NBA All-Star 2022: Grading Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green and every player in the Rising Stars

The NBA's young stars, including the champion group from coach Rick Barry's team, put on a show Friday night in a new tournament-style setup for the Rising Stars Challenge in Cleveland.

Cade Cunningham, the 2021 No. 1 pick and Detroit Pistons star, led Team Barry to the Rising Stars title and earned most valuable player honors.

The four teams were coached by Hall of Famers Gary Payton, Isiah Thomas, James Worthy and Barry. Cunningham and Team Barry, who had beat Team Payton in the semifinal round, eclipsed Team Isiah 25-20 in the final round.

Four top prospects who play for the G League Ignite -- Jaden Hardy, Dyson Daniels, Scoot Henderson and MarJon Beauchamp -- joined 12 players from each of the 2020 and 2021 NBA draft classes in making up the 28 players who participated in the league's annual showcase for its stars of tomorrow.

Rather than two teams playing a traditional game, there were four teams made up of seven-man rosters, with the winners of two semifinal games to 50 points playing a championship game that went to 25, a nod to the league celebrating its 75th anniversary this season.

We graded all 28 players who participated on a national stage at Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on NBA All-Star Weekend. Take a look at the report card:

Team Barry (beat Team Isiah in the final, 25-20)

Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Grade: A

The deserving MVP, Cunningham led Team Barry in both points (18) and assists (9). He was responsible for the final four points of the game, scoring a 3 to give his team a 24-20 lead and then setting up Franz Wagner to be fouled at the rim. Wagner made the winning free throw.

The 18-year-old Daniels impressed against more experienced opposition, playing key minutes for the Rising Stars champions. He knocked down a 3 in the final and made the free throw that gave Team Barry the lead for good. Daniels was capable at the defensive end, stopping Precious Achiuwa 1-on-1 and coming up with a deflection in transition to prevent a basket.

The hometown hero led all players with 11 rebounds in the two games, six of them coming at the offensive end. He turned a couple of those into dunks, one of the tip variety. Mobley also tied for team-high honors with 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting, knocking down a sidestep 3, and swatted Desmond Bane in the paint.

The winning team's other representative from the Cavaliers wasn't much of a factor in the final, going scoreless while handing out a pair of assists. He had six points in his team's semifinals win, though a turnover when Okoro stepped on the sideline could have been costly.

Coming off a big game (19 points and 14 rebounds) on Wednesday night, Sengun was a steady presence off the bench in the Rising Stars tournament, finishing with seven points, four boards and two blocks. He rejected a Bones Hyland dunk attempt and made an important 3-pointer from the top of the key in the final.

Playing his hardest in what was nominally an exhibition, Tate sent his team to the finals by driving for the winning layup after scoring a putback for their previous score to take the lead. Tate also dug out a key offensive rebound and got to the free throw line in the semifinals and had an and-one to give Team Isiah a 20-18 edge in the final. Still, his most typical sequence might have been containing Bones Hyland one-on-one when Hyland thought he had a mismatch. (Hyland must not have league pass.)

Jae'Sean Tate ENDED it‼️

(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/dq4ZF2mKJ9

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 19, 2022

The winning point for Team Isiah came from an unlikely source, as Wagner scored six total points across the two games and hadn't been a major factor at either end. His only other box-score contribution was a single assist. Still, credit Wagner for making a pressure-free throw with the game on the line.

Team Isiah (lost to Team Barry in the final, 25-20)

Precious Achiuwa, Toronto Raptors
Grade: B+

After an uneven first game in which he missed all three of his 3-point attempts, Achiuwa knocked down a pair of triples in the final game and scored 12 of Team Isiah's 20 points. That included a shot to tie the game at 20 while being fouled, though Achiuwa couldn't convert the three-point play. He then pushed his luck too far, taking a 3 in the corner while ignoring an open Desmond Bane on the wing. The shot was an air ball.

Two clutch free throws from Bane sent Team Isiah to the final. That was the highlight of his night, as Bane missed nine of his 13 shot attempts between the two games. He was a bit too audacious in trying a pair of logo 3s in the semifinals.

The MVP of Team Isiah's semifinals win, Bey scored a team-high 16 points and made seven of eight shot attempts, with his only miss coming on a 3. He scored on a drive to pull Team Isiah within striking distance of the win at 49-48, then blocked Jalen Green at the other end to preserve the score. Bey wasn't as impressive in the final, scoring 5 points on 2-of-6 shooting.

The No. 1 pick of the Rising Stars draft, Edwards saw his playing time limited. After scoring 4 points on 2-of-3 shooting in the semifinal, including an impressive spin move to get to the rim for a layup, Edwards was the only player on either side not to see action in the final -- surely not a coach's decision.

