Top rookie matchups to watch in the 2026-27 NBA season

Cameron Boozer (left) and Caleb Wilson are part of an exciting rookie class.

When the NBA’s top rookies meet each summer, especially the No. 1 and No. 2 picks from the recently held Draft, they typically get booked on the annual Las Vegas hoops festival’s opening day.

Lottery picks are the equivalent of All-NBA stars in Vegas, considered the flashiest talents and biggest names around whom to build the sexiest matchups.

Once all 450 or so NBA players get going in the regular season, the star power is so bright that a newbie vs. newbie showdown can wait. For instance, Washington’s AJ Dybantsa and Utah’s Darryn Peterson were set up as a must-see opener in Las Vegas last month because they were the top two picks in a Class of 2026 that went four, five or six players deep with big-time franchise builders.

They won’t meet in the 2026-27 NBA season until Feb. 27, according to the schedule released by the league Thursday. After the trading deadline, after the All-Star break, with the rookies two-thirds through on their trek to become second-year players.

But there are a number of games scattered throughout the season, pitting players who likely will vie for attention on NBA.com’s weekly Kia Rookie Ladder and get votes for the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy as the league’s Rookie of the Year.

Here are seven:

1. Dybantsa vs. Peterson, Feb. 27, Washington at Utah (3 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

There almost always are die-hard constituencies favoring one player or another with the No. 1 and No. 2 draft picks.

The LVSL meeting didn’t settle anything on that front: Dybantsa had 27 points and seven rebounds to spark his Wizards squad’s victory, but Peterson was strong with 24 points of his own. One week after their regular season clash, they’ll meet again at Capitol One arena in a March 6 League Pass game.

The top two picks in the 2026 NBA Draft will meet for the first time in the regular season when Washington’s AJ Dybantsa and Utah’s Darryn Peterson face off on Feb. 27.

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2. Dybantsa vs. Cam Boozer, Nov. 16, Memphis at Washington (7 p.m. ET, League Pass)

Dybantsa allegedly has more offensive potential, while Boozer is a seemingly ready-made power forward and leader who can anchor the Grizzlies for a dozen years once he gets his NBA legs under him. We get this one early, on a Monday night to tip off the league’s fifth week.

3. Dybantsa vs. Caleb Wilson, Oct. 24, Washington at Chicago (8 p.m. ET, League Pass)

Wilson, the slim 6-foot-10 forward from North Carolina, has to wait until the fourth pick in June to hear his name called. But he’ll get this showdown with Dybantsa almost immediately out of the chute, on the first Saturday of the regular season.

They didn’t connect in Vegas, with Washington shutting down Dybantsa after two appearances while Wilson prided himself on playing four games.

4. Peterson vs. Boozer, Oct. 21, Utah at Memphis (8 p.m. ET, League Pass)

This pits No. 2 vs. No. 3, considerably different players in size and style but there for the taking when the Jazz went on the clock on draft night. Oddsmakers might expect Boozer to start more quickly as a pro, since he played 38 games at Duke to 24 for Peterson at Kansas.

Boozer nearly doubled Peterson in minutes as a one-and-done prospect, too (1,271 to 697). Five days after this clash, they’re booked to see each other again out at the Delta Center.

5. Peterson vs. Wilson, Dec. 16, Utah at Chicago (8 p.m. ET, League Pass)

This battle of No. 2 vs. No. 4 could provide a showcase for both to display their offensive talents. The Jazz and the Bulls haven’t exactly been shutting each other down in their recent history, with the teams combining for an average of 251 p0ints per game over the past four meetings.

6. Peterson vs. Keaton Wagler, Nov. 17, Utah at L.A. Clippers (11 p.m. ET, Peacock)

Both these guards, including Wagler as the Draft’s fifth selection, scored 23 points when they squared off in the summer. But each had spotty performances overall in Las Vegas, with Wagler misfiring more than his shooter’s reputation would suggest and Peterson not looking comfortable yet as a lead guard. Maybe both will look different with training camp, the preseason and a month of schedule behind them.

7. Peterson vs. Darius Acuff Jr., Dec. 27, Utah at Sacramento, 6 p.m. ET, League Pass)

Eyeballing both these guards is nothing new, given their 2025-26 seasons at Kansas and Arkansas, respectively. Few claimed that Acuff should have been drafted higher, but he does exhibit more take-charge skills as an orchestrating point guard than Peterson in his natural shooting guard position.

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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him

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