Grizzlies’ Kenneth Lofton Jr. reflects on playing in the Rising Stars game

Grizzlies rookie Kenneth Lofton Jr. expressed his excitement to play in the Rising Stars game over All-Star Weekend.

Memphis Grizzlies rookie Kenneth Lofton Jr. expressed his excitement to play in the NBA Rising Stars contest over All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Lofton, who is signed to a two-way contract, was one of seven players from the G League selected to compete in the event. He played alongside Scoot Henderson, Mac McClung, Scotty Pippen Jr. and others on Team Jason.

The undrafted forward out of Louisiana Tech produced seven points, four rebounds, one steal and one block against Team Joakim, which featured Josh Giddey, Evan Mobley and Jabari Smith Jr. He relished the opportunity to play in front of the fans and players at Vivint Arena.

I saw all of the players on the sideline. I saw my boy Jaren (Jackson Jr.) on the sideline. It was pretty fun out there getting to meet all of these great players and getting to hang out with them in Utah and get to talk to them and see what they got to say.

Lofton has emerged as one of the top players in the G League this year.

He is averaging 22.8 points, 10 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals on 54.4% shooting from the field in 28 games with the Memphis Hustle. He is 10th in scoring and is one of 19 players in the G League to record a triple-double this season.

The 20-year-old has played the majority of the season in the G League, making only eight appearances with the Grizzlies. His time with the Hustle has enabled him to continue to work on his game and develop at his own pace.

He is locked in on working hard this season.

“(I learned to) really just stay focused,” Lofton said. “You can look up on the past and dwell off that, (but I) really just keep my head focused and think about the future and continuing to be better.”

Lofton has dazzled on the court throughout the season. He was recognized over the weekend for his hard work and will be looking to build upon that in the future with the Grizzlies.

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