Mavericks forward Dwight Powell recently went on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. Here are some highlights.

On the honor of being named to the Rising-Stars Challenge over All-Star weekend in his hometown of Toronto:

"First and foremost definitely an honor and a blessing to be part of something, especially something like All-Star weekend. The cake was that it's actually in Toronto. It's just a really cool feeling and it's just exciting. I don't know if I'm going to be able to get enough tickets to accommodate everybody but it'll definitely be good that it's in Toronto so I'll be able to have family and friends out there to support."

On the challenge of being a reserve instead of a starter:

"The biggest thing is you got to stay ready. You got to focus on the fact that it's a long season and that 82 games a lot of things can happen. You got to know that you're opportunity is going to come at some point and it's your responsibility to be ready. I think regardless of how many minutes you're getting even when you're a starter you have to be ready for your opportunities, when games come and you're going to need to carry a larger load. But in my situation I'm still going through the process and still developing as a player, still trying to improve my game regardless of the minutes I'm getting and kind of prepare for the next opportunity."

On who his best mentors on the Mavs are:

"I've actually been really fortunate in my career so far that I've been on a couple teams with a lot of great vets. And vets are great in their own right but also willing to share in their knowledge and enjoy teaching. Right now, most recently, obviously Dirk (Nowitzki) is one of the greatest players to play this game. Luckily enough he's my position so he's somebody I've definitely spent a lot of time even just studying from afar but also working with him and kind of asking him about his daily process and how he kind of developed as the player that he is. And that's helped me a lot. But at the same time we have guys like Devin Harris and guys like Deron Williams and Zaza Pachulia who have so many years in the league and have so much experience and always have something to share from their point of view. So I've been very fortunate that I can come off the court and get three different guys telling me three different things, all productive and all helping me get better."