15 Burning Questions for NBL23

By Liam Santamaria - NBL Media

The views on this page are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBL, its Clubs or partners.

Pre-season is a beautiful time.

There’s so much positivity in the air at this time of year as players, coaches and fans share in the optimism.

Of course, for some teams that will soon come crashing down. For the time being, however, everyone’s feeling good.

The other great thing about pre-season is the lack of clarity it provides. While the regular season delivers answers on a weekly basis, there are far more questions swirling around prior to opening night.

With that in mind, here are 15 burning questions for NBL23.

Will Aron Baynes dominate?
Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova and now Aron Baynes… one by one, the golden era of Aussie Boomers are coming to the NBL.

This year it’s the Bullets that get to roll out the big name; the Big Banger. I mean, the sheer size and strength of Baynes will be a huge problem for opposing teams. He’s going to set bone-crunching screens and he’s going to treat every missed shots like it’s a pass to him.

So … will he dominate? Well, the NBL’s MVP is called the Andrew Gaze Trophy and that bloke – the bloke whom the award is named after – believes that Baynsey will take his trophy home. So yeah, I guess that means he will.

Will Adelaide’s pieces fit?
The 36ers have finished seventh for three straight seasons and the club’s owner, Grant Kelley, has officially had a gutful. I mean, this is Title Town – a proud basketball city whose team was once a powerhouse.

So, with a nice core of locals under contract, Kelley and head coach CJ Bruton have brought in some big-time import talent.

Craig Randall II was a bucket in the G League last season, while both Antonius Cleveland and Robert Franks are proven commodities in Australia. The thing is: unlike free agency battles, championships are not won on paper. The challenge for Bruton will be to bring all this talent together and make the pieces fit.

Is John Rillie the real deal?
There is plenty of excitement out west about the arrival of John Rillie. The former NBL showman is Perth’s new head coach and he’s bringing a renewed focus on defence and rebounding to the league’s most successful organisation. That, of course, is kind of funny because, although he was a superb rebounder for a guard, Rillie was a scoring-machine back in the day. That’s cool though … not all teams take on the style of their coach. I mean, Brian Goorjian was an offensive force as a player, but his teams became defensive juggernauts. The reverse applied to the General, Phil Smyth, who was an orchestrator and a four-time Defensive Player of the Year on the court but whose Adelaide teams of the 90s played a highly successful free-flowing style.

So… can Rillie bring the grit and grind back to Perth? He’s saying all the right things.

Can Isaac Humphries stay healthy?
If the answer to this question is yes, Melbourne United will have an almighty combination at the five. I mean, Humphries was a force of nature in Adelaide before he got hurt. Catching bodies, blocking shots and keeping the stat-keepers accountable.

Unfortunately, it’s been a rough ride of injuries for the 24-year-old over the past two seasons. Hopefully, all his hard work will start to pay off and he can have a fully healthy year. Heck, anyone who can do this looks ready to go to me.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tallest person in the world to do a backflip? <a href="https://twitter.com/GWR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GWR</a> <a href="https://t.co/VjPsWTGdrZ">pic.twitter.com/VjPsWTGdrZ</a></p>&mdash; Isaac Humphries (@IsaacHumphries7) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsaacHumphries7/status/1535776941713727488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Can Jacob Jackomas fill Brian Goorjian’s shoes?
With Brian Goorjian at the helm, the Hawks made the finals in each of the past two seasons. Of course they did. That’s what Brian Goorjian does. Unfortunately, the great man has bounced out of town and there’s an ‘Under New Management’ sign hanging in the ‘Gong. Goorjian’s long-time understudy, Jacob Jackomas, has been handed the reins and geez, they are big shoes to fill. As are the kicks of Duop Reath, Antonius Cleveland and Justinian Jessup – three guys who were key contributors to that team last season. That’s a whole lot of change to manage across one off-season and the task falls to Jackomas to steer the Hawks through. 

What’s next for Bul Kuol?
A few months ago, I had the pleasure of announcing this…

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">YOUNG BUL ?<br><br>Your Champion <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> Rookie of the Year, the <a href="https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CairnsTaipans</a> Bul Kuol ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheGazeys?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheGazeys</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> + <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> ? <a href="https://t.co/i7vcyUq342">pic.twitter.com/i7vcyUq342</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1519241776741060608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That award was well-earned by Kuol, who stepped out in his first pro season and knocked down triples in record numbers. The thing is: last year Kuol was one of the only Taipans who was a genuine perimeter threat. Adam Forde knew it and, over the course of the off-season Forde spent his time driving across the Nullabour and recruiting guys who can stroke it. Now, they're loaded with shooters! So, can the reigning Rookie of the Year continue his rise towards stardom? Or does he suffer the dreaded sophomore slump while getting lost in the crowd?

Do Tasmania have an x-factor?
The JackJumpers are set to be a tough, gritty, defensive-minded team again this season. That’s how Scott Roth wants to play and it’s a style that, in their first year, took his squad all the way to the Championship Series.

