Free Agency Analysis: Jock Landale to Melbourne

Saturday, December 12, 2020

NBL Media’s Liam Santamaria continues his look at each and every signing, breaking down what it all means ahead of #NBL21.

NBL Media’s Liam Santamaria continues his look at each and every signing, breaking down what it all means ahead of #NBL21.

Signed by: Melbourne United

The deal: One year

Age: 25

2019-20 team: Žalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania)

2019-20 EuroLeague stats (per game): 11.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 53.2 FG%, 30.2 3P%, 82.1 FT%

Projected role: Starting centre.

Quote: “I have a lot to work on and feel like these guys are going to help me have a massive 6-7 months personally. I’m also eager to win a championship at this level and for this club before turning my attention anywhere else.” – Jock Landale

My take: Free agent signings don’t come much bigger than this.

I mean, when was the last time an NBL team paid a buyout to a EuroLeague club? What an exciting sign of the times.

To put it simply: Landale is one of the top Aussie bigs in the game and his addition to an already loaded Melbourne line-up vaults United straight into title favouritism.

He really is, in so many ways, another ideal signing for this team.

With a couple of elite local talents in the backcourt (Mitch McCarron and Chris Goulding) and an MVP-calibre import at small forward (Scotty Hopson), Melbourne needed a mobile centre to round out their roster and that's exactly what they’ve secured in Landale. All while keeping an import spot up their sleeve!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It was the signing everyone was waiting for. Here's why ??<a href="https://twitter.com/JockLandale?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JockLandale</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StandWithUs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StandWithUs</a> <a href="https://t.co/5cLqoLvse3">pic.twitter.com/5cLqoLvse3</a></p>— Melbourne United (@MelbUnitedHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/MelbUnitedHQ/status/1336894661374455810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Offensively, Landale has a versatile skillset that will make him one of the top scorers in the NBL this season. He’s super quick up the floor, moves well without the ball, is an excellent finisher around the hoop and has legitimate three-point range.

He’s also a handful in the block, where he possesses an array of back-to-the-basket moves that were finely tuned during his high-scoring days at Saint Mary’s. Watch as he completely bamboozles France’s Rudy Gobert with a nifty up-and-under move at last year’s FIBA World Cup…

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That's Jock Landale taking the two-time NBA defensive player of the year Rudy Gobery to school with a little up and under on the low block! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GOBOOMERS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GOBOOMERS</a> <a href="https://t.co/LpZ6nXUkNg">pic.twitter.com/LpZ6nXUkNg</a></p>— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ/status/1173156389046210560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That being said, it really is Landale’s ability to read the defence and move into space that will make him the perfect complement to Melbourne’s other elite scoring options. This is not a guy that needs to get his touches to keep him happy. He’s a very unselfish player and his movement without the ball will see him create space for Goulding and Hopson and get a whole bunch of easy buckets as a result.

Down the other end, his size, mobility and high effort-levels will give Dean Vickerman the flexibility to use him within a variety of defensive schemes. While he’s not the quickest lateral mover going around, Landale makes up for that with his impressive basketball IQ and overall desire to be an impactful defender. He’ll show and recover on pick-and-rolls and, while he won’t lead the league in blocked shots, he’ll serve as a solid rim-protecting presence at the back of Melbourne’s D.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Landale should be in the NBA. In fact, if it weren’t for some contractual complications he’d already be there.

With that in mind, here’s my advice for NBL21: make sure you get out to the games and watch him while you can. He won’t be here for long.