Top NBA rookies to watch in Friday's games

The 2024-25 NBA preseason is officially underway, with the final two champions, Boston and Denver, facing off in Friday's early game in Abu Dubai.

There will be more action tonight, including some of the draft's top picks. Here are the top rookies to watch on Friday's NBA slate:

Dillingham, drafted No. 8 overall after Minnesota traded up, is one of the most anticipated rookies in the class with a dynamic offensive game.

An undersized guard, he can score at all three levels and is expected to do so again this year for a contending Timberwolves team.

Right now he's backing up starter Mike Conley, but Dillingham is likely the future in Minnesota.

Knecht was one of the top sliders in the draft, but landed with the Lakers in a near-perfect situation alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

As one of the draft's best shooters, he'll do just that in Los Angeles' aging core. He was a slow riser throughout the draft process, initially going the JUCO route before landing at Northern Colorado and then Tennessee. It remains to be seen whether he will be an impactful piece in his first year.

The Timberwolves and Lakers kick off tonight at 9:30 p.m. CT.

The Utah Jazz left the 2024 NBA Draft with a trio of talented players, all of whom should be on display in some capacity tonight against the NZ Breakers. The highest-profile prospect was Cody Williams — brother of Thunder star Jalen Williams — at No. 10, but he's flanked by dynamo point guard Isaiah Collier and Duke big man Kyle Filipowski.

Given the Jazz's interesting roster construction, there will certainly be minutes to be gained as the rookies rise to the challenge or slide to the back end of the rotation.

Kickoff for Utah and New Zealand is at 8:00 p.m. CT.

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