But you know what else took the Ants to the granny? Josh Adams. The aggressive, explosive Adams was the x-factor offensively that the JJs otherwise did not have. He was quick and athletic and, as NBL22 progressed, he became an incredible tough shot maker.

Of course, Adams is now gone and the Jackies have a couple of new imports in the mix. Can one, or both, of Milton Doyle or Rashard Kelly bring that scoring punch? Tassie are going to need it.

Will New Zealand play at home?
Yes, they will and what a glorious thing that’s going to be.

After two gruelling seasons stuck on the road, the Breakers are going to make their long-awaited return to Spark Arena in October and that place is going to go OFF! I’m telling you, the atmosphere in that stadium will be electric and when ‘Can you feel it?’ starts pumping to begin that third quarter… oh boy, I’m getting chills just thinking about it.

Who is going to be the man for South East Melbourne?
This was the issue for the Phoenix last year. Mitch Creek was clearly their best player, but in crunch situations nobody quite knew who they should play through. It was supposed to be Xavier Munford, but that didn’t always work out, while Izayah Le’Afa seemed to think he was that guy.

This year, they’re going to have to work that out with a new cast of characters. Judging by Simon Mitchell’s recent comments, the ball is going to be in Gary Browne’s hands. When talking about decision-making down the stretch of close games, Mitchell the other day said, “that’s Gary’s bread and butter,” describing him as “a clutch performer and a clutch guy.” Over to you, Mr Browne.

Is Xavier Cooks ready to take over?
He better be… the Kings are his team now.

I know, I know, Cooks was the captain last season and the emotional leader of that championship-winning squad. But he also had the MVP of the league alongside him. This season, X marks the spot for Sydney. After dominating down the stretch of last season and winning Grand Final MVP, Cooks is set to be a rim-rattling, stat-sheet stuffing supreme each and every night for the Kings.

Does XRM fit?
First of all, Xavier Rathan-Mayes is a bucket. I mean, this is a guy who once scored 30 points in just four and a half minutes! XRM can consistently create his own shot and he showed with the Hawks that he can put points on the board in the NBL. All of that is precisely why Melbourne added him for the upcoming season. United were an elite defensive unit last season, but their achilles heel was that they lacked offensive firepower. When push came to shove in the playoffs, that lack of scoring depth came back to bite them.

Enter XRM, who will pair with Shea Ili this year to form a dangerous point guard combination. The question is: how well will he fit alongside Melbourne’s other scoring threats? Like a guy in a Conner Henry time-out, Rathan-Mayes does tend to overdribble a little from time-to-time and that could become an issue when scorers like Chris Goulding and Rayjon Tucker will need the rock.

Who else will Brisbane sign?
The Bullets have one spot remaining on their fully-contracted roster and, while they’re looking at a few options, they’re taking their time before they lock that guy in.

I tell you what, though… there are some interesting names in the mix. Names like NBA veteran James Johnson. You know him, right? Here’s a reminder…

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“I cocked that joint back and banged on him.” - James Johnson <a href="https://t.co/uZ1eLMbirL">pic.twitter.com/uZ1eLMbirL</a></p>&mdash; ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThrowbackHoops/status/1254877918641061889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Now, it may not end up being Johnson (although that would be fun), but the bottom line is that the Bullets are being patient with this all-important piece. Pre-season is already underway, so it’s an interesting strategy. But they’re hoping that, if they wait long enough, a high-level guy will fall out of an NBA training camp and onto their roster.

What is the ceiling for Kai Sotto?
Filipino star Kai Sotto – and his army of passionate supporters – are back for another year in Adelaide.

The talented 20-year-old went undrafted a couple of months ago which makes this a massive season in the context of his career. Opportunities were limited for Sotto last year when he put up 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. That said, he did show some glimpses of his potential. Offensively, he’s an ever-present lob threat while, down the other end, his 9-foot-2 standing reach makes him a presence as a rim-protector.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kai Sotto putting together a season-best night with 19 points for the <a href="https://twitter.com/Adelaide36ers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Adelaide36ers</a> ??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> + <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> ? <a href="https://t.co/rPu2QuV5aT">pic.twitter.com/rPu2QuV5aT</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1513476953671569411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Sotto needs to get stronger, no doubt, and his ability to move laterally needs to improve. That said, when he’s out on the floor I’d like to see Adelaide run more actions for him. Give him some pick-and-pop opportunities and more of these types of touches…

Who’s driving the Will McDowell-White hype train?
I am. Jump on board… it’s stopping all stations!

Is Justin Robinson a star?
A key element of Illawarra’s efforts to reload has been the signing of this man, import point guard Justin Robinson. This is a guy who has been operating on the NBA fringe the past few years, as he drank coffee with Washington, OKC, the Bucks, Sac-Town and Detroit. Robinson can go. He’s an excellent playmaker, a dangerous three-point shooter and a very good defender in both iso and pick-and-roll situations. Oh, and for all those sleeping on his game, he’s on Insta keeping receipts.

There you have it: 15 burning questions for NBL23. And with opening night now less than five weeks away, answers are just around the corner.

The views on this page are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBL, its Clubs or partners.