The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Opinion

The ultimate NBL 2021 preview

KChrisp new author
Roar Rookie
14th January, 2021
Advertisement
Autoplay in... 6 (Cancel)
Up Next No more videos! Playlist is empty -
Replay
Cancel
Next
KChrisp new author
Roar Rookie
14th January, 2021
0

The NBL season begins on 15 January with the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne United going into battle in Adelaide, the beginning of an intriguing season for more reasons than just the effects of COVID-19.

Here’s a quick look at all nine teams in the lead up to Friday’s NBL21 tipoff.

Adelaide 36ers

2019-20 record: 12-16, missed playoffs
Points per game: 94.8
Points against per game: 98.9

One of the biggest reasons to watch the 36ers this season is in his first year of senior competition and could potentially be one of the focal points of the offence. Josh Giddey, the exciting 18-year-old potential NBA prospect, is almost a lock to be the rookie of the year if he performs to the potential we know he has.

Is he the key to Adelaide’s success this season? No, that responsibility lands with their starting big men Daniel Johnson and Isaac Humphries. Johnson has been Adelaide’s prime mover since joining the team in 2010. More than a decade later he is joined by Humphries for what could be the league’s best one-two punch at the power forward and centre positions. The former Atlanta Hawk will be a welcome addition for added rim protection after the Sixers had the worst defence of any team last season, and he’ll also strengthen their rebound game after they finished second in that category.

Adding veteran Tony Crocker from the EuroLeague and former Nebraska Cornhusker Jack Mcveigh and the 36ers have a deep rotation that will at the very least form a team that is tough to beat on any given night. Expect them to move the ball quickly through Giddey and Donald Sloan and look to space the floor through their expansive list of capable shooters.

It will be a case of go big on the scoreboard or go home for the 36ers as they look to deny the critics and make the finals this season.

Advertisement
Josh Giddey

(Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

Brisbane Bullets

2019-20 record: 15-13, missed playoffs
Points per game: 93.1
Points against per game: 91.3

The biggest addition for the Bullets will be Vic Law, the versatile wing coming off a stint with the Orlando Magic during their time in the NBA bubble, which came after strong play in the G-League where he averaged almost 20 points a night. He comes in to fill the hole of primary scorer left by the departure of Lamar Patterson, who crossed the Tasman to the Breakers during free agency.

He joins Harry Froling, who will be looking to finally have that breakout season, filling the hole left by Will Magnay after he scored a two-way roster spot with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Jason Cadee, coming off his sixth man of the year; Matt Hodgson; Anthony Drmic; Nathan Sobey; and Orlando Johnson round out a squad that on paper could be dangerous when the floor is spaced well.

The Bullets will be looking to improve on their 2019-20 campaign that saw them miss out on the playoffs through percentage. However, the question hanging over this roster will be whether they have the pieces to cover the loss of MVP candidate Patterson. They have the depth and shooting to surprise opposition teams, it will be a matter of whether they can put up enough points consistently to win games.

Advertisement

Cairns Taipans

2019-20 record: 16-12, lost semi-final 2-1 to Perth
Points per game: 92.4
Points against per game: 91.0

This just may be the Taipans’ best chance at a title in their history. Their pairing of MVP runner-up Scott Machado as their floor general and one of the best offensive players in the league in Cameron Oliver make Cairns a threat on the offensive end. Add in big man Nate Jawai, who can never be counted out as one of the best players in the league, down in the post, along with fellow starters Majok Deng, role-player Mirko Djeric and second-year wing Kouat Noi and the Taipans have a roster that can burn a hole in the back of the ring when they’re up and firing.

The big downside here was the loss of defensive player of the year DJ Newbill after the COVID roster restrictions meant they could keep only two of their prized recruits for this season.

Kouat Noi could be the answer here with his length and the glimpses of elite defence he showed before injury last season, but he will have to make a big leap to have the effect on the defensive end that Newbill had.

Machado and Oliver will deliver every night – that isn’t a concern for Cairns. The concern will be whether they can stop some of the other offensive-minded teams from scoring as well as they will hope to.

Advertisement

They are still a young team – granted, a young team that stepped up and surprised the league last season. Can they do it again? It looks like they can, as long as the young brigade take the next step as they are expected to. I for one hope the Snakepit will be rocking once again as it was glorious to watch.

