Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis added to 2025 Rising Stars competition

Chicago Bulls' rookie Matas Buzelis will get an extended stay in San Francisco during his All-Star Weekend.

Buzelis was selected as a replacement player for the 2025 Castrol Rising Stars competition that begins Friday.

The Bulls rookie is already competing in the 2025 NBA Dunk Contest, where he'll look to unseat two-time champion Mac McClung.

Buzelis will replace injured New Orleans Pelicans rookie center Yves Missi, who will miss the competition with a knee injury, but Buzelis is hardly just a replacement player.

The No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft has scored in double figures in eight-straight games spanning back to Jan. 29. That's the longest streak of 10-plus points among all rookie forwards so far in the 2024-25 season.

Through 53 games, Buzelis is averaging 6.4 points in 14.8 minutes per game. However, in his last eight games, Buzelis averaged 14.1 points per game in 26.0 minutes.

His best game in this stretch was a career-high 24-point game on Feb. 4 against Miami where he shot 10 for 10 from the field. Buzelis and Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen are the only two players to accomplish this feat.

What is the NBA 2025 Castrol Rising Stars Competiton

The rising stars competition will have a new look for the 2025 All-Star Weekend.

The Castrol Rising Stars player pool consists of 10 NBA rookies, 11 NBA sophomores and seven NBA G League players. 

The 21 NBA players, selected by NBA assistant coaches, were split into three seven-player teams. The seven NBA G League players, selected by the league office, comprise the fourth team. Those teams will play in a tournament to crown a Rising Stars Team.

The winning Rising Stars team will feature in the All-Star Game mini-tournament on Sunday, Feb. 16, competing against the NBA All-Stars.

The 2025 Castrol Rising Stars takes place tonight as All-Star weekend begins at the Chase Center in San Francisco.