 spg, and 0.3 bpg. He is a star? No. Does he deserve to make this team? We went over it earlier. Read that story here. Lyles will join Rodney Hood (Team USA) and Raul Neto (Team World) in this exhibition game. All three will join a healthy group of Utah Jazz players to play in this game. For those who care, the players were Bryon Russell, Andrei Kirilenko (x2), Deron Williams (x2), Paul Millsap (x2), Ronnie Brewer, Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, Trey Burke (x2), Dante Exum, and Rudy Gobert.