Next man up: Hawks plot life without Lachie

While the Illawarra Hawks proved that roster continuity is crucial in achieving ultimate success last season, they may have to fill some key gaps ahead of NBL26.

“They are preparing for this ... they are actively preparing for Lachlan Olbrich not to be on that team,” ESPN’s Olgun Uluc said on The Marketplace.

“They’re preparing for him to either be drafted or find his way onto an NBA team in some capacity.”

Olbrich’s last few months have been one of the best sports stories in recent memory, with the 21-year-old playing a major role in leading the Hawks to their first championship in over 20 years.

From his Game 5 heroics, Olbrich went on to stand out at the G League Elite Camp, which earned him a spot at the NBA Draft Combine. He excelled once again, and now looks like a strong chance to hear his name called in the second round.

“There’s no way Lachie Olbrich will be back in the league next season, in my opinion,” Derek Rucker added.

“He presents too much potential for NBA teams or the G League. When you look at what he was able to do last season ... he was one of the top five players for the Hawks at that age.

“The NBA scouts, they’ve taken notice of that, and it means something. There's significant weight attached to those performances.”

With the increasing likelihood that Olbrich will achieve his dream and find a new home in the NBA, the Hawks will need to pivot and find a replacement for their young star.

“Some of those backup fives around the league ... I’d look at someone like Harry Froling, who is playing extremely well for the Tigers in the NBL1 South and was working out with the Illawarra Hawks over the course of last season,” Uluc said.

“If he (Olbrich) does return, then there’s still an injury replacement spot for Sam Froling, so Harry could effectively slot into that. But if he leaves, then there’s a roster spot there that I think the team will look closely at Harry Froling for.”

Pete Hooley also believes Froling is more than ready to step back into an NBL role and be productive.

“I think it’d be great for him,” he said.

“He’s been working hard, and he’s shown at this NBL1 and NZNBL level that he’s ready for that next opportunity.”

As for the Hawks’ import openings, Uluc says that the Matt Hurt option is still in play.

“The talks are ongoing, and it seems they’re slowly getting closer,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say anything is too imminent, but there is mutual interest ... it does feel like that is slowly, potentially going to happen … the Hawks are feeling positive about it.”