Fit, Focused, Motivated Patterson Fully Loaded for NBL22

Lamar Patterson remained down under this NBL off-season because of his commitment to return to superstar status at the Brisbane Bullets in NBL22 and given he sacrificed seeing his children, he's going to make sure it pays off.

Patterson made a dazzling impact on the NBL immediately when he arrived mid-season at the Bullets for the 2018/19 season and then backed it up with a tremendous 2019/20 season in Brisbane.

He was named to the All-NBL First Team on both occasions and was an unbridled match-winner which is why it was such a significant signing when he joined the New Zealand Breakers for the 2020/21 campaign.

However, Patterson admits to never really giving it a chance to succeed arriving out of shape and in turn never felt truly embraced by the Breakers, and he would soon be sidelined with a knee injury and subsequently club and player parted ways.

That's when Patterson and the Bullets joined forces once again and gave themselves an outside shot at reaching the playoffs. But once the off-season hit, the small forward was determined to put that season behind him and make amends in #NBL22.

He re-signed with the Bullets and then showed his commitment by staying in Brisbane for the off-season to dedicate himself to getting in the best shape possible and also playing in the NBL1 North competition with the Southern Districts Spartans.

The sacrifice was that Patterson didn’t get to see his 13 and seven-year-old sons, his dog or the rest of his family. Given he dedicated himself to becoming that superstar again, that's exactly what he's expecting of himself this season at the Bullets.

"The main focus this off-season was just to get my body right. Basketball wasn’t really my main focus to be honest even though I did play because that's what I love to do," Patterson said.

"I enjoyed my time playing at the Spartans in NBL1 but my focus was to stay active, get back in shape and get ready for the season with the Bullets. The main focus was getting myself back where I felt comfortable out there on the court and I'm pretty much there at this point.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">THIRTY POINTS, Lamar Patterson, ?.<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL1North?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL1North</a> live and free on <a href="https://t.co/NEk1I7BLMG">https://t.co/NEk1I7BLMG</a> and the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBL</a> App ? <a href="https://t.co/X3WZDUziHa">pic.twitter.com/X3WZDUziHa</a></p>&mdash; NBL1 (@NBL1) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL1/status/1406217595729027072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"I definitely learned some lessons and I know I didn’t do myself any justice coming in out of shape the way I did, but it is what it is at this point. It was obvious I never really felt embraced by them at all but on their end it's hard to embrace someone you have high expectations for and if he doesn’t quite live up to that. 

"But when I came back to Brisbane it felt like I was coming back home even though at the same time I was injured so I was still battling my own stuff. This is another reason why I was comfortable with staying in Brisbane this off-season because the Bullets told me to put all that behind me, and we'd figure out the best way to move forward. 

"Last year was a funky year and a lot of guys went down injured for the rest of the season and I've never seen so many serious injuries like that. I was lucky enough mine was only a few weeks but last season itself was one where I still felt like I knew the type of player I was and that guy was still in there but I couldn’t fully show him. 

"That season has gone now and I'm looking forward, and I'm ready to go this season and make up for that and show everyone what I can do."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Almost that time, Brisbane.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BRISBANEBULLETS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BRISBANEBULLETS</a> <a href="https://t.co/kr9eafrBVx">pic.twitter.com/kr9eafrBVx</a></p>&mdash; Brisbane Bullets (@BrisbaneBullets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrisbaneBullets/status/1450402929379139587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Patterson hasn’t stayed in Brisbane to prepare for this season and committed to the Bullets just to be a standout player on his own though. 

What he wants is for team success and he has no doubt that this Bullets team is capable of big things under new coach James Duncan even if the experts might be forgetting about them in their predictions.

"I stay quiet on all that stuff about what people think and I'd rather just go out there on the court and shut everybody up, but we all see those predictions and it's hard to miss when people write you off," Patterson said.

"That's what everyone has done so far but it's just whatever. Guys in this league and we know with the players that we have on this team what we are capable of. We have Nathan Sobey, a bronze medallist and in my eyes the best Australian in the league the past few years. 

"Then you have Jason Cadee who is a seasoned vet and knockdown shooter, and you have myself in shape and I see myself as one of the top players in the league. We also have a lot of new guys and this is where we are going to take a leap forward. 

