IN A drama-filled round of the National Basketball League (NBL), the Next Stars were as solid as ever across the span of the weekend.

The next generation of basketballers are making a name for themselves at NBL level, and as the season has progressed, a more even spread of young guns are producing consistent performances.

With just five Next Stars suiting up for the 2024/25 season, there will be plenty of attention on each and every player within the program over the coming months, and how they perform on a weekly basis.

Despite not all players being draft eligible this year, all five participants will be looking to use every match to boost their output and continue their quest to make the NBA.

Rookie Me Central will be posting weekly updates on how all five Next Stars perform week in week out, and how their performances are impacting their draft stocks.

Karim Lopez – New Zealand Breakers

The Breakers pulled off a scrappy win over the Taipans in Round 9, and Lopez was his usual solid self in the victory. New Zealand chalked out an eight-point triumph at Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday afternoon, outlasting a strong push from the Taipans to remain in solid form moving forward. Their Next Star did his thing, posting nine points (4/6 FG), three rebounds and one assist, and looks extremely comfortable in his role for the Breakers as a starter.

Rocco Zikarsky – Brisbane Bullets

After struggling to start the season with some quiet performances, Zikarsky delivered his best weekend in a long time, producing a pair of strong showings as the Bullets broke even from two games. Firstly, he was a very solid contributor in the tough loss to the JackJumpers, delivering five points (2/3 FG) but more importantly five big rebounds, with three coming on the offensive end to help set up more scoring opportunities for Brisbane.

He then backed it up with an even better showing in the win over the Wildcats at Nissan Arena on Sunday afternoon. Although much of the attention was on James Batemon‘s record-breaking performance, Zikarsky was excellent off the bench and showed what he offers as a draft prospect. The big man posted 13 points on 6/9 shooting from the field as well as seven rebounds and a huge block, all in just 19 minutes of court time.

Alex Toohey – Sydney Kings

Toohey’s struggles from the field continued as he still battles a bout of inefficiency in comparison to his red-hot start to the season. In the road loss to the Hawks, he shot just 1/9 from the field for four points to go with five rebounds in a quiet game for the forward. Toohey has been in a form slump of late, and will need a strong game in the coming weeks to get his campaign back on track.

Malique Lewis – SEM Phoenix

It may not have been the ideal result for the Phoenix, but the performance of Lewis in the loss to the Wildcats was certainly encouraging. South East Melbourne fell by 13 points at RAC Arena on Friday night, but Lewis was one of the team’s best performers in the loss. He posted 15 points and six rebounds, with five coming on the offensive end in a relentless pursuit of the loose ball. The Next Star shot 6/11 from the field and was fearless in his willingness to put up shots and try and generate some much-needed offence for the Phoenix.

Izan Almansa – Perth Wildcats

Almansa continues to impress throughout the Wildcats’ recent outings, and is becoming more and more comfortable at NBL level as the weeks progress. Perth broke even from its two games, but one mainstay from the weekend was Almansa adding some offence off the bench. In the win over the Phoenix on Friday night, the Next Star almost delivered a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, before backing it up with eight points and six rebounds in the loss to Brisbane in another solid weekend.