Konan Niederhauser embraced his surreal NBA All-Star Weekend moment.
The Los Angeles Clippers haven't had a whole lot to celebrate this season, but rookie center Yanic Konan Niederhauser gave the franchise a feel-good moment on Friday night at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
The 22-year-old Swiss big man suited up for Team Austin in the Rising Stars event as part of NBA All-Star Weekend and more than held his own, leading his squad with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting in a 40-34 semifinal loss to Team Melo.
Before the game, Konan Niederhauser was asked if it felt surreal to be at All-Star Weekend, and his answer showed just how far he's come in a short time.
"It's really surreal. I remember maybe five, six years ago, I was sitting on my bed watching social media, watching all the Rising Stars going through media. Now me sitting here, it's a surreal feeling," Konan Niederhauser said.
Making the Most of the Moment
Konan Niederhauser didn't waste his time on the big stage.
He opened the night with a thunderous alley-oop dunk from Ron Harper Jr. that got the home crowd going early, and he even knocked down a three-pointer, which is something he hasn't done yet in a regular-season game with the Clippers.
He also added two rebounds, one assist, and one block in about 10 minutes of action, showing the kind of well-rounded game that made him a first-round pick out of Penn State last summer.
Even though Team Austin fell short, analysts noted Konan Niederhauser as one of the standout players in the event alongside VJ Edgecombe, Reed Sheppard, and Donovan Clingan.
Edgecombe, the Philadelphia 76ers rookie, went on to win Rising Stars MVP after leading Team Vince to the championship, but Konan Niederhauser made sure the home fans had something to cheer about before things wrapped up.
A Bigger Role Ahead for the Clippers
The Rising Stars showing comes at a perfect time for Konan Niederhauser and the Clippers.
Los Angeles made major moves at the trade deadline, sending Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, and two first-round picks.
They also traded James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland earlier in the week, completely reshaping the roster around Kawhi Leonard.
With Zubac now gone, the center rotation belongs to Brook Lopez and Konan Niederhauser.
Lopez is 37 years old and in the 18th season of his career, so it stands to reason that the Clippers will want to get their rookie more minutes as the second half of the season goes on.
In 34 regular-season appearances this year, Konan Niederhauser has averaged 3.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in just 9.0 minutes per game, but the numbers look a lot different when he actually gets to play.
In four games where he played at least 20 minutes, he averaged 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks, showing flashes of real potential as a two-way center.
The Clippers sit at 26-28 heading into the All-Star break, which puts them in the thick of the play-in race in the Western Conference.
Their front office has made it clear they're building around Leonard while getting younger, and Konan Niederhauser fits right into that vision.
If the Rising Stars showing was any indication, the former Penn State standout is ready for a bigger role when play resumes after the break.