Top Rookie Matchups in Friday’s NBA Slate

Jaime Jaquez Jr. versus Jordan Hawkins headlines the NBA’s group of rookie matchups Friday evening.

Following the 2024 NBA All-Star weekend, we’re officially in the home stretch of the regular season.

The 2023 class of rookies has been one of the best we’ve seen in decades, with players putting on top performances night in and night out.

Here are some of the top rookie matchups on tonight’s NBA menu:

Brandon Miller vs. Brandin Podziemski

Hornets forward Brandon Miller and Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski have had drastically different paths to tonight’s game.

Miller was a five-star one-and-done at Alabama to Podziemski’s needed second collegiate year. Miller has become a go-to scoring option where Podziemski is nearing elite-role player status. Their teams are on different trajectories, too. In addition, they aren’t likely to be matched up against one another tonight, either.

Still, they’ve been two of the most exciting rookies this year, and tonight should be a fun one from that stand point. The Warriors and Hornets tip off at 9 p.m. CT.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. vs. Jordan Hawkins

Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. got off to a blisteringly hot start, but has cooled down just a tad in the month of February. Jordan Hawkins, New Orlean’s shiny new sharpshooter, had seen a similarly down month.

The Pelicans are entering tonight riding a four-game win-streak, with Miami earning wins in their last two games themselves.

Jaquez and Hawkins will undoubtedly be pivotal to each team’s performance tonight. The Heat and Pelicans tip off at 7 p.m. CT.

Honorable mentions:

Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace vs. Bilal Coulibaly — 7 p.m.

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