Majok Deng

Majok Deng (Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)

The Hawks

2019-20 record: 5-23
Points per game: 82.2
Points against per game: 92.5

They’ve dropped the Illawarra name and will be known as simply ‘the Hawks’ this season, and they will be hoping to improve in all aspects this year. If you weren’t interested in the circus that followed LaMelo Ball last season, you probably didn’t tune in for much of the Hawks season last year. The worst offensive team in the league, they struggled to score enough points to put themselves in positions to win games.

However, this season they have Brian Goorjian at the helm. He’s the master at picking clubs off the canvas and turning them into championship-winning teams, as he did with the South Dragons and Sydney Kings. He has conceded, though, that this rescue mission may be his hardest yet.

The Hawks will be led by exciting young guard Deng Adel, who should come into his own as a threat on both ends of the floor. They also have two handy shooters in Tyler Harvey and Justinian Jessup (best name in the NBL), who should be able to fill the wings well enough.

Advertisement

The biggest question in this roster comes in the form of Cameron Bairstow. Coming off a season in Europe, where he showed enough to suggest he may return to his best, Hawks fans will hope he can stay healthy long enough to make an impact after succumbing to a serious knee injury in their last campaign.

A new owner, new name, new coach and no LaMelo Ball will be the stories surrounding this team this season. The once proud club will be hoping to improve on thei dismal five-win season and show signs of improvement this year. With Goorjian at the helm, we should see them win more than they did last season, but Hawks fans should be more focused on the development of their young players than hoping for a miracle.

Sports opinion delivered daily 

   

Melbourne United

2019-20 record: 15-13, lost semi-final 2-1 to Sydney
Points per game: 94.2
Points against per game: 91.4

They’ve been crowned as champions before the season has even had a chance to get underway, but there is a very good reason for this: their starting five is easily the best and most potent in the league.

Advertisement

Chris Goulding has been the face of United for years now and will continue to do what he does best, which is score. Mitch McCarron will continue to put up staggering numbers as the United fan favourite. Scottie Hopson and David Barlow are still more than handy at this level and will continue to be this season.

The biggest reason for their favouritism heading into the season is the signing of Jock Landale. One of the best bigs in Australia not to find his way onto an NBA roster for this season, Landale made a huge impact in front of our own eyes during Australia’s World Championship campaign last season. His signature was well sought after following that tournament and Melbourne were lucky enough to land it.

The most important part of his play is that he doesn’t need the ball in order to be effective, therefore taking nothing away from McCarron, Goulding and Hopson. When you add in potential sixth man of the year Shea Illi, who will be hoping to recapture the form he showed with the New Zealand Tall Blacks during those Championships, the pieces of the puzzle seem to already be in place for Melbourne United.

As long as this roster stays healthy, gels well together and lives up to their defensive potential, you’d be right to expect a championship at season’s end. However, things don’t always go smoothly, as United fans will be more than aware. Watch out for Dan Vickerman’s men to make a serious statement in the season opener against Adelaide.

Chris Goulding

(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

New Zealand Breakers

2019-20 record: 15-13, missed the playoffs
Points per game: 87.5
Points against per game: 86.3

Advertisement

How do you replace one of the most exciting and damaging players in the NBL? Go get another of the most exciting and damaging players in the NBL. Things looked worrying for a little while when Scott Hopson left – until the Breakers stole Lamar Patterson from the Bullets.

The Breakers have put together a roster that has the potential to challenge this season. Patterson will join all-time great Breaker Thomas Abercrombie, who will enter his 13th season with the franchise. Tai Webster, Finn Delany and Colton Iverson round out the starting line-up as the primary ball-handler, athletic wing and rim-protecting big man respectively.

Perhaps the biggest story so far for the Breakers is Corey Webster, who accepted a new role as the sixth man on this roster. This move is huge for plenty of reasons, the biggest being that Webster, who is one of the smoothest scorers in NBL history, will lead a secondary unit that was otherwise a little short on options. However, the Breakers will be without Webster for the beginning of the season after he suffered a serious injury after being attacked by an avocado (seriously).

The Breakers at this point in time join the Taipans as the main challengers to United for the crown this season. If coach Dan Shamir can get his group playing around Patterson and have Corey Webster playing enough minutes off the bench to make a truly influential impact, the Breakers will be there at the pointy end for sure.

