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.

The FIBA break has come and gone, and the league has just 11 rounds left to play. Some of the league’s biggest stars turned it on in Round 7, and we should see something similar take place when the action kicks off on Thursday night.

Robert Franks – Adelaide 36ers

With the departure of Craig Randall II over the last couple of weeks, there was an opening for the number one option for the 36ers, a chance that Franks has taken with both hands. In the round opener against United, the import forward had an impressive double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds as he led his side to a handy victory. Last season, Franks was in the MVP conversation, and has had to take a bit of a back seat to start the season with Randall and even Antonius Cleveland taking plenty of his field goal attempts, but he was the man last week, and it will be interesting to see if he can do it again.

Will Magnay – Tasmania JackJumpers

Magnay made his long-awaited return for the JackJumpers over the weekend, and while he did not hit the scoreboard, his impact was greatly felt. With three rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks in 14 minutes, the club’s marquee signing last year made his presence known. The JackJumpers have been anticipating his return for the last 12 months, and he allows Fabijan Krslovic to get some more rest and not have to shoulder the big man load as much. He will only be better the more minutes he gets, and should feature heavily against United on Saturday night.

Michael Frazier – Illawarra Hawks

Frazier was announced as a replacement for the Hawks after George King was ruled out for the rest of the season with a leg injury. He spent last season with the Perth Wildcats and averaged 7.84 points and 4.63 rebounds during his tenure with the team. The forward should make an impact with a struggling Illawarra side, and brings some NBA experience to the role as well. The club’s most recent recruit Peyton Siva has been thriving with the team thus far, and Frazier might be the final piece to the team getting back off the bottom of the ladder.