"People might not know a lot about our new guys or have high expectations for them, but those are the ones who normally come in and surprise you. Our new guys are great players and great people, they have fit into the team from day one and everyone is super excited to get on the floor together. 

"I feel like our pieces from top to bottom are meshing well and I think we're in a great place right now and hopefully on the court we can show all the work that we've put in this off-season."

It might be easy to accept that when someone goes through an unsavoury experience like what Patterson had with the Breakers last season that he would run back home with his tail between his legs, but he wanted the opposite approach.

He instead quickly took the chance to return to the Bullets and now has committed to getting back to his best this upcoming season and remaining in Brisbane for the off-season was the biggest indicator of how serious he was.

"From day one I stepped foot in Australia I always felt comfortable here, and have always had a good vibe especially here in Brisbane. I just like the city and everything about it, the people are amazing and I've made some friends who will be lifetime friends now here in Brisbane," Patterson said.

"I'm just real comfortable here and obviously staying this off-season was because I had an ulterior motive and that was to keep my feet on the ground, keep working out and not travel with COVID. 

"I'm definitely missing home and I've got two boys back home and my dog who I'm missing the most, but besides that I could definitely see a life here for me long-term based on how it's going so far."

What remaining down under for the off-season has done for Patterson is give him every opportunity and no excuses to be in great shape and ready to fire for the 2021/22 season, and he couldn’t be feeling better as it approaches.

"It's definitely different and there's not many times in my career where I have sat down and had time to prepare for a season with months on hand especially overseas like this," he said.

"Previously you'd always get there a month before at best and there was that one season I got here in the middle of the season. I feel like this is the first time that Brisbane Bullets itself as a team has been able to prepare for a season with me attached to it. 

"This is the first time it's happened and at practice by talking to the players and coaches, everyone is excited going forward and looking forwards to play the sport that we love together."

Having already played in Turkey, Puerto Rico, Italy and China after his college career at Pittsburgh and then stints in the NBA and G-League, Patterson was well travelled when he first arrived at Brisbane and that's why he knows it's where he wants to call home.

Patterson has always been blown away by how accepted he has been by the Bullets organisation and the city of Brisbane, and he wants to repay that faith.

"The Bullets have always made life comfortable here for me and I feel like it's a family atmosphere which I love," Patterson said.

"Obviously there have been personnel changes with a new head coach and stuff like that, but with the environment and the direction the club was heading in was something I wanted to be part of. I definitely want to be a winner here and bring a championship here to Brisbane. 

"Those are the goals that I have and outside of the Bullets, the city of Brisbane has embraced me too and I enjoy it here. At this point it's pretty much my home and I'm happy with that. The Bullets feel like a family and the city has embraced me to make me feel even more at home and it's hard to not want to be here at this point."

The downside of Patterson committing to an off-season in Australia to prepare for another season, and indeed with the season not beginning now until the start of December is that it's stretched out his time away from his family.

Patterson has two sons back in the United States and he now hasn’t seen them in well over a year but he hopes that at some point during this #NBL22 that they will be able to come down to Australia for them to reunite.

"They are 13 and seven and it's extremely tough being apart from them. This is the longest I've been away from them and with the COVID restrictions they can't travel when normally they would come see me," Patterson said.

"I did want my oldest to come out here to live with me when I signed with the Breakers last season but that became impossible when we were on the road the entire time. Then this season it hasn’t been possible either and it's tough, but it's something that is just part of the journey. 

"It gives me something to wake up for and work hard for because if I'm going to be away from my kids I have to get something out of it. I can't BS this right now because of what I'm giving up. I talk to them as much as possible and they call me all hours of the night which is the best I can do to talk to them on Facetime and support them the best way that I can from here. 

"We hope that the borders open soon so I can get them out here. As soon as I can get a clear path to them getting here, they will be on the first plane for sure. That's just something that needs to happen at this point, it's been way too long.

"When I initially decided to start this off-season we thought the NBL season would start in October so I thought I'd get through a couple of months but now it's pushed back and I do kinda wish I went home to see them. But I made this choice and now I need to make sure it pays off with my basketball and then I can get my kids out here as soon as possible."