Studs and Duds: Round 10

At the conclusion of each round, NBL Media’s Liam Santamaria lets us know who made the grade and who deserves a little shade.

 

STUDS

Tasmania JackJumpers

I’ve got to be honest: if you’re not loving the Tasmania JackJumpers right now I’m not sure that we can be friends.

I’m sorry, I didn’t really want to start with an ultimatum but geez, how good are the Jackies!!

That’s now four wins on the trot for the new kids on the block and, thanks to some stumbles from the Hawks, they’re currently sitting inside the top four. You’ve gotta love it! 

And it’s not just because it’s cool to see a new team getting wins, either. I mean, it is but it’s more than that: this is a team playing a great brand of basketball. No, it’s not high-scoring but Scott Roth has moulded these guys into a hard-working defensive unit and recently they’ve been playing increasingly smart and selfless offensively. 

As a result, The Ants have notched up wins over Adelaide, New Zealand, Sydney and Melbourne over the past two weeks. That said, the beauty of their performance has been less about the wins and more about how they’ve been going about it.

Of course, that’s been the message from Roth from day dot. Ever since he took on the role, the veteran coach has been talking about laying the right foundations in the club’s inaugural year. Well, they’re definitely getting that done.

What’s going to be interesting is how well they can sustain this level of play. After all, in their inaugural season South East Melbourne were also 6-6 after their first 12 games but went on to win only three more games for the rest of the year. It’s just really tough to consistently win on the road and the JackJumpers are likely going to find that out over the next little while. 

I hope they keep it rolling, though. For the sake of our friendship, if nothing else!

Jack McVeigh (Tasmania JackJumpers)

Let’s keep this simple: this man needs 10 shots a game. He’s a talented scorer and you can guarantee he’ll be grateful for every pass he receives. Keep getting this man his looks.  

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Big. Play. Jack. McVeigh.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> live on <a href="https://twitter.com/10PeachAu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@10PeachAu</a> + <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> ? <a href="https://t.co/n4RoEv9Lrs">pic.twitter.com/n4RoEv9Lrs</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1490200491971649542?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Cairns Taipans

The other team punching above their weight right now are the Taipans, who had half their squad missing and still upset the Bullets.

It was a very impressive performance, especially after their head coach put the heat on them in the week leading up.

I mean, Adam Forde tested their manhood! He questioned their character! And his guys responded in the best possible way: by out-working, out-hustling and out-playing their opponents.

Tahjere McCall gave everything he had, Majok Deng regained his touch and both Stephen Zimmerman and Keanu Pinder worked tirelessly at both ends of the floor.

The guy who lit the place up, however, was…

Bul Kuol (Cairns Taipans)

I’m not sure how much of Nissan Arena the fireys managed to save, but Bul Kuol did his best to burn that joint down.

The rookie was on fire on Saturday as he drained 8/10 from long range to blast the Snakes to victory.

“He’s been fantastic,” Forde noted postgame.

“It was only a matter of time before he was going to have the offensive game that he did… what’s been really positive is him defensively. 

“He’s such a good dude and I’m so happy that we’ve got him on our team.”

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BUL KU?L<br><br>The <a href="https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CairnsTaipans</a> rookie was cooking on Saturday night, connecting on 8/10 from deep on his way to a career-high 26 points in their win over the Bullets.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> By the Numbers powered by <a href="https://twitter.com/LaTrobeFin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaTrobeFin</a> <a href="https://t.co/wJZcJ6zGPB">pic.twitter.com/wJZcJ6zGPB</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1490857046430076928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Perth Wildcats 

You’ve really got to hand it to these Wildcats. 

We all know their circumstances – stuck out of WA and missing their families – but despite all that they’re just rolling with the punches (!) and getting the job done.

Yeah, they slipped up in Sydney and yeah, they’re starting games slowly, but they were magnificent after quarter time on Saturday to run over the Phoenix.

It was a funky game as South East Melbourne played the percentages on a few shaky shooters (particularly Luke Travers) while throwing extra bodies at Bryce Cotton and Vic Law. It was a strategy that worked for the Kings last week but was less effective for the Phoenix, as Travers, Mitch Norton and Majok Majok combined for 6/9 shooting from long range.

Travers, in particular, had himself a game. The mullet-wearing Wildcat had a tricky time navigating those coverages but he eventually got there, using the extra space he was given effectively. 

Travers finished with a career-high 24 points as the Wildcats outscored the Phoenix by 32 during his 22 minutes on the floor. The question is: how will he handle those coverages next time? With Cotton and Law on his squad, teams are going to continue to give him open looks. 

“It’s okay for him to shoot, it’s okay for him to drive,” Wildcats coach Scott Morrison said.

“The only thing I tell him not to do is hesitate. Do one or the other but do it with conviction and either one will be the right answer.” 

