THE 2024/25 National Basketball League (NBL) season has officially arrived, with some exciting action kicking off the fixture at HoopsFest in Perth over the weekend.

It has been an extremely eventful off-season, with plenty of players coming into the fixture ready to rock and roll and the landscape of the competition looks completely different ahead of what is likely going to be an exciting few months in Australian basketball.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will be taking a look three of the top performances over the weekend, with a trio of players catching the eye with a hot start to the season.

Keanu Pinder – Perth Wildcats

29 points, six rebounds, one assist

Coming to the Wildcats at the start of last season, Pinder was expected to turn Perth into a superteam, but dropped off in terms of production and the Wildcats were eliminated in the play-in. However, the two-time Most Improved Player was dominant in the win over the SEM Phoenix and looks to be one of the more influential frontcourt players in the competition.

He had 29 points on 59 per cent shooting from the field, which was the most of any player in the NBL for the round. Whether it was running in transition or knocking down spot up three-pointers, Pinder was torching the opposition and made scoring look easy. If he can continue this sort of production, it makes Perth much more balanced on the offensive end.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright – New Zealand Breakers

20 points, three rebounds, 11 assists

The Breakers came into their clash against the red-hot Brisbane Bullets as underdogs, given the varying form between the sides throughout preseason clashes. However, New Zealand was too good for the Bullets, claiming a thrilling six-point triumph on the back of some excellent play from its star point guard.

Jackson-Cartwright was always going to play a big role, but he delivered in a massive way to open the Breakers’ account for the 2024/25 season. Whether it was scoring the ball himself or finding his sharpshooting teammates on the perimeter, the import guard showed why the Breakers worked so hard to retain his services over the off-season.

Matthew Dellavedova – Melbourne United

21 points, three rebounds, six assists

In terms of impact performances, there were not many better than Dellavedova’s in Round 1. The NBA Champion was elevated into the starting lineup after spending time on the bench throughout the off-season, and rewarded the coaching staff for the move in the season opener against the Tasmania JackJumpers.

He was Melbourne’s leading scorer with 21, and knocked down some big shots in the context of the match to help his side to a win. Despite heading into the twilight of his career, the point guard showed no signs of slowing down and demonstrated that he is still capable of producing match-winning performances.