Studs and Duds: Round 14

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 

New Zealand Breakers

A couple of Ws will always land you on the good side of this column but if get one of those wins in Western Australia then, well, you’ll probably be the headliner.

That’s how it is for the Breakers this week who bounced back from their Round 13 heartbreak by whacking the Bullets in Tassie and taming the Wildcats in the Jungle.  

New import Levi Randolph balled-out in both games, Will McDowell-White was great against Brisbane while Colton Iverson was hugely influential in Perth where he brought out the Windex and wiped the glass clean.

Those guys aren’t the only Breakers worth name-dropping either. After all, Finn Diesel continued his outstanding play while the skipper, Tom Abercrombie, strengthened his candidacy for the Damian Martin Trophy with big-time efforts against the league’s two leading scorers.

This is a team playing at a really high level right now. In fact, with McDowell-White and Randolph in the mix the Breakers have actually become really fun to watch; they’re moving the ball, executing well offensively and defending at a consistently high level.

They’re also going home in a couple of weeks and are scheduled to play the final seven games of their regular season on home soil.

All of that sets the table nicely for another strong finish and, who knows, maybe even another very late playoff push.

 

Levi Randolph (New Zealand Breakers)

Before we move on, let’s give a couple of individual Breakers some extra time in the sun.

First up: Randolph, who enjoyed something of an NBL coming-out party this round.

The mid-season recruit got things rolling in Tassie when he put 20 on the Bullets and then followed that up with a big-time performance in Perth where he finished with a game-high 23 points.

“Levi is a major difference-maker for us,” Breakers coach Dan Shamir said.

“He had a great game; made his mid-range shots and made some amazing passes. He is a solid player across the board; he defends, gets rebounds, makes shots and we needed it so much.”

 

William McDowell-White (New Zealand Breakers)

Then, of course, there’s WMW who notched up the first triple-double from a Breakers player since the one and only Cedric Jackson back in 2015.

McDowell-White was brilliant against his home-town club as he knocked down open looks, pushed the ball in transition and made really good decisions right throughout the night.

The 23-year-old finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists with only one turnover in a very impressive all-round performance.

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“We’re fortunate to have [Will], especially under these circumstances where Tai (Webster) is injured for a few weeks,” Shamir said.

“Me, personally, I love players like that. He’s young, he’s got a lot to improve but he has a great feel for the game.”

He also loves to operate in the open floor. And while WMW tore Brisbane’s shaky defence to shreds, it should be noted that the he found things much more difficult out west.

Nonetheless, he’s shown a real capacity to play extended minutes as the team’s primary ball-handler. Something that will make things very interesting when Tai Webster returns to the line-up in a couple of weeks.

  

Sydney Kings

The Kings were the other squad to go 2-0 this week… and they did it without their man guy up front.

With Jarell Martin ruled out due to knee soreness, most expected the Phoenix to take care of business in Sydney last Thursday but the Kings flipped that script and protected home court.

Didi Louzada put up a scintillating 28 points as a memorable parting gift, Jordan Hunter blocked everything while the vets, Daniel Kickert and Brad Newley, combined for 34 as the Kings peeled off a 42-14 run through the middle of the game and held on for a 7-point win.

But wait, there’s more!

Adam Forde’s men then came out on Saturday and punched the Taipans in the mouth right from the opening tip, eventually holding on to claim a narrow victory.

On that occasion the Kings were led superbly by…

 

Casper Ware (Sydney Kings)

After a relatively quiet night to begin the round, Sydney’s superstar point guard EXPLODED against the Snakes, scoring a career-high 40 freakin’ points!

It was a wonderful exhibition of scoring off the dribble and a performance that served as a reminder to all those who underestimate the talent of the championship-winning guard.

Ware, who is the primary reason the Kings are still in the hunt this season, is currently ranked inside the top ten for both scoring and assists and, as Sydney coach Adam Forde described him on Saturday, is an absolute “bulldog as a defender.”

“We rely on Casper and he’s aware of that. Regardless of what he produces he’s always a big part of what we do,” the Kings coach added.

“If the three’s not happening he’s going to get on the rim. If the defence is collapsing in he’s going to find his teammates. That’s what makes him such a brilliant basketball player and a leader.”

 

Didi Louzada (Sydney Kings)

Man, I’m gonna miss this guy.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Obrigados, <a href="https://twitter.com/Didi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Didi</a> <br><br>From Summer League to today, Didi Louzada&#39;s journey with the <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SydneyKings</a> as an NBL Next Star has been incredible to see.<a href="https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PelicansNBA</a>, you&#39;ve got a good one ? <a href="https://t.co/tWc8YLtvHn">pic.twitter.com/tWc8YLtvHn</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1383996529002778627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

Melbourne United

United jumped back into top spot this week with their eighth straight victory as they put the sword to Illawarra on Sunday.

It was a scintillating first-half display from Melbourne as they drilled 8 triples at nearly 70 percent and put 56 points on the board.

That’s the second game in a row where Dean Vickerman’s men have scored nearly 60 points in the opening half and he will be thrilled with how well they’re developing at the offensive end.

I mean, United are the best defensive team in the league without a shadow of a doubt. That will hold them in great stead. The challenge for them, however, will be making sure their offence doesn’t get bogged down during the bump and grind of playoff action.

“As we keep going through this season we’re finding consistency offensively,” United star Jock Landale told the broadcast postgame.

