NBA Lottery Picks Highlight Friday Night's Slate

With a limited number of college basketball games scheduled for Friday, the NBA slate has six games featuring some of the top talent in the league. More specifically, plenty of rookies will get the chance to showcase their talents.

The 2025 NBA Draft class has been blowing away expectations thus far. Just about halfway through the regular season, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel have been the most notable rookies, but there have been so many other first-year players impressing as of late. Friday night's slate highlights some notable lottery picks across five teams:

VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers

Edgecombe has been up and down as of late, but he is still one of the league's top rookies. The No. 3 overall pick is averaging 15.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game, posing as a great supplementary piece to Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.

The 76ers will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second game in a row, and Edgecombe will have a chance to prove himself after just nine points on 3-for-10 shooting last time. One thing to note is that while the 6-foot-4 is known to be an athletic finisher at the rim, he's still shooting nearly 38% from three this season, a testament to his off-ball positioning and range development.

Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards

Johnson hasn't just been the best rookie shooter thus far, but he's proven to be one of the best snipers in the NBA. The No. 6 pick is playing just 24.2 minutes per game on a Wizards team loaded with youth, but he's still managing to stand out on the offensive end. Johnson is averaging 12.4 points on 46-39-92 shooting splits.

The 6-foot-5 wing is more of a pure scorer, lacking abilities to rebound and facilitate. However, his potential is still high, and against the Sacramento Kings, who rank 28th in defensive rating, he could be due for a big night.

Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans' struggles haven't masked what Fears and fellow rookie Derik Queen have brought to the table. More notably, Fears' scoring potential is evident, averaging 14.2 points per game. But his facilitation and defense have also been fun to watch, putting up 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals a night.

The 6-foot-3 point guard is getting plenty of opportunities in New Orleans, but hasn't shot the ball well over the last two games (6-for-22). He'll have a chance to get back on track against the Indiana Pacers, matching up against top defensive guards such as Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith.

Egor Demin, Brooklyn Nets

Many analysts wrote off the Nets' 2025 draft class, noting the abundance of playmakers and lack of scoring. However, Demin has been the opposite of his scouting report. Many said that three-point shooting was the No. 8 overall pick's greatest weakness, but he's up there with Knueppel and Johnson in terms of efficiency.

Demin is averaging 15.1 points, 3.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds over his last 12 games, shooting nearly 46% from three. His confidence has been growing with every game that passes, having shown a bit of a clutch factor as well. He hit plenty of big-time shots in losses to the New Orleans Pelicans and Orlando Magic.

Brooklyn takes on the Chicago Bulls tonight at home, and a big thing to keep an eye on is Demin's shot diet. He almost solely takes jumpers, particularly from beyond the arc, with a reluctance to drive.

Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors

Murray-Boyles has had a solid stretch of scoring performances over his last five games, but the rebounding has been off the charts. He's nearly averaging a double-double at 10 points and 9.8 rebounds, playing predominantly inside the arc.

The Raptors take on the LA Clippers at home tonight, but Kawhi Leonard will not play. This could be an opportunity to get more looks to score.