It’s not too often that one of the circled matchups on a schedule involves a first-round pick and a second-round pick in the NBA. But that is very much what happened last night as the Cleveland Cavaliers battled the Washington Wizards. On one end was Meleek Thomas, and first-overall selection AJ Dybantsa on the other.

Three nights ago, Thomas got on the floor for the first time and turned a lot of heads. And this time around, it was Dybantsa’s turn to get a chance, and it’s very clear that both of these teams have a guy that will be a huge part of the next steps taken.

Let’s discuss how they played, and how each of them had some huge moments.

Big Buckets From Both Rooks

AJ Dybantsa is of course the major headline name. He was a scoring machine during his lone season at BYU, and was always going to be the top pick after declaring. He’s an exceptional talent, and it helps too that he’s listed at 6”9. Though he was on a minutes limit, he was still able to make a massive impact.

He went to work on possession #1 of the game, getting right to the line. In all, Dybantsa scored 19 points on 8-12 FG, with a couple of rebounds and assists. A go-ahead jumper from the mid-range area with around six minutes to go in the game was his biggest moment. He’s already showing to be a major contributor, throwing down a few lobs from Trae Young as well.

And Cleveland has their own prized rookie in the form of Meleek Thomas. Considered long ago to be the steal of the draft, he dropped 16 in his debut against the Wolves. And in game number two, he continued putting the ball in the basket. The overall touches were down, the the plan was different.

It was the way the rookie was guarding Trae Young that impressed most. He stayed with him consistently, and though he got his hands in the cookie jar on a 3PT attempt early, he shook it off. He was one of a few to guard the savvy veteran, who shot just 3-12 on the night and saw his assist numbers dip drastically in the second-half.

Thomas scored 10 points on 4-7 FG with four rebounds. His biggest moment, which may have won the game for the Cavs, gas grabbing a loose board, and racing up the floor. He went coast-to-coast for a transition bucket to put the team back in front after Dybantsa had given Washington a lead about 30 seconds earlier.

How about this one possession where he locked down Dybantsa late in the game? #34 pick stopping the #1 pick from getting an important bucket. Big time as the Cavs got the win.

The Futures Are Bright

AJ Dybantsa is going to be a star in the NBA. Nobody is debating it. He had a sharp debut in Cleveland and should get a loud ovation in his home debut. As for Meleek Thomas, he’s already loved by the fans, the staff, and the players. It’s the dream start for the youngster out of Arkansas.

He’ll perhaps even log a few extra minutes on the tail end of tonight’s back-to-back.