Breakers Aim for Elite Pathway

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

The New Zealand Breakers are aiming to become "one of the top development teams in the world".

Written for nbl.com.au by Tom Hersz

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The New Zealand Breakers are aiming to become “one of the top development teams in the world”, and if the last three years are anything to go by, they are well on their way to claiming that mantle.

R.J. Hampton was the Breakers’ first Next Star and was a first-round pick for the Orlando Magic in 2020. Then this past season, Ousmane Dieng became the Breakers’ first lottery pick, going 11th overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Hugo Besson was snapped up with the last pick of the draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.

In the process, from Hampton first announcing he was to play with New Zealand on ESPN’s The Jump, to seeing all of the highlight reels of Dieng and Besson in those incredible pink jerseys leading up to this year’s draft, the Breakers have become a recognisable basketball brand globally.

“It’s very cool and rewarding to be part of their process,” Breakers owner Matt Walsh told NBL Media, reflecting on the trio’s path to the NBA.

“Our number one goal at the Breakers, aside from the community stuff we do, aside from the entertainment we provide, we want to win championships.

“Along with that, we set out a very clear goal when we purchased the team and that was I wanted to be one of the top development teams in the world for talent and for young players. I wanted young players to seek us out and say ‘this is where I want to go if I want to get to where I want to be’, which is ultimately the NBA. I think we’ve become that.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Attention <a href="https://twitter.com/okcthunder?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@okcthunder</a> fans. You've got another good one ??<br><br>Ousmane Dieng's journey from the NBL to the NBA is complete, and we can't wait to see what comes next.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLxNBA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLxNBA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBADraft?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBADraft</a> CC: <a href="https://twitter.com/joshgiddey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@joshgiddey</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ousmane1121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ousmane1121</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZXql5nmmya">pic.twitter.com/ZXql5nmmya</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1540144554913177600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Hampton took a big step forward in his career in the most recent NBA season, averaging 7.6 points, 2.5 assists and 3 rebounds in 22 minutes’ game time.

Now, Besson and Dieng are set to show off their potential with the Bucks and Thunder respectively.

Next in a Breakers jersey and perhaps another future NBA star – Rayan Rupert.

“Rayan is a special, special kid and talent and I’ve got no doubt he’ll be a first-round pick next year. So, it’s really rewarding to be a part of that,” Walsh said.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"This kid is like from 1985"<br><br>We can't wait to watch <a href="https://twitter.com/NZBreakers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NZBreakers</a> Next Star Rayan Rupert go back to the future in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> ? <br><br>More at <a href="https://t.co/39R2Sl847R">https://t.co/39R2Sl847R</a> <a href="https://t.co/holu9GhkHw">pic.twitter.com/holu9GhkHw</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1566683454921932800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Walsh is confident providing a pathway to the elite level will pay dividends, not just for the players involved and the team’s on-court prospects, but in growing recognition of the club's brand.

“We didn’t purchase the Breakers just to be a team that’s known in Australia and New Zealand, with all due respect,” Walsh added.

“We love it, we want to be the best team in Australia and New Zealand, we want to win championships, but we wanted to be a global brand, we wanted to be a sports product and a sports team that if you’re a basketball fan globally, you know who we are.

“You know, I wear Breakers stuff anywhere back here in the United States now and I get stopped and people ask me about it, and four years ago that would have been a dream, so it’s pretty cool.”