Dalton Knecht, Rob Dillingham Lead Rookies to Watch on NBA’s Opening Day

The 2024-25 NBA season is officially here, and with it will come the triumph of opening day wins and the sadness of kicking off a season in defeat.

Tonight, the defending-champion Celtics will take on the new-look Knicks, before the Lakers and Timberwolves battle it out in the late game.

As with most teams, there are a variety of exciting newbies to watch in tonight’s action. There’s no guarantee they’ll see the same minutes they did in preseason, but they should play in some capacity.

Since stepping foot on Kentucky’s campus, Dillingham has been one of the more prolific scorers in basketball. And that stayed true through his drafting by the Wolves, into Summer League, and especially in his 21-point preseason debut.

The undersized guard may not look especially menacing, but his quick-moving style, paired with his fluid jumper, makes him a dangerous weapon for Minnesota.

He should play reserve minutes at the guard position.

Knecht has earned plenty of well-deserved attention over the last year. He went from JUCO to Tennessee star, eventually becoming the draft’s biggest slider, and then preseason hero.

In the Lakers final preseason bout, he scored 20-straight points beginning in the fourth quarter and spanning til’ the team’s overtime win. In total, he finished with 35.

Of all the rookies slated to play this season, the jumbo, 23-year-old shooting guard is certain to have a role alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis this season.

Taken No. 34 overall, former Marquette guard Tyler Kolek has been a welcome surprise to a Knicks team that’s seen many this offseason.

In four games with New York, Kolek averaged 11.5 points on 48% shooting, 4.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds, all in just 18 minutes. Several draft experts were keen to name Kolek as a year-one contributor. And even they have likely been blown away by his production.

The Knicks are surefire contenders this season, meaning Kolek may not get an abundance on on-court time. But if he can stay poised and limit mistakes, he’ll likely be a big help to an already good team.

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