On point: Brisbane hunting for playmaker

With the reported mutual release of import guard, James Batemon, the Brisbane Bullets are targeting an elite playmaking point guard as their top priority. 

“I still don’t think that (Will) McDowell-White will be available, it still feels like he will do another season in Europe,” Olgun Uluc said on The Marketplace, about the Bullets’ search for a dynamic guard.

“But if for some reason he becomes available late in the piece, then the Bullets are a team that really wants to swoop on him.

“And then you can go and put James Batemon next to that guy.”

That type of leading playmaker is exactly the piece that Brisbane has identified as a key need this off-season, after missing out on Matthew Dellavedova. If the Bullets were able to land that signing, it would open the door for them re-negotiate with Batemon to solidify their backcourt. 

“I think having a first-time head coach in Stu Lash, the idea of also having an elite point guard is something he will want,” Pete Hooley added.

“Having that floor general, that proven creator ... I think would be a very useful thing for a first-time head coach.”

As the Bullets continue to build their roster, Hooley believes that whatever their next pieces are, it’s vital they have a particular skillset in order for this team to thrive. 

“My biggest fear ... the Bullets last year when they made that push towards the top six, they were the best three-point shooting team in the league,” he said.

“So you put Mitch Norton hypothetically in that starting point guard role, and yes he can shoot the three, Sam MCDaniel can shoot the three, but they’re not known and volume shooters.

“They need some more shooting there ... because they showed last year how good they could be scoring the ball by shooting well from outside.”