Jo Lual-Acuil & Chris Goulding (Melbourne United)

Melbourne went down in their only game this week but their two main guys stood tall in the loss.

Lual-Acuil was dominant, notching up the first 20/20 game in franchise history, while CG43 bounced back to score 29 points on just 16 shots.

More about Melbourne in a minute, though.

Jesse Wagstaff (Perth Wildcats)

I’m getting in early on this legend as he prepares to play his 400th NBL game.

Did you properly compute that number? 400! To place this into context: when he steps out against Melbourne on Saturday night, Wagstaff will become only the 48th guy ever to play 400 NBL games and only the second all-time, alongside Amazing Grace, to notch up that many for the Wildcats.

He’s a six-time champion, a genuine clutch performer and, most importantly, a ripping bloke. Congratulations Jesse and long may you drain back-breaking fourth-quarter threes!

LaMelo Ball

From Next Star to All Star in just two years! This kid is unbelievable. 

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations to LaMelo Ball on being named an NBA All-Star ?<br><br>The former Next Star becomes the first-ever <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLxNBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLxNBA</a> player in history to be selected. <a href="https://t.co/0buuDHNQjY">pic.twitter.com/0buuDHNQjY</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1490834409213558784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

DUDS

 

Melbourne United

Okay, so where are things at with Melbourne United?

The defending champs were cruising along on the top of the table and then, BAM!... they’ve dropped games to Adelaide and Tassie.

This week’s was a baaaad loss too. In front of a big crowd at their ‘homecoming’ game, United gave up 36 in the opening quarter and, after working their way back, get out-executed by the JJs down the stretch.

With Jack White and Ariel Hukporti out of the line-up, their defence wasn’t at its usual level while their offence lacked production outside of the fellas mentioned above. In fact, they only generated 30 points from the rest of the squad with everyone not named Chris or Jo combining for 0/15 from outside.

The whole situation had Dean Vickerman pondering the make-up of his roster, and whether or not they need to re-enter the import market.

Of course, the key guy who really needs to step up is…

Caleb Agada (Melbourne United)

That loss to Tassie was Agada’s fourth consecutive single-digit scoring game as he posted eight points on 4/13 shooting from the field. 

It’s been a frustrating couple of weeks for Melbourne’s only import, where he’s shot sub-30 percent, including just 1/17 from long range. That’s just not going to get it done for this group because, how they’re constructed, they really need Agada to be a consistent offensive threat. 

“Chris, Caleb and Jo are the three guys that we build around averaging kind of 16 points each,” Vickerman explained.

“Yep, we didn’t get enough from Caleb tonight but across the rest of that group as well we didn’t get enough.”

All of that makes this weekend’s Grand Final rematch against the Wildcats even more of a mouth-watering proposition.

Brisbane Bullets

This is now back-to-back stints in the duds for the Bullets who just continue to frustrate with their up-and-down play. 

Yeah, they were missing a couple of key guys, but they still had enough to take care of a ragtag Cairns squad on their own home floor.

Unfortunately, the Taipans just wanted it more. Adam Forde’s men defended harder, rebounded with much more energy and just generally out-worked the Bullets for most of the night.

For a team that’s now lost four games in a row, playing harder for longer is the first step in turning their fortunes around.

Illawarra Hawks 

Things are slightly more complicated for the Hawks who, as Brian Goorjian described it, are currently “in the dog days” after losing five of their past seven games.

Illawarra’s primary issue, as has been widely discussed, has been an inability to consistently get stops. It’s weird because even typing that about a Goorjian-coached team feels strange, but that’s the reality as they currently rank eighth in the league for defensive efficiency. 

Part of this situation reminds me a little of that Melo Trimble/Shawn Long Melbourne United squad of a few years ago. United lost to Perth in the 2019 Grand Final Series and were determined to improve offensively that off-season after struggling to score against the ‘Cats. The problem, however, was that they tilted too far in the opposite direction – something they rectified the following year.

That’s what has happened here as the Hawks have gone from being one of the stingiest teams in the league to one of the leakiest.

Unfortunately, that was the problem again on Monday night as the Phoenix got whatever they wanted early and the Hawks fell behind the eight ball. They fought back and, in the end, they were actually unfortunate to go down which only added to the frustration for their masterful head coach.

“It isn’t fun right now,” Goorjian said.

“It’s definitely not fun. It’s stressful, it’s tough, you’re getting hit mentally… it’s not fun right now and basketball isn’t always fun. 

“This situation that we’re in is good for the development of this program and the development of this team… it’s part of getting tough, getting nasty and going to some place we haven’t been before.”

Getting nasty? Oh boy, this week’s clash with Cairns has suddenly become genuine must-watch TV.

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