WITH no games taking place on Thursday, the seventh round of the National Basketball League (NBL) kicks off on Friday night, with just one game taking place.

Round 6 saw a whopping eight games take place from Thursday to Monday, and given the extended fixture for that week, the seventh round of play is set to be significantly shorter. There will be just five games taking place between Friday and Sunday, with no teams playing two games over the course of the round, as is normally the case. Despite the decrease in quantity, the quality will be unaffected, with some big matchups on the cards for the week.

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 tonight, with last week’s breakout performer starting our list for Round 7.

Anthony Lamb – New Zealand Breakers

It was a statement round from Lamb, who joined the Breakers in recent weeks as an injury replacement player for Justinian Jessup. Over two games in Round 6, the former G-League Most Improved Player produced 48 points, including 29 in the loss to the Kings on Sunday. Despite coming off the bench for New Zealand, he was the team’s best player in both outings, and added another dimension to the team’s offence when the Breakers could not rely on some of the bigger names. Expect his role to get bigger this weekend, and potentially move into the starting lineup when the Breakers head out west to take on the Wildcats at RAC Arena tonight.

Josh Bannan – Brisbane Bullets

The Bullets appear to have struck gold here with Bannan, who has been one of the strongest performing forwards in recent weeks. The 22-year-old has soared into favouritism in the NBL Next Generation Award after some big showings, including a huge double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds (four offensive) against the Phoenix last weekend. He has cemented his spot in the starting lineup, despite some stiff competition waiting in the wings. However, he has made himself near impossible to bench and is one of the brightest young Australian basketballers in the NBL.

Jo Lual Acuil – Melbourne United

Since his return to the NBL earlier this season, Lual Acuil has been eased back into the lineup following an injury that sidelined him for the opening weeks of the season. The red-hot form of Ariel Hukporti has also played a role in this, but the Next Star suffered a minor knee injury to start the game last week, giving Lual Acuil the chance to show the level he is still capable of playing. He had a monster outing, finishing with 25 points and 10 rebounds, displaying his capability to produce at the same level he has in the past. Expect his minutes to continue to rise, and a potential injection into the starting lineup is also on the cards.