Stat Chat (Round 2, NBL25)

Statistics ... whether you love them or hate them, stats play a huge part in sport.

Whether it's when recruiting a player, how teams prepare, how a starting five is set up, or just about any facet of the game, numbers are crunched and relied upon as fact. 

This year, 2018 NBL Champion and expert commentator Pete Hooley will once again be our resident stats man on NBL.com.au and the NBL App, to provide a rundown of all the key numbers heading into a new round of games.  

Keep an eye out after every round for the latest edition of 'Stat Chat'.

What’s hot: 17
You can’t knock the hustle on the glass from Adelaide so far this season and that was evident again in this game with the 36ers ripping down 17 offensive rebounds. It wasn’t just the big guys either, as Sunday Dech, Lat Mayen and DJ Vasiljevic all chimed in with some of their own. It didn’t translate to a win, but it’s a good base to build off for Mike Wells.

What’s not: -24
With some new pieces coming in, Adelaide may have to shuffle some things around in order to get their big marquee, Isaac Humphries firing. Humphries had another rough game to begin his NBL25 season, posting a -24 in less than 20 minutes played. It’s no secret that he seems to play his best when Jason Cadee is running the point, so maybe it’s as simple as getting them on the floor together. 

What’s hot: 7
Somehow this game Brisbane game looked very similar to their first round game, where they turned up the heat defensively for one quarter and things looked great. After an abysmal first 10 minutes, the Bullets responded in the second by forcing seven turnovers and outscoring the Hawks by 14. Now it’s about getting that defensive consistency across the entire game.

What’s not: 38
It was a less than ideal first quarter from Brisbane after many predicted them to come out firing after last weeks “pathetic” performance. In the opening 10 minutes, Illawarra put up 38 points on the Bullets, which is tied for the second most of all time in the 40-minute era. Thankfully they managed to turn it around in the second quarter but Justin Schueller was visibly frustrated with his teams opening efforts. 

What’s hot: 70
This was the Rob Edwards that many fans expected to see tear up the NBL offensively. After a slow start to his season, Edwards was completely unstoppable against Adelaide, putting up 31 points on 70 per cent shooting. He was given the nickname “The Microwave” from his time in the G-League and this game was a perfect example of why.

What’s not: 4
Cairns’ toughness comes from their ability to play with energy and physicality, so when one of their leaders in that area like Tanner Groves is hampered by fouls, it’s not ideal. It limited his court time significantly and meant that the Taipans had to scrape and claw even more against the big presence of Montrezl Harrell. Fresh faces to the NBL usually go through a period of adapting in terms of the way the game is officiated, but Adam Forde will be hoping that happens quickly for his big man.

What’s hot: 1
When the Hawks need a big play, there’s only one man to call. Enter Tyler Harvey. He has shown time and time again that he’s one of the best clutch players we have seen in some time and his step-back silencer against the Kings just further added to his highlight reel. There’s just something special about the way he can sense the moment and snatch it away with a big shot. 

What’s not: 12
It’s not often that the Hawks get beaten up on the glass in general, but it’s even more rare that it can occur in a game, and they still get a win. The Hawks got a taste of their own medicine against the Kings by giving up 19 offensive rebounds and being out-rebounded by 12 overall against a smaller team in Sydney. What makes this stat even more of a concern is the fact that both Days and Froling had double-digit rebounds as well. 

What’s hot: 34
At the end of the third quarter in the Throwdown, things looked bleak for Jack White, who was yet to impact the game at all. Then he turned it all around with a massive fourth quarter and followed that up with a dominant double-double against Tasmania. White scored 34 points combined in his last five quarters over the weekend and flashed the offensive improvement many expected to see this season.

What’s not: 54 per cent
They say that free-throws win games, and while that is probably a stretch, what is true is that they can lose you a game. Melbourne shot just 54 per cent from the stripe in their loss against Tasmania and it wasn’t the sole reason they lost, but when you look back at their struggles last year from the line, then it’s a concern. United were a league worst 68.9 per cent from the free-throw line last season and will be hoping that isn’t too common in NBL25.

What’s hot: 10
Petteri Koponen said that his team had a defensive game plan for their game against South East Melbourne and they certainly executed that down the stretch to get the win. The 10 steals that the Breakers managed to get were a direct result of their pressure defensively and everyone moving as a unit. It’s the perfect foundation to lay at the start of the season for New Zealand.

What’s not: 20
New Zealand would have wanted to begin strong in front of their home fans for the first time this season and unfortunately that wasn’t the case in the opening quarter. The Breakers scored just 11 points on 20 per cent shooting as their slow start zapped some of the life out of Spark Arena. 

What’s hot: 16
It’s been a theme of the last three seasons for Perth that their struggles winning games have usually been due to their inability to rebound. That issue looks to be resolved with the addition of Dylan Windler, who has been a beast on the glass in his first two games. Windler ripped down 16 boards on Friday night and is proving to be one of, if not the best, rebounder in the entire league. 

What’s not: 11
Similar to New Zealand, the Wildcats fell out of the gates to start the game on Friday night by scoring just 11 points. It’s not the way you want to begin a game against any opponent, let alone against one of the perennial favourites to win it all. As is usually the case, it took some Bryce Cotton magic for the Wildcats to dig back in and then an Elijah Pepper burst to put Perth within striking distance. 

What’s hot: 19
It’s often hard to find positives when a team suffers two losses in a round, but the work of new import forward Matt Hurt, must be highlighted. The former Duke big man averaged 19 points across Round 2 and was filling it up both inside and outside to help his team try and get their first win.

What’s not: 4
One way or another, the Phoenix need to find a way to get their superstar guard duo to fire together if they want to climb back up the ladder. In the Throwdown it was Nathan Sobey who struggled, hitting just three field goals and then Derrick Walton Jr managed just two points in their loss to New Zealand. It’s not outrageous to say that if those two have inconsistent performances like that in a round, the Phoenix are going to really struggle to win the game. 

What’s hot: 19
Sydney gave the Hawks a taste of their own medicine on Sunday by ripping down 19 offensive rebounds, and they did it as a collective unit. This team has too many weapons, especially shooting the three and while they struggled to connect from deep in this game, that will give Goorjian a lot of confidence. If they can continue to punish teams on the offensive glass, the second chance opportunities will simply be too much for their opposition. 

What’s not: 1
Speaking of outside shooting, the Kings unfortunately set the tone in the first quarter with how the entire game would go in that regard. Sydney hit just one of 13 attempts from outside in the first quarter and didn’t shy away from letting it fly after that. The big question from here is what is their plan B if the outside shot isn’t connecting?

What’s hot: 5
This stat writes itself as every single of one Will Magnay’s five blocks were a highlight. Tasmania’s big man once again proved why he is the best rim protector in the competition and also showed that no shot is safe around him. 

What’s not: 22
With the loss of Jack McVeigh, many are wondering where the points will come from in this Tasmania team. Even though they got a win, the JackJumpers shot just 22 per cent from the three on the night. If it’s not Crawford, Doyle or Steindl, who are the major weapons on this Tasmania team? Or are they destined to be more of an inside threat and putting pressure on the rim?