Poised to strike: Cairns' marquee man at "top of his game"

The Cairns Taipans have made no secret of their ambition for a long-awaited Championship, with Jack McVeigh positioned as the driving force behind their push for success.

The former JackJumpers champion departed the Hungry Jack’s NBL seemingly at the height of his powers after making history in Tasmania, but he returns an even more refined and dangerous player as the Taipans’ new marquee man.

“Jack arguably right now is at the top of his game,” Cairns head coach Adam Forde said on NBL Now.

“He’s coming off a successful 36 months in his growth and trajectory, and he’s 29, so he’s still got more to add to his game.”

McVeigh spent the past year with the Houston Rockets in the NBA, impressing in the G League and gaining valuable experience with the Australian Boomers at the Olympics and FIBA Asia Cup.

The MVP of the JackJumpers’ maiden title-winning Championship Series returns to the NBL as an even greater offensive weapon and all-round threat.

“Jack knows the attention he’s going to attract, but he also knows how to make everyone around him better. That’s why he was such a priority,” Forde said.

“He’s a big-shot guy. When the game’s on the line, it doesn’t need to be overly complicated, he’s just hit two in a row, so set a wide screen and let him hit the third.

“Now he knows the type of attention he’s going to attract, but his ability to absorb the defence, draw that second defender, and make the right pass is the next evolution of his game.”

Forde says McVeigh is the perfect fit for Cairns, especially in clutch moments.

“I think back to two years ago when we had five games that came down to the last shot, and only one of them fell our way,” he continued. “There was one where Jack hit the dagger against us, and it was frustrating. That was in overtime, and we should’ve won that game. Any one of those five games going our way would’ve had us in a play-in.

“When he hit that dagger on our home court in Cairns, I wasn’t a fan … but I’m definitely a fan now.”

McVeigh has been reported as the fourth member of the NBL’s ‘Million Dollar Club’, and judging by his recent performances for Australia and at the Summer League, he looks set to be worth every cent.