With so much talent around him, Haliburton served as a pass-first point guard, handing out an event-high 11 assists and scoring 2 points. His best finds included a setup for a Bey dunk and an underhanded alley-oop to Isaiah Stewart. Haliburton also made some key plays on defense, fouling Jalen Suggs to prevent him from getting off a potential winning layup at the end of the semifinals.

Team Isiah's G League Ignite representative tried to do a bit too much given the talent around him. He turned the ball over on his first touch of both games, the first one after an extended struggle to control his dribble. Hardy also missed four of his five shot attempts, though his one make was a nice drive for a layup.

As Team Isiah's primary big man, Stewart had 10 points and six rebounds on a strong 5-of-7 shooting in the semifinals. Playing alongside Achiuwa much of the finals, Stewart's contributions were more limited. He did not score, though he added another four boards.

Team Payton (lost to Team Barry in the semifinal, 50-48)

LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
Grade: B-

A relatively quiet night saw Ball score eight points and hand out one assist. He got most involved with the game on the line, setting up Jaden McDaniels for a 3 on his lone assist and scoring a putback to give Team Payton a 47-46 lead. Alas, his attempt to end the game with a 3 caught nothing but air.

Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
Grade: B

Barnes tried to showcase his left hand Friday, hitting a half hook but missing another attempt with his off hand. He followed one of his misses with a tip-in and held his own defending bigger opponents as part of Team Payton's smaller lineup.

Ayo Dosunmu, Chicago Bulls
Grade: B-

Given Dosunmu's calling card is defense, even a more competitive version of the Rising Stars wasn't the best showcase for him. Dosunmu was solid, scoring five points and handing out two assists.

Scoot Henderson, G League Ignite
Grade: B

Team Payton's G League representative was busy during his brief playing time, starting by making a pull-up jumper on his second possession. Henderson hustled to pick up an offensive rebound and came up with a steal in the backcourt, though he missed the subsequent layup.

Bones Hyland, Denver Nuggets
Grade: B

Hyland doesn't lack for confidence, and he was typically aggressive, scoring 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. That was highlighted by beating Evan Mobley for a layup with an upfake and blowing by Alperen Sengun in isolation for another layup. Hyland missed a late 3 that would have won it for his team.

Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
Grade: C

A late replacement for the injured Chris Duarte (Indiana Pacers), Kuminga missed three of his four shot attempts in a relatively short appearance off the bench.

Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves
Grade: A

Improbably, McDaniels scored more points (12) in a game to 50 than 41 of his 56 appearances for the Timberwolves this season. McDaniels was hot from 3, making a pair, and delivered an impressive Eurostep to score one-on-one with Mobley in transition.

Team Worthy (lost to Team Isiah in the semifinal, 50-49)

Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic
Grade: C-

Anthony delivered a memorable highlight when he unleashed a wicked crossover against Isaiah Stewart, but he wasn't able to convert his skill into a score. Less impressive: Anthony air-balling a 3-pointer in the early going, one of four misses in as many attempts from downtown.

MarJon Beauchamp, G League Ignite
Grade: B-

At first, Beauchamp looked overmatched against NBA competition, turning the ball over and missing a shot during his first three possessions. After that, Beauchamp settled in and found his role, cutting for a two-handed dunk and finishing an alley-oop from Anthony.

Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder
Grade: B+

Giddey attempted just two shots, making one of them, as he showcased his versatile skill as a rebounder and distributor instead. Giddey's nine rebounds were a game high and his seven assists were the most on Team Worthy -- highlighted by an offensive rebound he kicked out to Jalen Green for a 3.

Jalen Green, Houston Rockets
Grade: A

Green was the biggest reason Team Worthy even had a chance to win, scoring a game-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Sticking to the Rockets' typical playbook, Green either dunked (including a windmill in transition after he looked off teammate Cole Anthony) or shot 3s -- highlighted by a step back to give his team a 43-41 lead.

Jones' old-school game isn't really a fit for the Rising Stars format, and he barely registered in the box score as a reserve. Jones made his only shot attempt, a 3.

Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Grade: D

It was an exceptionally quiet night for Maxey, the only player on either team not to score in his game. Maxey didn't help his chances with his shot selection, including an audacious step-back 3 from the corner. Maxey did record two rebounds and an assist.

A good night for Suggs was marred when he missed a free throw that would have won the game for Team Worthy. Before that, Suggs was a big reason his team had the lead, nailing a step-back 3 to tie the game at 46 (one of his three triples on the night) and then going off the backboard for an alley-oop to Magic teammate Anthony to give Team Worthy the lead. Suggs also had a couple of highlight dunks, a 360 where he hung on the rim and a one-hand hammer in transition. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting.