Free Agency Analysis: Rasmus Bach to New Zealand

Saturday, December 19, 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: New Zealand Breakers

The deal: Two years (team option second year)

Age: 25

2019-20 team: Randers Cimbria (Denmark)

2019-20 (per game): 12.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 45.2 FG%, 30.3 3P%, 83.0 FT%

Projected role: back-up wing.

Quote: “Growing up in Australia, the NBL was the league I watched… I always dreamed of coming to the NBL, and I’m super thankful to the Breakers and the organisation for giving me this opportunity.” – Rasmus Bach

My take: The Breakers took their time with this spot – the final signing for their roster – as they searched for the right guy to add depth on the wings.

Kiwi sharpshooter Ethan Rusbatch was an obvious option but, as I understand it, the Breakers were looking for someone who would work more effectively within Dan Shamir’s system. With that in mind, they looked into a number of options, including recently retired Aussies Ben Madgen and Tim Coenraad, before eventually landing on Bach, a Danish international who holds an Australian passport.

So… who is this international man of mystery?

Born in Denmark to Danish parents, Bach moved Down Under with his family when he was two. After about a decade growing up in Sydney and Brisbane, his family moved to the USA, where he attended high school in Texas and played college ball for a Division II school in Colorado.

Since graduating a couple of years ago, Bach has been playing pro hoops in Denmark where his exploits for one of the country’s top teams caught the eye of the Breakers.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Our roster is COMPLETE. Welcome to the Sky Sport Breakers family Rasmus Bach ?<br><br>The shooting guard is currently quarantining in Melbourne, fresh from a season with Danish club Randers Cimbria.<br><br>Full story - <a href="https://t.co/mgAf1jdMWx">https://t.co/mgAf1jdMWx</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UNBREAKABLE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UNBREAKABLE</a> <a href="https://t.co/67CySVWn1A">pic.twitter.com/67CySVWn1A</a></p>— Sky Sport Breakers NZ (@NZBreakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/NZBreakers/status/1339747246863044608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A 6-foot-4 wing, Bach is very bouncy, can shoot the three reasonably well and is an active defender.

He’ll provide insurance right across the perimeter for the star-studded Breakers, especially at the two and the three. With everyone on deck, he’ll likely play very limited minutes. But if he can win Shamir’s trust at practice and someone goes down, he could get some run.