THE National Basketball League (NBL) boasts some of the world’s premier talents, with a number of players catching the eye on a weekly basis.

Each round holds unique and engaging storylines, not only from a team perspective, but an individual one too.

In this new series, Rookie Me Central will highlight a few players to keep an eye on ahead of the weekend’s upcoming action.

After a bumper start to the year, the competition is back for a second round of action, with a few players looking to keep their momentum rolling into another week.

Lachlan Dent – Illawarra Hawks

Dent was one of the surprise packets of the opening round, producing a team-high 19 points in under 15 minutes of action. He did not miss a single field goal and nailed five triples in the process. While it is unfair to ask such a young player to produce a similar output, there is still plenty of intrigue surrounding if he is given a bigger role, or if he cops any more defensive attention. Either way, expect Dent to show no hesitation to make the most of his quick-fire shooting mechanism.

D.J. Hogg – Cairns Taipans

The Taipans recruit impressed in his debut performance in Round 1, doing a bit of everything. Hogg produced a statline of 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and four blocks, going head to head with the likes of Jack McVeigh to kick off his time in the NBL. Defensively, he held his own against the Tassie forward, but will have another tough assignment this time around, likely spending time on SEM Phoenix superstar Mitch Creek, who has proven a difficult assignment for many opponents around the league. Saturday night’s clash will be a true test of Hogg’s defensive capabilities.

Brady Manek – Perth Wildcats

The import sharpshooter was off his mark in his first outing, making just two of his 11 attempts from the field against the Bullets. Anyone who has watched college basketball in the last couple of years knows what Manek can do, especially on the big stage, so Round 2 offers the chance to bounce back. He is set to play a crucial role for the Wildcats, offering the likes of Bryce Cotton a bailout option on the perimeter. With a smooth shooting mechanism, Manek has all the tools to become one of the competition’s deadliest shooters from range. Nine of his 11 attempts last week were from behind the arc, so its clearly the part of his game he is the most comfortable with.