Breakers title favourites, or sleeping giants?

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Former NBL champion Damon Lowery believes while the Breakers are earning respect from the NBL community, last season's runners-up may still be underestimated.

Damon Lowery has doubled down on ESPN Insider Olgun Uluc’s belief New Zealand is the current frontrunner for the NBL title, but the former NBL champion believes people are still “sleeping on” the Breakers.

New Zealand enters NBL24 on a high following their improbable title challenge last season under first-year head coach Mody Maor, and although the Breakers have lost their star import trio of Dererk Pardon, Jarrell Brantley and Barry Brown Jr, they’ve added plenty of talent to make up for the departures.

Zylan Cheathan, Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Justinian Jessup have all arrived as the side’s new imports, and star forward Finn Delany has returned after a successful stint in Germany.

They also held onto Will McDowell-White, despite heavy reported interest from around the league.

“I think they get their level of respect, I think they’re also slightly sleeping on the fact they lost all three of their stud imports,” Lowery said on NBL Now.

“But look at they brought in to replace them though – oh my God.

“Will McDowell-White also, I believe, is missing Round 1, but they’re still loaded.”

Lowery also praised the level of talent that’s been put around former All-NBL Second Team representative, Delany.

“He does not have to be the man this time,” he said of the returning forward. “Finn is coming back and it’s good to see him back, but he’s got a much deeper crew around him now.

“There’ll be some Finn Delany days where he just goes nuts, but he doesn’t have to be on a regular basis because they’re so stacked.”

The level of talent that has been placed around Delany on – what should be – a title-contending side runs hand in hand with recent comments from three-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton.

Cotton told News Corp he believes the level of talent in the NBL is greater than it ever has been before – comments that were backed up by NBL analyst and 2018 NBL champion Peter Hooley.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Are we witnessing a new golden era of the NBL?<br><br>Bryce Cotton believes so ?<br><br>Read more ?? <a href="https://t.co/kByDk0zire">https://t.co/kByDk0zire</a> <a href="https://t.co/100KYD2teB">pic.twitter.com/100KYD2teB</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1706532852857442459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

While stating the league itself is in as strong a position as it’s ever been, Lowery – who played in the NBL between 2000-2006 – says there's some tough competition.

“It’s undeniable the NBL is in a phenomenal spot exposure-wise, fan-wise, and the way the league is run. It’s unparalleled,” Lowery said. “Peter Hooley and Joel Peterson are waving those Bryce Cotton pom poms a little bit too much, they’re shaking them too hard. They’ve taken it a step further and saying the talent level in this era is better.

“We know we love Peter Hooley, but when Hooley was in primary school I was playing against Shane Heal, Derek Rucker, Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland, Brett Maher, Darnell Mee. Cortez Groves and Charles Thomas were my teammates. Aaron Trahair, D-Mac, Jason Smith, and those are just the guards. Robert Rose MVP.

“It’s just like when those young fellas think this era of music is better, they’ve got it all wrong.”

NBL24 tips off tonight at 7:30pm AEST when Melbourne host South East Melbourne.