ROUND 6 of the National Basketball League (NBL) fixture for 2023/24 resumes tonight, as the action spreads out to five days this weekend.

Kicking off last night, the Brisbane Bullets got things going in style with a 16-point win over the SEM Phoenix at Nissan Arena. It marks the first of eight games for the round, with the action stretching from Thursday to Monday night, to coincide with the eve of the Melbourne Cup public holiday. There will be no shortage of basketball action, with some massive matchups on the cards.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will continue its weekly series of highlighting some key players worth keeping an eye on this weekend. The action kicks off with a pair of matches tonight, and one young gun will be worth monitoring after some big performances of late.

Bobi Klintman – Cairns Taipans

You would be hard pressed to find a stronger performing Next Star than Klintman of late (although Ariel Hukporti has been making his case all season long). The forward has been excelling in a variety of roles for the Taipans, be it starter alongside the team’s big guns, or playing a crucial part in coming off the bench and injecting some energy into the team. The Taipans face off against the Breakers tonight, and will be eager to keep their spot around the top of the table. There is no doubt Cairns looked a better side with Klintman in the starting lineup, as the Next Star delivered 17 points and eight boards in the win over Cairns, so expect him to be heavily involved again.

DJ Hogg – Sydney Kings

The reigning champions welcomed one of their biggest off-season recruits last season in Hogg, and although the team fell to the Taipans on Saturday night, the forward was in fine form. After a breakout campaign as an import for Cairns last season, Hogg moved south to join the Kings in a big move for the team from the harbour city. He came off the bench last week in a solid debut for the Kings, producing 13 points, four rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks in an excellent all-around performance. The Kings should move him into the starting lineup at some stage this weekend, making their lineup even more dangerous.

Dejan Vasiljevic – Adelaide 36ers

The 36ers have produced one of the more remarkable in-season turnarounds of recent years, overcoming a poor start to the season to win two in a row and three of the last four. One of the biggest reasons for the turnaround was the addition of Vasiljevic. The team seriously lacked offence to start the season, but the addition of the two-time NBL champion makes them far more dangerous in the halfcourt, and it culminated in Vasiljevic producing 24 points, four rebounds and five assists in the impressive road win over the Breakers. Now that he has found his feet within the 36ers side, expect him to produce more performances of this calibre in the near future.