Emmanuel Mudiay to replace Patrick Beverley in Skills Challenge

Denver Nuggets rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay will replace Houston Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley in the Skills Challenge at All-Star weekend, the Nuggets announced Thursday.

Yahoo's Marc Spears first reported the news.

Beverley, who won the competition in 2015, will use the All-Star break to rest his ankle.

Mudiay makes a convenient replacement as he'll already be in Toronto to represent Team World at the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night. Now, he'll compete against three other guards and four bigs on Saturday.

The 6-foot-5 Mudiay is averaging 11.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in 30.2 minutes per game while having firmly seized the starting point guard position for the Nuggets.