After a wild week of NBA Cup and regular-season action, Friday night’s slate brings just five games heading into a packed weekend of sports. Still, the matchups are exciting, with some of the league’s top playoff contenders going at it. Every team playing currently holds a postseason bid.
With that, there are a few rookies to watch. A combination of lottery and late-draft talent will take the floor, but the 2025 NBA Draft class has been extremely exciting, nonetheless. Here are
Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
Harper is quickly becoming a foundational piece to the Spurs’ title hopes. Playing off the bench is rare for the No. 2 pick in any draft, but he has been embracing his minutes, averaging 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists a night. Over his last five games, that scoring jumps to 17.6 points.
Against a banged-up Atlanta Hawks squad, Harper could be tasked with facing the defensive hound that is Dyson Daniels. Atlanta will try to take away his ability to get to the rim, as slashing has been his biggest strength early in the season. The 6-foot-5 point guard can explode to the rim with a tight handle, slithering his way through the defense for tough layups.
VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
Edgecombe cooled off for a while since lighting it up in the first few games of his career. However, he has started another scoring outburst as of late. Averaging 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and four assists on the season, the 6-foot-4 wing has put up at least 20 points in each of his last two games.
The Philadelphia 76ers-New York Knicks rivalry is still alive and well, which means Edgecombe will get his first taste of a rowdy Madison Square Garden tonight, facing the NBA Cup champions.
It will be a challenge, but Edgecombe has never backed down from big moments, no matter the performance. His two-way slashing ability will be tested against the Knicks, who allow just 44.7 points in the paint per game.
Hugo Gonzalez, Boston Celtics
Gonzalez’s minutes have been sparing amid the Celtics’ resurgence. After hovering around .500 to start the season, they’ve won seven of their last 10 games, although back-to-back losses have slowed them down once again.
Still, the No. 28 pick in this year’s draft has been solid in limited time. Gonzalez is averaging 3.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per game, shooting 51.7% from the field and 47.8% from three. The 6-foot-6 wing doesn’t receive scoring opportunities often, but put up a career-high 14 points earlier in the month.
Joe Mazzulla could turn to the youngster against the Miami Heat tonight, in a game that could swing the Eastern Conference standings early in the season. Separated by a half-game, Boston is trying to stay near the top.