Jack McVeigh: All-NBL First Team smokey?

In a season where every moment matters, Tasmania's Jack McVeigh might have produced the most incredible individual moment of the NBL24 season so far with his game-winner against Cairns.

The game has already gone to overtime, and was delicately poised to go to a second extra period with the scores tied at 87 apiece.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jack McVeigh FOR THE WIN ?<br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/6kdDU5msj4">pic.twitter.com/6kdDU5msj4</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1725795147542061509?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The JackJumpers were staring down the barrel of a second straight defeat and a position outside the top four if they had lost to the Taipans, but the player who perhaps personified all that is great about the organisation stepped up, to deliver a final telling blow in Far North Queensland.

“This guy (McVeigh) is someone – and I don’t mean this in a bad way – but when you look at his physical profile, his athleticism, when you look at his measurable he should not be one of the top Australian players in the competition,” NBL legend Derek Rucker said of McVeigh on Moments That Mattered.

“Right now, I think he and Mitch Creek might actually be competing for a position in that All-NBL First Team.

“He works, he believes in himself, and he’s got his mindset right. He’s playing in the right system where he fits perfectly and for that reason he is one of the top five players in the competition and a legitimate All-NBL candidate.

“There’s also something else about Jack McVeigh, he suits Tasmania, and he suits to culture there, and that’s a win. You can do so much commercially in your community when you have a player who is happy to play for your club.”

McVeigh’s heroics have helped keep the JackJumpers in third on the ladder heading into this week’s FIBA break, but there’s been a noted shift in how Tasmania is winning its games, and head coach Scott Roth has already said it’s unsustainable.

The JackJumpers are one of the offensive juggernauts of NBL24, but have had a dramatically leaky defence – which is a far cry from the identity that helped the club hit the ground running in its first two seasons.

“They’re good, they’re solid, but they’re not playing to the defensive capability they should and that has made them a threat deep in the playoffs in the past two seasons,” Rucker continued.

“I think Scott Roth acknowledged that during the week and I guarantee you during the week they’ll be really emphasizing improving that defensive rating.”