NBL23 Review: Brisbane Bullets

With the NBL23 season in the books and Free Agency just around the corner, the time to review the season is now.

From bottom to top, NBL Media will be running through each side’s most recent campaign and assess the good, the bad, the ugly, and the upcoming off-season.

After an eighth-place finish in NBL22, the Brisbane Bullets loaded with some serious talent in NBL23.

In came NBA veterans Tyler Johnson and Aron Baynes, and Nathan Sobey was back to full fitness.

They flattered to deceive all season long though. Despite their early near favouritism for the title off-court turmoil saw them slump to a ninth-place finish and well behind the lofty heights they were expected to reach during pre-season.

They finished the season with an 8-20 record. Three of those wins came against the cellar-dwelling Hawks, and they were on the wrong side of the heaviest defeat in the history of the competition.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Aron Baynes and Tyler Johnson are bringing ?showtime? to Brisbane ?<br><br>The Big Banger channeling Bryce Cotton with the four-point play ?<br><br>Catch the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> action live on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel <a href="https://t.co/Q74hWkylQG">pic.twitter.com/Q74hWkylQG</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1585572189046120448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Good – Aron Baynes’ return to the court
After Aron Baynes’ freak injury at the Tokyo Olympics, there were doubts the Australian centre would ever walk again. The fact he returned to the court in any capacity – let alone at such a high level – is a near miracle in itself.

Upon signing for the Bullets, Baynes harboured no secrets about his ambitions to return to the NBA. Just to have one of Australian basketball’s favourite sons headlining the domestic competition was a blessing in any capacity – regardless of whether he ended up staying or not.

It took ‘Banga’ some time to get back up to speed with the speed and rigours of professional basketball – and the off-season carnage that was happening behind-the-scenes didn’t help. At one point Baynes had three different head coaches for three consecutive games. Such uncertainty didn’t help the ambitions of the star big or of the team around him.

Aron Baynes was one of the most high-profile off-season acquisitions in the NBL.

The 36-year-old veteran of almost 600 NBA games ended up suiting up for the Bullets 24 times across the season, and posted strong averages of 11.7 points at 45.7 per cent shooting and 7.7 rebounds per game.

When Baynes played well, the Bullets tended to play well. When the star centre played full minutes in wins for the Bullets – which happened six times over the course of the season – his averages improved to 14.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.

He also recorded double-doubles in three of those contests.

Having signed a multi-year deal upon arriving at the Bullets it looks all but certain Baynes will be running it back with Brisbane in NBL24.

After a full season under his belt, who knows how high he could fly next season?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The journey continues...<a href="https://twitter.com/aronbaynes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@aronbaynes</a>&#39; comeback story is nothing short of incredible and we can&#39;t wait to see the BIG man back on the court when he suits up for the <a href="https://twitter.com/BrisbaneBullets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrisbaneBullets</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> ? <a href="https://t.co/Sm7Vnq9JNf">pic.twitter.com/Sm7Vnq9JNf</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1552478244816834562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Bad – The team’s underachievement
The off-season acquisitions of Aron Baynes and Tyler Johnson and the return to fitness of Nathan Sobey saw the Brisbane Bullets’ pre-season championship odds smashed, and they became a favourite of neutral fans to take home the NBL23 title before a ball was even bounced in anger.

Six straight losses to open the season quickly put those title hopes on ice, but two large wins against an equally struggling Illawarra side threatened a new dawn to the season, and could have provided the Bullets with a path to get themselves back amongst the finals-chasing pack.

After a third-straight win came the departure of head coach James Duncan, and that’s where the wheels fell off for the rest of the season.

A 37-point loss to New Zealand shattered all confidence the side may have built up in the previous three games, and just two months later they fell to the biggest defeat in the history of the NBL – a 49-point loss to Sydney.

The Bullets were the second team to be mathematically eliminated from the post-season, and while Tyler Johnson was nominated for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award – which was eventually won by New Zealand sharpshooter Barry Brown Jr – it was a season of underachievement, both individually and collectively, for the group.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Kings 49-point winning margin is the biggest during the 40-minute era ?<br><br>Check out the <a href="https://twitter.com/HungryJacksAU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HungryJacksAU</a> highlights from last night&#39;s game ? <a href="https://t.co/1KMqIsrZLN">pic.twitter.com/1KMqIsrZLN</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1613294807350124544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Ugly – Off-court issues
No matter how good your team is on paper, if an organisation goes through as much in-season turmoil as the Brisbane Bullets did during NBL23, the odds are firmly stacked against any chance of on-court success.

First came the departure of former head coach James Duncan off the back of a three-game winning streak.

General Manager of Basketball and Bullets legend Sam Mackinnon was then named as interim coach, but lasted just three games before assistant coach and former Townsville Crocodile Greg Vanderjagt took the reigns for the remainder of the season.

Assistant coaches Peter Crawford and Pero Cameron have also now left the club’s coaching ranks – after Cameron only joined mid-way through the NBL23 season.

CEO Peter McLennan and General Manager of Basketball Sam Mackinnon become untenable have departed in recent months. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Brisbane Bullets organisation would like to thank Peter Crawford for his hard work and commitment to the Club over the last two seasons. The Club also thanks Pero Cameron for his services in NBL23. We wish them both all the best in their respective coaching journey’s. <a href="https://t.co/6Y9DxqdvjP">pic.twitter.com/6Y9DxqdvjP</a></p>&mdash; Brisbane Bullets (@BrisbaneBullets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrisbaneBullets/status/1628893774037553152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


The Off-Season – Gaining stability
The appointment of Justin Schueller as new head coach, and Darryl McDonald and Greg Vanderjagt as assistant coaches at such an early stage heading into next season should give the Bullets an element of stability they’ve craved for for so long, especially approaching Free Agency. 

Only Nathan Sobey and Aron Baynes entered NBL23 with contracts that extended past the recently completed season, but Tyrell Harrison and DJ Mitchell have since re-signed with the club for the upcoming campaign.

RELATED: Bullets Target Star Signing

With the restructure of the basketball department that saw Mackinnon’s departure and McLennan’s CEO role still to be filled, there are still plenty of pieces to fall into place for the Bullets over the off-season.

A new coaching staff, playing group and administration leaders will see the organisation take on an almost brand-new look in NBL24, for better or for worse.

But that wholesale change could be just what Brisbane needs to elevate from its ninth-place finish and target a return to the post-season for the first time in over half a decade.