Corey Webster playing for New Zealand.

Corey Webster. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

Perth Wildcats

2019-20 record: 19-9, won championship
Points per game: 90.3
Points against per game: 86.0

Advertisement

The NBL has been the Wildcats playground for the past decade, with the team winning six championships in the past ten seasons, including the last two. Perth are now looking to become only the third team in NBL history to three-peat.

Once again they’ll be led by the best player in the league, Bryce Cotton. No other player in the league has the scoring ability that Cotton possesses, and his ability to win a game off his own shooting is second to none.

However, look at the broader Wildcats roster heading into the season and the questions begin. Who will be the secondary scoring option to assist Cotton? Todd Blanchfield is an important off-season signing as he has proven his ability to consistently shoot the three, and Clint Steindl will continue to be a flamethrower. But if those two struggle to get going, Perth could find themselves in trouble.

Then there are the holes that need to be filled. Mitch Norton isn’t quite the player Damian Martin was, especially on the defensive end. While they have brought in John Mooney to fill the Nick Kay role. Mooney was a dominant force during his second season of college basketball, and coach Trevor Gleeson will be hoping to replicate that.

This season could be an interesting one for Wildcats fans. They’re looking for a three-peat and a 35th consecutive finals appearance – an insane stat. You just know they’ll be competitive every night, because that’s who they are. However, their current roster feels like it’s missing the offensive power to be a true contender. One thing is for certain, though: never count out dual MVP Bryce Cotton – and certainly never count out the Perth Wildcats.

wo hands compete for a basketball at tip off

(Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)

South East Melbourne Phoenix

Advertisement

2019-20 record: 9-19, missed the playoffs
Points per game: 95.4
Points against per game: 98.6

The Phoenix had the best offence in the league last season; the issue was that they also had the second-worst defence. They wanted shootouts last year and they got them almost every night, but they just couldn’t keep up.

The additions of Cam Gliddon and Reuben Te Rangi from the Bullets will help this as they are both capable defenders and their shooting should space the floor enough to allow Mitch Creek to do his thing as he attacks the paint every night.

Make no mistake, however – while the starting five has improved and Kyle Adnam will lead the second unit off the bench, this team will continue to be led by Creek. He has been the heart and soul of this franchise since its inception and their success will depend on how he fares this season. If he fires and their starting five find a way to put up points, it may take the pressure off a bench unit that lacks depth and a definitive scoring option, as Adnam looks to be the facilitator.

The additions they have made should mean that Creek will be able to be at his best for longer this season, which bodes well for their playoff aspirations. The league’s newest franchise has done everything right off the court so far without seeing the results on it. If everything falls their way, they could sneak into the finals, but they will need some serious luck.

Sydney Kings

Advertisement

2019-20 record: 20-8, lost grand final to Perth
Points per game: 94.4
Points against per game: 88.3

The Kings off-season has been headlined by change. A new coach in Adam Forde coming across from the Wildcats and the loss of Andrew Bogut. The retirement of the league’s best big man and Kings part-owner Bogut makes their dream of going back to the grand final to make up for last season’s disappointment much more difficult.

Casper Ware’s importance has never been more apparent as he looks to recapture the form that made him an MVP candidate in Melbourne. He will be the leading scoring option for this team and easily their most important player. His importance will be heightened with the news that Xavier Cooks will be out for a large part of the season with a foot injury.

Didi Louzada will look to grow his output in the wake of Cooks’s injury. Louzada enters his second season with lofty expectations as he tries to work with star recruit Jarell Martin. Martin is coming off a season with the Memphis Grizzlies in which he had a prominent role and played some serious basketball against the world’s best.

If Martin gets going, the Kings could come from the sky to make a play at the title. They have the depth to suggest they could be in and around the pointy end with veteran scorer Brad Newley leading a refreshed second unit.

The Kings were in top spot every week last season and looked to cruise to their first title since their three-peat in the early 2000s, but they imploded once the finals began, fighting their way past United before being comprehensively beaten by the Wildcats in a COVID-19-affected grand final series.

Adam Forde takes the reins with a rejuvenated roster, but whether or not he can replicate the success of last season remains to be seen. For now it’s all eyes on Casper.

Advertisement
close