Brisbane's Early Growing Pains

Monday, October 10, 2022

Brisbane Bullets guard Tyler Johnson is drawing the positives from his side’s disappointing start to the NBL season

Brisbane Bullets guard Tyler Johnson is drawing the positives from his side’s disappointing start to the NBL season, saying the adversity they’re going through now gives the side an opportunity to “gel together”.

After entering the season as championship fancies, the Bullets have slumped to an 0-3 start to the season, courtesy of Sunday afternoon’s overtime loss against a surging Tasmania JackJumpers side.

Brisbane led by as many as 16 points in the first half, before a third quarter blitz from their opposition cut the margin. Johnson himself his a clutch three at the end of the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WE'RE GOING TO OVERTIME<br><br>TYLER JOHNSON WITH THE DAGGER TO KEEP THE <a href="https://twitter.com/BrisbaneBullets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrisbaneBullets</a> ALIVE ???<br><br>Catch the rest of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> action on 10 Peach, 10play and Kayo Freebies <a href="https://t.co/79FEHChs3a">pic.twitter.com/79FEHChs3a</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1578971535419015170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“I think we all started getting into the mentality that we had to do it ourselves,” Johnson reflected. “Right now we’re all in a place where we want to try and get it done and it looks bad when it’s out there, but really it’s coming from a place of feeling like ‘I can help the team by doing this’.

“Myself included, there were a lot of times where I was just running towards the ball instead of allowing space and allowing guys to operate the way we needed to.

“When things go your way right away it can be a trap. We’re having to face our adversity now – every team is going to go through it, we’re just going through it to start.

“’JD’ (head coach James Duncan) can come up with whatever game plan he wants, we can chop up as much film as we want, but at the end of the day in those moments it’s about the five guys who are out there. We didn’t get it done tonight, plain and simple.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">?? ?? ???<br><br>Tyler Johnson dropped a trio of triples for the <a href="https://twitter.com/BrisbaneBullets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrisbaneBullets</a> in the second quarter - and he made the defender touch earth on the third ?<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> live and free on 10 Peach, 10play and Kayo Freebies. <a href="https://t.co/VVJV3LwHZt">pic.twitter.com/VVJV3LwHZt</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1578957731922599936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The JackJumpers have started this season with their own struggles. Last season’s grand finalists came into the clash as one of two teams yet to register a win for the season – the other being the Bullets.

Their second half and overtime period was reminiscent of their playing style last season. They bullied and grinded their way back into the game and locked up the Bullets’ offence.

Duncan says there was a marked lift in intensity from Tasmania in the second half – an intensity his side couldn’t lift to.

“The third quarter they turned up the physicality, pushed us out of our spots a little bit. Some of the easy bunnies that we’d normally make didn’t drop and then we stopped doing what we did in the first half,” Duncan said.

“We gave them life and obviously they’re playing at home and that’s basketball at times.

“It’s a difficult one to swallow. There’s a bit of frustration in the last few games because we’re right there but we can’t get over the hump right now. Defensive execution, offensive execution, it’s a mixture of things.

“We knew it was going to be a tough start to the season – three very good teams that are all fighting for finals. Now we chop up the video and we have to fix our problems and prepare for the next one."