Starting 5: Tasmania and New Zealand shine, as heavyweights falter

Round 3 saw Tasmania and New Zealand chalk up two memorable wins, as Sydney continued its perfect start to its title defence.

Courtney Ward looks at some key talking points from the round just gone.

1 – PJC for MVP?

The American point guard had 27 points in both victories, adding 10 and nine assists respectively, and is now averaging a career-high 26.6 points per contest in NBL27.

If the 31-year-old can continue this form, and the Breakers maintain their winning ways, Jackson-Cartwright will be firmly in the MVP discussion.

2 – JackJumpers continue to find a way

Despite its injury-riddled roster, Tasmania recorded two gritty wins in Round 3, against Melbourne (84-82) and Brisbane (109-99 in overtime).

The basis of this is the JackJumpers' resolute defence, holding their opponents to just 43.3 per cent from the field (the second-lowest mark in the League).

Spearheading that defence is captain Will Magnay, who is leading the League in blocks (2.8 per game) and sits third in rebounds (7.8).

3 – Red-hot Pepper

Don't look now, but the Perth Wildcats have rattled off three straight wins after losing their season opener to South East Melbourne.

The Australian Boomer has scored a career-high 25 points in three straight games and is now the League's fifth-highest scorer, averaging 23.5 per game.

It will be interesting to see how the addition of NBA talent Brandon Knight affects the game of Pepper and the other Wildcats moving forward.

4 – Adelaide's struggling offence

At the end of Round 3, last season's runners-up sit at 2-3 on the ladder. While some will point to the injuries of Flynn Cameron and Isaac Humphries as the reason for the slow start (which has some merit), the real reason is the 36ers' out-of-sorts offence.

Despite having Bryce Cotton on their side, the 36ers are averaging the second-fewest points per game (88.2) and are in the bottom half of the League in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free-throw percentage, effective field goal percentage, true shooting percentage, offensive pace and bench scoring.

This is a far cry from the 2025–26 Sixers, who ranked in the top three in most of those statistics.

The addition of Corey Webster should help, as will time in Trevor Gleeson's flex offensive system, but the 36ers' play in Round 3 provided plenty of reasons for concern.

5 – United's alarm bells

Melbourne was one of only three teams to lose both its Round 3 fixtures, falling to Tasmania and Cairns. As with Adelaide, injuries have played a role, but so has United's inconsistent offence.

Against Cairns, in a game where they were outscored 35-14 in the fourth quarter, it appeared at times that Cole Anthony was the only player trying to spark United's scoring (not including Josh Oduro's hustle and second-chance points).

Zooming out, and especially with Chris Goulding sidelined, Jacob Chance needs more than 10.3 points from Luke Travers and 6.3 from Sam Waardenburg, which we all know they are capable of.