Five Rookies to Watch in Tonight's NBA Cup Action

The NBA Cup is back with a slate of 11 games tonight. The first two and a half weeks of the season have not disappointed, and the intensity only gets higher during this in-season tournament.

Tonight's schedule features plenty of marquee matchups, but it will also feature some of the best rookies thus far. This season, the Rookie of the Year race has been unexpected, with many late-round picks entering the conversation of an All-Rookie team. Here are five rookies (and five more) to watch in tonight's slate:

Five Extra Rookies: Ace Bailey, Collin Murray-Boyles, Will Richard, Egor Demin, Walter Clayton Jr.

Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

Flagg hasn't gotten off to the best start. The 18-year-old has struggled in many moments, but he has also had some bright spots. Many forget that his reclassing means he should be a freshman in college right now, not a generational rookie.

Still, Flagg is putting up 14.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, still finding himself in the Rookie of the Year race behind VJ Edgecombe. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, he'll have a chance to prove he's better than fellow rookie sensation Cedric Coward.

Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies

For those who were familiar with Coward's game prior to the draft, his hot start shouldn't be a surprise. The 6-foot-6 wing is averaging 14.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists off the bench for the Grizzlies, who need someone to step up and lead amid the Ja Morant drama.

Coward has been wildly efficient, shooting 53.7% from the field and 41.2% from three. He's becoming the prototypical two-way wing everyone thought he could be, and the 22-year-old could be directly matched up with Flagg tonight.

Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards

Johnson, one of the best isolation scorers headed into the draft, has gotten off to a solid start. The former Texas Longhorn is averaging 11.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game on solid efficiency for a rookie.

Johnson has cooled off a bit after a few big performances to start the season, but he's clearly a big part of the Wizards' young core. He and Washington will have a major test tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets

Knueppel has been fantastic for the most part to start the season. He is using his IQ and shooting ability to his full advantage, averaging 14.8 points on 46-41-82 shooting splits.

What makes Knueppel so special is his ability to score with limited dribbles. He doesn't need a lot of time to be effective, and alongside ball-dominant players like LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, that's a good thing for Charlotte. The Hornets have a chance to get closer to .500 against the Miami Heat, but the former Duke star may have to do so without Ball.

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Charlotte Hornets

Kalkbrenner has been, by far, the biggest surprise of the 2025 draft. The former Creighton star is leading the NBA in field-goal percentage at 82.9%, putting up 9.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.4 blocks per game. He could not only make an All-Rookie team in his first season, but an All-Defensive team as well.

The seven-footer knows his role, getting all of his points within a few feet of the basket. He works well in the pick-and-roll, but mostly positions himself well to get to sweet spots. He's also already one of the better offensive rebounders in the league, averaging 3.3 per game.