“Guys are really starting to buy into their roles. We don’t have ten or twelve heroes out there on the court, we’ve got a team of guys that play their roles really well and we know where we’re going to get our shots from and what our jobs are.

“As long as we can keep that in mind and keep doing that at a high level I think we’ll be good.”

 

Cam Oliver (Cairns Taipans)

Just when the Taipans were starting to feed Space Camm and the big fella was clicking into beast mode, his season is cut short and he’s heading back to the States.

He sure leaves on a high, though; posting five straight double-doubles including two enormous performances this week.

All the best, Cam, to you and your family.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Going out with a ?<br><br>We hope everything is OK back home in ?? and we&#39;ll catch you in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a>, Space Camm.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL21?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL21</a> By the Numbers powered by <a href="https://twitter.com/LaTrobeFin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaTrobeFin</a> ?</p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1383978920307920896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


 

Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’afa (South East Melbourne Phoenix)

This young Kiwi is blowing up!

I mean, my goodness, what an incredible display he served up in Sydney last Thursday as he caught fire late to make the score-line respectable.

Le’afa poured in 29 points against the Kings, including 18 in the final quarter; the most points scored in a quarter by any player this season.

But that’s not the only record he set with that performance… Le’afa also set a new mark for the highest scoring game ever by a development player in the NBL. That’s a pretty darn good effort.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Appreciation post for <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SEMelbPhoenix</a> DP Izayah Le&#39;Afa who put up 29 points tonight on 8/12 shooting from beyond the arc ?<br><br>The future is bright for the young Kiwi ?? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL21?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL21</a> <a href="https://t.co/qGEkdEtw05">pic.twitter.com/qGEkdEtw05</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1382659074655875072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Just quietly, the 24-year-old backed that up with 14 points against Adelaide (12 in the final term), albeit in another losing effort.

“He’s shown himself to be someone who can really operate in the heat of battle, on both sides of the ball,” Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell said.

“It’s a credit to him. He’s been very patient, sitting there waiting, and a couple of injuries crop up and gets his opportunity and he’s clasped it with both hands.

“It’s a great example of what development players need to aspire to be; be ready and when your opportunity comes, grab it. He’s going to be in the NBL for a number of years.”

Kudos to South East Melbourne for picking this guy up. Now for the difficult part: keeping him.

 

DUDS

South East Melbourne Phoenix

Speaking of the Phoenix, they headline the duds this week after two sub-par performances that saw them go winless across the round.

It began with a let-down in the Harbour City where their D just wasn’t at the level and ended with a really flat display at home against a 36ers squad ready to take advantage.

Following the Adelaide loss, head coach Simon Mitchell spoke about his squad’s tendency to let offensive struggles impact their effort at the defensive end.

“If we find ourselves a little stagnant (offensively), our communication drops off defensively and we don’t make the plays we need to make,” Mitchell said.

You know what? He’s right. And this is the primary issue for SEM’s title chances this season. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m high on the Phoenix and have been ever since the pre-season. But here’s the bottom line: teams who are inconsistent defensively very rarely hoist NBL championship trophies.

This is a squad that has the potential to be a good defensive team – and they’ve shown flashes of that potential throughout the year – but their attention to detail at that end of the floor wavers way too often.

The Phoenix are loaded with offensive weaponry and rarely have too much trouble putting points on the board. In fact, they rank second for offensive efficiency on the season, behind only Perth. It’s their ability to consistently get stops that makes the difference between winning a losing and will ultimately determine how far this team goes.

 

Kyle Adnam (South East Melbourne Phoenix)

This hurts, because Adnam’s been so good this season, but he probably deserves a mention at this point after a particularly rough couple of games.

Adnam just couldn’t buy a basket this week, shooting a combined 0-of-15 from the field across SEM’s two losses. With the Phoenix guard scoring just a couple of points from the free throw line in each game, he wound up producing back-to-back 2-point performances – his lowest scoring outputs for the season.

Of course, those struggles are only really standing out because Adnam’s shot-making has been so consistently good throughout NBL21.

No doubt he’ll reset his radar this week and get back to knocking shots down.

 

Brisbane Bullets

Finally, the Bullets were hugely disappointing in Tassie as they got whacked by the Breakers in Jason Cadee’s 300^th NBL game.

Andrej Lemanis’ men shot just seventeen percent from long range, threw a bunch of sloppy turnovers and had all kinds of trouble at the defensive end.

“Particularly in that first half we just couldn’t keep people in front of us,” Lemanis said.

“Just on straight blow-by situations, close-outs, letting people get to their strong hands and play as they wanted to play… it’s amazing that they only had 44 at half time the way we were playing defensively.”

That effort improved slightly during stretches of the second half but it wasn’t enough as the Bullets suffered their fifth loss from their past six games.

So… what’s going on? Well, four of those losses have come on the road, where it’s always difficult to win. But, let’s be honest, that’s not the main factor behind this current slump.

“The biggest impact, of course, is that Vic Law is not playing for us,” Lemanis explained.

“That’s a significant piece that’s missing for us and we’ve got to find an answer because he’s not playing for us the rest of the year.”

One part of that answer is on the way in the form of a new import signing. However B.J. Johnson won’t be here for at least the next four Bullets games, meaning Brisbane need to find some alternate solutions in the meantime.

I don’t mean to be Captain Obvious but sitting down and guarding the ball seems like a pretty good place to start.

 

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